JP2024069797A - Relay connector with joint function - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a relay connector with a joint function that can directly connect terminals without using a bus bar member or the like and can electrically connect any terminals with a simple structure.SOLUTION: A second housing 3b is connectable to a first housing 3a. A conductive member 7 is made of metal and is a member that conducts electricity between the terminals of adjacent electric wires with terminals. The conductive member 7 is attached and fixed to an inner wall member 5. The inner wall member 5 to which the conductive member 7 is attached is inserted into the first housing 3a along the side-by-side arrangement direction of the plurality of first electric wires with terminals (i.e., the side-by-side arrangement direction of the plurality of electric wire accommodating portions 9a with terminals). In the same first housing 3a, at least some of the conductive members 7 are arranged so as to straddle the plurality of electric wire accommodating portions 9a with terminals, and certain adjacent electric wires with terminals can be conductively connected to each other via the conductive member 7.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a relay connector with a joint function that can connect wire harnesses used in automobiles, etc., and can also connect adjacent terminals as desired.

Conventionally, electric wires with terminals have been used as power lines and signal lines in fields such as automobiles, office automation equipment, and home appliances. In particular, in the automobile field, vehicles are rapidly becoming more sophisticated and functional, and the number of various electrical devices and control devices installed in vehicles is increasing. Accordingly, the number of electric wires with terminals used is also on the rise, and wire harnesses in which multiple electric wires with terminals are bundled together are used.

Here, wire harnesses may be divided into sub-harnesses for each group of equipment. In this way, one wire harness can be manufactured more efficiently by dividing it into multiple sub-harnesses. In addition, the number and types of connectors, terminals, and wires are limited, making it easier to meet the application conditions of the manufacturing equipment.

In this case, with conventional connectors, manual post-fitting work is required in the wire harness assembly process, resulting in the use of many connectors with a small number of poles. For example, if there is a circuit that spans subs, post-fitting may be necessary (manual work in a post-process where the subs are joined together), and the more post-fitting there is, the more processing labor is required and the greater the risk of incorrect insertion. On the other hand, taking measures such as dividing the connector or dividing the circuit will lead to increased processing and parts costs and will also worsen the ease of fitting on the vehicle assembly line.

To improve the efficiency of work by dividing the wiring harnesses into sub-sections, lever-type split connectors and bolt-fastened connectors have been proposed. In addition, a method of using a double-ended joint has also been proposed as a method of connecting wire harnesses together.

However, lever-type split connectors can only be divided into about three parts, making it difficult to accommodate even more subs. In addition, the male side is not divided, so it does not contribute to sub-division and results in an ultra-high number of poles, which can actually hinder production. Some lever-type split connectors also have a male side that is divided into three parts, but since there is no wall to protect the male tab, there is a risk of terminal damage during the manufacturing process. In addition, the male side of bolt-fastened connectors is one piece, so the connector is large (large space for the bolt) and there are problems with poor workability on the vehicle assembly line.

Even with a double-insertion joint, the connectors of each wire harness are not of the split type, so they do not contribute to sub-division (improving the completion rate). In addition, because wire harnesses are connected to each other via separate parts such as busbar members, the number of parts increases, and because the terminals are not directly connected to each other, there are concerns that the reliability of the electrical connection may decrease.

Meanwhile, a joint connector has been proposed that enables the connection of a sub-harness by electrically connecting specific male terminals arranged in a matrix in a male terminal assembly made of a printed circuit board (Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-111279 A

However, in a structure like that of Patent Document 1, a printed circuit board is used for the male terminal ASSY, which poses problems in manufacturability and cost, and makes it difficult to respond flexibly to all kinds of designs. For example, since the circuit board is designed for a preset subdivision, it cannot accommodate multiple variations, and cannot accommodate the addition of connectors, etc.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a relay connector with a joint function that can directly connect terminals without using busbar members or the like, and can electrically connect any terminals with a simple structure.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a relay connector with a joint function capable of connecting a plurality of electric wires with terminals, comprising a first housing capable of mounting a plurality of electric wires with first terminals, a second housing capable of mounting a plurality of electric wires with second terminals and connectable to the first housing, an inner wall member inserted into the first housing along the juxtaposition direction of the plurality of electric wires with first terminals, and a conductive member fixed to the inner wall member, at least a portion of the conductive member being arranged so as to straddle the accommodating portion of the plurality of electric wires with first terminals, predetermined adjacent electric wires with first terminals can be conductive to each other via the conductive member, and the first housing and the second housing can be connected to directly connect the terminals of the electric wires with first terminals and the electric wires with second terminals that face each other.

The first terminal-attached electric wire may have a male terminal, and the conductive member may have a hole with a tongue into which the male terminal can be inserted, and the tongue of the conductive member may come into contact with the male terminal to establish electrical continuity by inserting the male terminal into the hole.

It is desirable that the first housings and the second housings are each stackable and connectable.

It is desirable that at least some of the conductive members have protrusions that protrude in the stacking direction of the first housing, and that by stacking and connecting the first housings, at least some of the conductive members adjacent to each other in the stacking direction can be brought into contact with each other to provide electrical conductivity.

The second housing has a fixing portion that fixes the stacked second housings together and a fixing release portion that releases the fixing portion, and when the second housings are pushed into the first housing while stacked and fixed to each other, in a first state at the beginning of the connection, the fixing portion maintains the fixed state, and the stacked second housings can be pushed into the first housing all at once, and further, in a second state in which the second housings are pushed into the first housing, a part of the first housing may come into contact with and operate the fixing release portion, releasing the fixing portion, and each of the second housings may be pushed into the first housing separately.

The second housing has a fixing portion that fixes the stacked second housings together, and the first housing has a fixing release portion that releases the fixing of the fixing portion, and when the second housing is pushed into the first housing while stacked and fixed to each other, in a first state at the beginning of the connection, the fixing portion maintains the fixed state, and the stacked second housings can be pushed into the first housing all at once, and further, in a second state where the second housing is pushed into the first housing, the fixing release portion comes into contact with the fixing portion to release the fixation, and each of the second housings can be pushed into the first housing separately.

According to the present invention, by using an inner wall member to which a conductive member is fixed and inserting the inner wall member into the first housing, any adjacent terminals can be electrically connected to each other. Therefore, by changing the conductive member to be attached, various subdivisions can be easily accommodated. This reduces the amount of work required for post-fitting. In addition, since the male terminal (or female terminal) penetrates the inner wall member (conductive member), the male terminal and the female terminal can be directly connected without using a bus bar member or the like. In addition, by appropriately arranging the conductive member, joint circuits and through circuits (connections between wire harnesses without joints) can be mixed in the same connector, allowing for high design freedom.

In addition, by forming a tongue in the hole of the conductive member, electrical continuity between the male terminal inserted into the hole and the conductive member can be ensured more reliably.

In addition, by stacking and connecting the first and second housings, the number of layers can be changed as desired depending on the number of wire harnesses to be connected.

In this case, by forming a protrusion that protrudes in the stacking direction on the conductive member, it is possible to electrically connect adjacent conductive members in the stacking direction of the stacked first housings. Therefore, the conductive member can electrically connect not only adjacent terminals in the same first housing, but also any terminals in the stacking direction.

In addition, by providing a fixing portion that fixes the second housing in a stacked state, the first housing and the second housing can be connected together in a stacked and connected state. At this time, when the second housing is pushed into the first housing to a certain extent, the fixing release portion arranged on the second housing comes into contact with the fixing portion and can release the fixation. Therefore, in the initial stage of connecting the connector, multiple housings can be stacked and connected together, and when finally connecting the terminals, each housing is connected individually, so insertion resistance during connection can be reduced.

The release portion may be provided at the tip of the first housing, and even in this case, when connecting the first housing and the second housing, the release portion can be brought into contact with the fixed portion to release the fixation. Therefore, in the initial stage of connecting the connector, multiple housings can be stacked and connected all at once, and when finally connecting the terminals, each housing is connected individually, which reduces insertion resistance during connection.

The present invention provides a relay connector with a joint function that can directly connect terminals without using busbar members or the like, and can electrically connect any terminals with a simple structure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the relay connector 1 with a joint function. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a state in which a plurality of relay connectors 1 with joint function are stacked. 4A is an assembled perspective view of a state in which a first housing 3a and a second housing 3b are stacked, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing a state in which the first housing 3a and the second housing 3b are connected. 4A is a rear view of the second housing 3b, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4A to 4C are diagrams showing a conductive member 7. 1A is an exploded view of a conductive member 7 and an inner wall member 5, FIG. 1B is a view showing the conductive member 7 attached to the inner wall member 5, and FIG. 1C is a view showing the inner wall members 5 stacked together. 6A to 6C are diagrams showing a process of attaching a terminal-attached electric wire 33a to a first housing. 1A is a diagram showing another conductive member 7a, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C is a diagram showing a process of inserting a male terminal 35 into the conductive member 7a. 1A is a diagram showing a process of connecting a first housing 3a and a second housing 3b, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a fixing member 21 of the second housing 3b, and is an enlarged view of a portion C in FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a second state in which the second housing 3b is pressed into the first housing 3a from a first state at the beginning of connection, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a fixing member 21 of the second housing 3b. 13 is a diagram showing the state in which the second housing 3b is individually pressed into the first housing 3a to connect the male terminals 35 and the female terminals 37. FIG. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating another process for connecting the first housing 3a and the second housing 3b. 6A to 6C are diagrams illustrating a process of releasing the fixation of the fixing member 21 by the fixation releasing part 39a.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a relay connector 1 with a joint function. The relay connector 1 with a joint function is mainly composed of a first housing 3a to which a plurality of electric wires with first terminals can be attached, a second housing 3b to which a plurality of electric wires with second terminals can be attached, an inner wall member 5, a conductive member 7, etc. The second housing 3b can be connected to the first housing 3a, and the relay connector 1 with a joint function is a member for connecting a plurality of electric wires with first terminals and a plurality of electric wires with second terminals together. In the following drawings, unless otherwise specified, illustrations of electric wires with terminals are omitted.

The conductive member 7 is made of metal and serves to electrically connect the terminals of adjacent terminal-attached electric wires (performing a so-called joint function). The conductive member 7 is attached and fixed to the inner wall member 5. Details of the conductive member 7 and the inner wall member 5 will be described later.

The first housing 3a is provided with a plurality of terminal-equipped electric wire housings 9a in which a plurality of terminal-equipped electric wires are respectively housed. An inner wall member insertion section 11 into which the inner wall member 5 can be inserted is provided on the upper surface of the first housing 3a. That is, the inner wall member 5 to which the conductive member 7 is attached is inserted into the first housing 3a along the juxtaposition direction of the plurality of first terminal-equipped electric wires (i.e., the juxtaposition direction of the plurality of terminal-equipped electric wire housings 9a). In addition, a hole (not shown) is formed in the lower part of the first housing 3a through which the protruding portion of the conductive member 7 described later can protrude.

Connecting portions 13a are arranged in multiple locations near the top surface of the first housing 3a, and connecting portions 13b are arranged in multiple locations near the bottom surface of the first housing 3a. Connecting portions 13a and 13b are arranged in corresponding positions in a plan view and can engage with each other. For this reason, multiple first housings 3a can be stacked and connected together. In other words, by stacking and connecting multiple first housings 3a together, the stacked first housings 3a are fixed together in the stacking direction and in two directions perpendicular to the stacking direction (the direction in which multiple terminal-equipped electric wire receiving portions 9a are arranged side by side and the direction in which terminal-equipped electric wires are inserted).

Similarly, the second housing 3b can also be stacked and connected. Details of how to connect the second housing 3b will be described later.

The second housing 3b can be inserted into the first housing 3a to connect them. At this time, a fixed portion 15a is arranged on the side of the first housing 3a at the insertion portion of the second housing 3b, and a fixed portion 15b is arranged on the side of the second housing 3b near the tip side (opposing direction to the first housing 3a). The fixed portion 15b is, for example, an elastically deformable locking claw, and the fixed portion 15a is a hole. When the second housing 3b is completely inserted into the first housing 3a, the claw of the fixed portion 15b engages with the hole of the fixed portion 15a to fix the connection state.

Next, a method of stacking and connecting relay connectors 1 with joint functions will be described. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a state in which multiple relay connectors 1 with joint functions are stacked, FIG. 3(a) is a perspective view showing a state in which the first housing 3a and the second housing 3b are stacked and connected, and FIG. 3(b) is a diagram showing a state in which the first housing 3a and the second housing 3b are connected. Note that the state shown in the figure shows a state in which three layers of relay connectors 1 with joint functions are stacked, but any number of layers greater than two can be stacked.

As described above, the first housing 3a and the second housing 3b can be connected together by stacking them. The first housing 3a and the second housing 3b can be connected in a stacked state. Here, the second housing 3b may be connected in the same manner as the first housing 3a, but in this embodiment, a connecting and fixing method different from that of the first housing 3a will be described.

Figure 4 (a) is a view from the back side of the second housing 3b. A connecting ridge 17a is arranged on the upper surface of the second housing 3b. The connecting ridge 17a is shaped to widen as it moves away from the base upward. In addition, a connecting groove 17b is formed on the lower surface of the second housing 3b corresponding to the connecting ridge 17a, and has a shape corresponding to the connecting ridge 17a.

The connecting ridge 17a can be slidably inserted into the connecting groove 17b. By connecting the connecting ridge 17a and the connecting groove 17b of multiple second housings 3b arranged vertically, stacked second housings 3b can be connected to each other. At this time, the connecting ridge 17a and the connecting groove 17b determine the positioning of the second housings 3b in the stacking direction (vertical direction in FIG. 4(a)) and the side-by-side arrangement direction of the terminal-equipped electric wire receiving section 9b (left-right direction in FIG. 4(a)). On the other hand, sliding movement is possible in the insertion/removal direction with respect to the first housing 3a (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 4(a)).

Figure 4(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 4(a). A fixing member 21 is disposed below the second housing 3b. The fixing member 21 is formed, for example, by bending a plate-like member having spring properties, and is formed with a fixing protrusion 19b that protrudes downward. Meanwhile, a fixing hole 19a is formed in the upper surface of the second housing 3b.

As described above, when the second housings 3b are slid to connect them, the fixing protrusions 19b of the fixing member 21 of the upper second housing 3b come into contact with the top surface of the lower second housing 3b, causing the fixing member 21 to elastically deform, and the fixing protrusions 19b are pushed upward. In other words, the fixing protrusions 19b do not protrude below the second housings 3b, and do not interfere with the sliding movement of the second housings 3b relative to each other.

In this state, when the second housing 3b is further slid and the fixing protrusion 19b reaches the position of the fixing hole 19a, the deformation of the fixing member 21 is restored and the fixing protrusion 19b fits into the fixing hole 19a. As a result, the second housings 3b are fixed together even in the insertion/removal direction with respect to the first housing 3a (the left-right direction in FIG. 4(b)). In other words, the stacked second housings 3b can be fixed together while restricting movement in any direction.

Next, the conductive member 7 will be described in detail. FIG. 5(a) is a diagram showing the conductive member 7. The conductive member 7 is, for example, in the form of two conductive parts 27 connected together. The connection direction of the conductive parts 27 corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the inner wall member 5 (the direction in which the terminal-equipped electric wire housing parts 9a are arranged side by side). Therefore, the conductive parts 27 are parts that conduct electricity between the terminals of adjacent electric wires with terminals in the same first housing 3a. That is, in the same first housing 3a, at least some of the conductive members 7 are arranged so as to straddle multiple terminal-equipped electric wire housing parts 9a, and certain adjacent electric wires with terminals can be conducted via the conductive members 7.

A hole 23 is formed in each conductive portion 27. The hole 23 is a portion through which the terminal passes. In the illustrated example, a protrusion 25a is formed below one of the conductive portions 27.

Also, FIG. 5(b) is a diagram showing another conductive member 7. In the example shown in FIG. 5(b), there is one conductive portion 27, but a protrusion 25b is provided above the conductive portion 27, and a protrusion 25a is formed below the conductive portion 27. In this way, multiple conductive portions 27 do not necessarily have to be provided side by side.

Figure 5(c) is a diagram showing yet another conductive member 7. As shown in Figure 5(c), the number of conductive parts 27 may be three or more. A protrusion 25b is provided above some of the conductive parts 27. In this way, the number of conductive parts 27 connected may be one or more. If necessary, protrusions 25a, 25b may be provided on at least some of the conductive parts 27. The protrusions 25a, 25b are portions that protrude above and below the first housing 3a in the stacking direction of the first housing 3a.

Figures 6(a) and 6(b) are diagrams showing the state in which the conductive member 7 is attached to the inner wall member 5. Holes 31 are formed in the inner wall member 5 at locations corresponding to the individual terminal-attached electric wire accommodating sections 9a when the inner wall member 5 is attached to the first housing 3a. The inner wall member 5 also has recesses 29. The recesses 29 are formed in a shape that allows the conductive sections 27 to fit around each hole 31, and are formed so as to be continuous with each hole 31 in all directions. Therefore, as shown in Figure 6(b), a conductive member 7 of any shape can be attached to the inner wall member 5.

Figure 6 (c) is a diagram showing the stacked state of the inner wall member 5 when the first housings 3a are stacked and connected. As described above, in the case of a conductive member 7 having a plurality of conductive portions 27, adjacent terminals can be made conductive to each other. Meanwhile, a hole through which the protrusion 25a can protrude is formed on the lower side of the first housing 3a, so that the protrusion 25a protrudes below the first housing 3a and is inserted into another first housing 3a stacked below. Similarly, an inner wall member insertion portion 11 is formed on the upper side of the first housing 3a, so that the protrusion 25b protrudes above the first housing 3a and is inserted into another first housing 3a stacked above.

The downwardly protruding protrusion 25a and the upwardly protruding protrusion 25b are inserted into each other so as to straddle other first housings 3a in the stacking direction, and the protrusion 25a of the upper conductive member 7 and the protrusion 25b of the lower conductive member 7 come into contact with each other. In other words, by stacking and connecting the first housings 3a, it is possible to bring into contact at least some of the conductive members 7 adjacent to each other in the stacking direction, thereby establishing electrical conductivity.

In the illustrated example, the protrusions 25a and 25b are in contact with each other so that their shapes interlock, but other structures (e.g., male-female interlocking) are also possible. In other words, any adjacent terminals can be electrically connected to each other, and any adjacent terminals in the stacking direction can be electrically connected to each other.

Next, a method for attaching an electric wire with a terminal to the first housing 3a will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the necessary conductive member 7 is fixed to the inner wall member 5. Next, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the inner wall member 5 is inserted from the inner wall member insertion portion 11 of the first housing 3a.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 7(c), the terminal-attached electric wire 33a, which is the first terminal-attached electric wire, is inserted into the terminal-attached electric wire housing 9a. The terminal-attached electric wire 33a has a male terminal 35. The male terminal 35 passes through the hole 23 of the conductive member 7 and the hole 31 of the inner wall member 5. At this time, a part of the terminal of the terminal-attached electric wire 33a comes into contact with the conductive member 7 and is electrically connected. Furthermore, the first housings 3a to which the terminal-attached electric wires 33a are attached in this manner are stacked and connected. In this way, any of the terminal-attached electric wires 33a can be electrically connected to each other.

The shape of the hole 23 of the conductive member 7 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 5 etc. For example, FIG. 8(a) is a diagram showing another conductive member 7a, and FIG. 8(b) is a cross-sectional view of line B-B in FIG. 8(a). The conductive member 7a is substantially the same as the conductive member 7, but the conductive member 7a has a tongue 36 formed in the hole 23 into which a male terminal can be inserted. A plurality of tongues 36 are formed in the circumferential direction from the outer periphery of the hole 23 toward the center. The number of conductive portions 27 and the arrangement of the protrusions 25a, 25b of the conductive member 7a are not limited to the example shown.

Figure 8 (c) is a diagram showing the state in which the male terminal 35 is inserted into the hole 23. As mentioned above, the hole 23 is slightly larger in diameter than the male terminal 35 because the male terminal 35 can be inserted therein, but the diameter of the imaginary circle connecting the tips of the multiple tongues 36 is smaller than the outer diameter of the male terminal 35. Therefore, when the male terminal 35 is inserted into the hole 23, the tongues 36 are pushed outward and deformed by the male terminal 35. As a result, it is possible to more reliably establish electrical continuity between the tongues 36 of the conductive member 7a and the male terminal 35.

Next, a method for connecting the stacked first housing 3a and second housing 3b will be described. FIG. 9(a) is a diagram showing the stacked state of the first housing 3a and second housing 3b, and FIG. 9(b) is an enlarged view of part C in FIG. 9(a). An example will be described in which the first housing 3a accommodates a terminal-attached electric wire 33a having a male terminal 35, and the second housing 3b accommodates a terminal-attached electric wire 33b having a female terminal 37.

As described above, the first housing 3a is stacked and connected and fixed by the connecting portions 13a, 13b (see Figs. 1 and 3). Meanwhile, the second housing 3b is slidably connected by the connecting ridges 17a and connecting grooves 17b (see Fig. 4(a)), and is positioned in the sliding direction by the fixing holes 19a and fixing ridges 19b (see Fig. 9(b)). In other words, both the first housing 3a and the second housing 3b can be connected together in a stacked state.

Here, below the second housing 3b, a release portion 39 is provided on the tip side (opposing direction to the first housing 3a) of the fixed member 21. The release portion 39 is slidable in the front-rear direction of the second housing 3b (insertion and removal direction of the first housing 3a) and is normally located on the tip side (opposing direction to the first housing 3a). For example, the release portion 39 may be constantly pressed forward by a spring or the like.

Figure 10(a) shows the state where the second housing 3b, which is stacked and connected and fixed, is inserted all at once by a predetermined amount into the first housing 3a, which is stacked and connected and fixed. When the second housing 3b is pushed into the first housing 3a while they are stacked and fixed to each other in this way, in the initial connection first state (Figure 10(a)), the fixing portions (fixing holes 19a and fixing protrusions 19b) of the second housings 3b maintain a fixed state, so that the stacked second housings 3b can be pushed all at once by a predetermined amount into the first housing 3a.

Figure 10(b) is a diagram showing the vicinity of the fastening portion (fastening hole 19a and fastening protrusion 19b) between the second housings 3b in the second state in which the second housing 3b is further pushed into the first housing 3a. When the second housing 3b is pushed into the first housing 3a, the tip end of the first housing 3a (the end facing the second housing 3b) comes into contact with the fastening release portion 39.

In this state, by pushing the second housing 3b further into the first housing 3a, the first housing 3a can be moved backward (towards the fixed member 21) with a part of the first housing 3a in contact with the fixing release portion 39. As a result, the fixing release portion 39 comes into contact with the fixed member 21, deforming the fixed member 21 so as to push up the fixing protrusion 19b, and releasing the engagement with the fixing hole 19a. This releases the fixing of the fixing portions (fixing hole 19a and fixing protrusion 19b) between the second housings 3b, allowing the second housings 3b to slide. In other words, it becomes possible to push each second housing 3b individually toward the first housing 3a.

Figure 11 shows the state where only the uppermost second housing 3b is completely pushed into the first housing 3a. As shown in the figure, when the other second housings 3b and the first housing 3a are in a half-inserted (half-connected) state, only a specific second housing 3b can be completely connected to the opposing first housing 3a. In this way, by completely connecting the first housing 3a and the second housing 3b, the male terminal 35 of the terminal-equipped electric wire 33a and the female terminal 37 of the terminal-equipped electric wire 33b facing each other can be directly connected.

Here, typically, an elastic piece is arranged inside the female terminal 37, and when connecting the male terminal 35 and the female terminal 37, the male terminal 35 is inserted into the female terminal 37 while deforming the elastic piece of the female terminal 37. Therefore, while the male terminal 35 and the female terminal 37 can be reliably connected via the elastic piece, a certain insertion resistance occurs when the male terminal 35 is inserted into the female terminal 37.

In addition, up until the state shown in FIG. 10(b) (a half-inserted state in which part of the second housing 3b is inserted into the first housing 3a), the male terminals 35 and the female terminals 37 are not completely connected, and this is the state before significant insertion resistance occurs. Therefore, up until this state, even if multiple second housings 3b are inserted into the first housing 3a at once, the work can be performed without encountering significant insertion resistance. Therefore, the stacked second housings 3b can be handled at once, making the work easy.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, by further pushing the second housing 3b into the first housing 3a to connect, the multiple female terminals 37 arranged in the second housing 3b are connected together with the multiple male terminals 35 to be connected. In this state, the insertion resistance of the male terminals 35 to the female terminals 37 increases, but the connection is possible with only the insertion resistance of the terminals arranged in the second housing 3b. Therefore, compared to the insertion resistance when connecting the male terminals 35 and female terminals of all the stacked first housings 3a and second housings 3b simultaneously, since the connection can be made for each individual housing, the insertion resistance during connection can be distributed and reduced.

In this way, a movable release part 39 is disposed near the fixing parts (fixing holes 19a and fixing protrusions 19b) that fix the stacked second housings 3b together, and the release part 39 can be operated by the first housing 3a to release the fixation of the second housings 3b together. This allows the stacked second housings 3b to be individually connected, making the connection process easier.

The release portion may be arranged on the first housing 3a side, rather than on the second housing 3b. FIG. 12(a) is a diagram showing a state in which first housings 3a having a release portion 39a are stacked. The release portion 39a is a portion that protrudes downward from the tip side of the first housing (the side facing the second housing 3b). In this case, the release portion 39 is not arranged on the second housing 3b.

Figures 13(a) to 13(c) are diagrams showing the operation of the fixing release part 39a. When connecting the stacked and connected and fixed second housing 3b to the first housing 3a, the fixing release part 39a is first inserted between the second housings 3b (Figure 13(a)). When the second housing 3b is further inserted into the first housing 3a, the fixing release part 39a comes into contact with the fixing member 21 and pushes up the fixing protrusion 19b, thereby releasing the fixing (Figure 13(b)). In other words, the second housing 3b can be individually connected to the first housing 3a. This state is before the male terminal 35 and the female terminal 37 are completely connected.

From this state, a specific second housing 3b can be fully inserted into the first housing 3a to connect it, thereby completely connecting the male terminals 35 and female terminals 37 inside (FIGS. 12(b) and 13(c)). In this way, when the fixing release portion 39a is provided on the first housing 3a side and the second housing 3b is pushed into the first housing 3a in a stacked and fixed state, in the first state at the beginning of the connection (FIG. 13(a)), the fixing portion maintains the fixed state, and the stacked second housings 3b can be pushed into the first housing 3a all at once. Furthermore, in the second state (FIG. 13(b)) where the second housing 3b is pushed into the first housing 3a, the fixing release portion 39a comes into contact with the fixing portion to release the fixation, and each second housing 3b can be pushed into the first housing 3a separately.

As described above, according to this embodiment, conductive members 7 of various shapes can be fixed to the inner wall member 5 and inserted into the first housing 3a for installation, so that any terminal-attached electric wires 33a can be electrically connected to each other and divided into sub-divisions with a simple structure. In this case, the internal male terminals 35 and female terminals 37 are directly connected, and no bus bar members or the like are used, so that manufacturing costs and the reliability of the electrical connection can be improved.

In addition, by appropriately selecting the shape and arrangement of the conductive member 7, it is possible to accommodate any type of joint, allowing for a high degree of design freedom. In this case, compared to the conventional method of manufacturing circuit boards for each sub-division, it is also possible to share conductive members 7 of the same shape.

In addition, by providing multiple tongues 36 in the hole of the conductive member 7a through which the male terminal 35 passes, and deforming the tongues 36 so that they are pushed open by the male terminal 35, electrical continuity between the male terminal 35 and the conductive member 7a can be more reliably established.

The first housing 3a and the second housing 3b can both be stacked, connected, and fixed, so any number of terminal-equipped wires can be connected by changing the number of layers. In addition, the connection work can be performed all at once in the stacked state, which provides good workability.

In addition, after performing the connection work while the second housing 3b is connected to the first housing 3a until it is half-inserted, the second housings 3b can be released from their respective fixing parts 39, 39a, allowing the second housings 3b to be individually connected to the first housing 3a when the male terminals 35 and female terminals 37 are completely connected. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in insertion resistance during connection due to an increase in the number of housings stacked.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the attached drawings, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can come up with various modified or revised examples within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, the terminal-attached electric wires 33a, 33b arranged in the first housing 3a and the second housing 3b may be reversed. That is, although the male terminals 35 are inserted through the conductive members 7, 7a (inner wall member 5), the female terminals 37 may be inserted through them. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the terminal-attached electric wires 33a are first inserted into the first housing 3a to which the inner wall member 5 is attached, but the terminal-attached electric wires 33a may be inserted first and then the inner wall member 5 is attached. In this case, instead of forming holes through which the terminals pass in the conductive members and the inner wall member, for example, slits may be formed.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1.... Relay connector with joint function 3a.... First housing 3b.... Second housing 5.... Inner wall member 7, 7a.... Conductive member 9a, 9b.... Terminal-attached wire accommodating section 11.... Inner wall member insertion section 13a, 13b.... Connecting section 15a, 15b.... Fixing section 17a.... Connecting ridge 17b.... Connecting groove 19a.... Fixing hole 19b.... Fixing ridge 21.... Fixing member 23.... Hole 25a, 25b.... Projecting section 29.... Recess 31.... Hole 33a, 33b.... Terminal-attached wire 35.... Male terminal 36.... Tongue 37.... Female terminal 39, 39a.... Fixing release section

Claims (6)

A relay connector with a joint function capable of connecting a plurality of electric wires with terminals,
a first housing capable of receiving a plurality of electric wires with first terminals;
a second housing to which a plurality of electric wires with second terminals can be attached and which is connectable to the first housing;
an inner wall member that is inserted into the first housing along a direction in which the first terminal-attached electric wires are arranged side by side;
a conductive member fixed to the inner wall member;
Equipped with
at least a part of the conductive members are disposed so as to span the housing portions of the plurality of electric wires with first terminals, and a predetermined number of adjacent electric wires with first terminals can be electrically connected to each other via the conductive members;
A relay connector with a joint function, characterized in that by connecting the first housing and the second housing, the terminals of the first terminal-equipped wire and the second terminal-equipped wire that face each other can be directly connected to each other. The first terminal-attached electric wire has a male terminal,
the conductive member is formed with a hole having a tongue into which the male terminal can be inserted,
2. The relay connector with joint function as described in claim 1, characterized in that by inserting the male terminal into the hole, the tongue of the conductive member and the male terminal come into contact with each other to establish electrical contact. The relay connector with joint function according to claim 1, characterized in that the first housings and the second housings can be stacked and connected together. At least a portion of the conductive members has a protruding portion protruding in a stacking direction of the first housing,
The relay connector with joint function as described in claim 3, characterized in that by stacking and connecting the first housings, it is possible to contact and establish electrical conductivity between at least a portion of the conductive members adjacent to each other in the stacking direction. the second housing has a fixing portion that fixes the stacked second housings to each other and a fixing release portion that releases the fixing portion,
When the second housing is pushed into the first housing to connect them in a stacked and fixed state,
In a first state at the initial stage of connection, the fixing portion maintains a fixed state, and the stacked second housings can be pushed into the first housing all at once,
The relay connector with joint function described in claim 3, characterized in that in a second state in which the second housing is pushed into the first housing, a part of the first housing comes into contact with and operates the release portion, releasing the fixation of the fixation portion, and each of the second housings can be pushed separately into the first housing. the second housing has a fixing portion that fixes the stacked second housings to each other,
the first housing has a release portion that releases the fixation of the fixed portion,
When the second housing is pushed into the first housing to connect them in a stacked and fixed state,
In a first state at the initial stage of connection, the fixing portion maintains a fixed state, and the stacked second housings can be pushed into the first housing all at once,
The relay connector with joint function described in claim 3, characterized in that in a second state in which the second housing is pushed into the first housing, the release portion contacts the fixing portion to release the fixation, making it possible to push each of the second housings separately into the first housing.

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