JP2594354Y2 - Multi-pole connector - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multi-pole connector in which a pair of connector housings accommodating a large number of terminals are engaged with each other in the first half thereof to make an electrical connection.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, wire harnesses for automobiles often use a multi-pole connector in accordance with an increase in complexity of an electric circuit. This multi-pole connector has a connection resistance between terminal groups when mated with each other. Since a large fitting force is required, a fitting means consisting of a connecting bolt on one side of the pair of connector housings and a fitting nut on the other side is provided. The method of making it take is adopted.

[0003] Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei.
In this known example, a pulling force urging spring 18 is fitted to a coupling bolt 3 provided on one side of a connector housing 1 as shown in FIG. The male thread 5 of the coupling bolt 3 is screwed into the fitting nut 4 provided on the connector housing 2 on the other side and tightened. Is the mating nut 4
To make the connecting bolt 3 idle, the connecting bolt 3 is urged in the pulling-out direction by an urging spring 18 to prevent harmful tightening after the connector housings 1 and 2 are fitted, and The structure is such that the bolt 3 is locked by preventing idling and rattling.

[0004]

In the known structure shown in FIG. 6, the connector housings 1 and 2 can be forcibly fitted by tightening the connecting bolts 3, but the connecting bolts 3 are tightened with an impact wrench or the like. Since the air tool is used, even if the connector housings 1 and 2 are normally fitted and the male screw portion 5 of the coupling bolt 3 passes through the fitting nut 4 and becomes idle, it is possible to detect the idle state. However, there occurs a state in which the idling of the coupling bolt 3 is continued for a while.

[0005] Then, the connecting bolt 3 which has reached the idling state is urged in the pulling-out direction by an urging spring 18, and
Since the rear end of the male screw portion 5 is brought into press-fitting engagement with the fitting nut 4, the threads and thread grooves of both are damaged by the idling of the coupling bolt 3, and the connector housings 1 and 2 are separated. There is a problem that the reverse rotation of the coupling bolt 3 becomes impossible or difficult.

In view of this, there is considered a means for increasing the urging force of the urging spring 18 and detecting the idling state by the contact sound between the male screw portion 5 and the fitting nut 4 in the idling state due to the strong urging force. However, since the damage to the screw portion inevitably increases in proportion to the increase in the urging force, it is not a practical means for solving the above-mentioned problem, but another useful solution is required. The present invention provides a multi-pole connector that meets the above technical requirements.

[0007]

The multi-pole connector according to the present invention which solves the above technical problem is composed of a pair of connector housings which are engaged with each other in the first half. The screw is screwed into the fitting nut of the connector housing on the other side and tightened, and at the same time when the pair of connector housings reaches the normal fitting posture, the male screw portion of the coupling bolt passes through the fitting nut. In the multipolar connector having a threading requirement, a fitting detection comprising a metal plate material behind the fitting nut and having an insertion hole for the coupling bolt and an elastic tongue protruding from a periphery of the insertion hole.・Attach and fix the lock member, and fit properly
Of the elastic tongue into the thread groove of the coupling bolt in the state
A structure in which the tip portion enters and engages ".

[0008]

In the multipolar connector having the above structure, the fitting detecting / locking member having the elastic tongue of the above requirement is mounted behind the fitting nut of the other connector housing. When the connecting bolt is screwed into the fitting nut and tightened, the male screw portion of the connecting bolt passing through the fitting nut interferes with the tip of the elastic tongue of the fitting detection / lock member, and the interference state The tip end of the elastic tongue piece that has been formed enters the thread groove of the male screw portion and engages with it. Soshi
The elastic tongue in the engaging position is fixed to the fitting nut side.
The screw of the connecting bolt that rotates and advances
It engages smoothly with the groove to function as a female thread, and
Is allowed to rotate smoothly.

When the connector housing is fitted in the normal posture and the male screw portion of the coupling bolt passes through the mating nut on the mating side, the coupling bolt idles and moves forward.
To stop. However, the meshing engagement between the tip and the thread groove is maintained , and the contact point between the rotating-side male screw and the fixed-side tip is sequentially shifted.
The coupling screw is guided by the spiral thread groove and elastically displaced.
Over the screw thread of the
Repeating the engagement action, an intense impact sound is generated
To be continued. And, by the generation of the impact sound,
It can accurately detect the normal fitting of the housing
It has a main function.

When idling of the connecting bolt is stopped by the normal fitting detection, the state where the tip of the elastic tongue is engaged with the screw groove of the stopped connecting bolt is maintained.
Thus, the elastic force of the elastic tongue prevents the coupling bolt from idling and rattling, and has a secondary effect of locking the coupling bolt .

In addition, when the coupling bolt idles after the connector housing is normally fitted, the elastic force of the elastic tongue engaging with the male screw portion of the coupling bolt extends in the fitting direction of the connector housing. Since the elastic force of the elastic tongue piece relative to the mechanical strength of the connecting bolt is very small, damage to the connector housing and the connecting bolt by the elastic force does not occur as a practical problem. Then, since there is no pressure contact between the male thread portion of the coupling bolt and the fitting nut, screw damage due to the pressure contact is eliminated.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments. First, referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 showing the first embodiment of the present invention, a rotatable connection bolt 3 is provided at the center of a connector housing 1 on one side (hereinafter simply referred to as a housing 1), and a connector on the other side. At the center of the housing 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as the housing 2), a fitting nut 4 for fitting the male screw portion 5 in the first half of the connecting bolt 3 is provided, and the connecting bolt 3 and the fitting nut 4 are screwed and tightened. The first and second halves of the housings 1 and 2 are fitted together, and at the same time that the housings 1 and 2 are properly fitted, the male screw portion 5 of the connecting bolt 3 passes through the fitting nut 4 so that the connecting bolt 3 can idle. In the multi-pole connector with bolt tightening fitting,

A fitting detecting / locking member 6 made of a thin metal plate is fitted and locked in a space 7 behind the fitting nut 4 of the housing 2 and is fixed to the housing 2. The thread groove of the male screw portion 5 of the coupling bolt 3 that has passed through the fitting nut 4 engages with the elastic tongue 9 of the fitting detection / lock member 6 to detect the fitting of the housings 1 and 2 and the coupling bolt. It is structured to make a lock of 3.

More specifically, the fitting detecting / locking member 6 has a central flat plate portion 8 formed by bending a thin metal plate such as an elastic thin steel plate, an adjacent bronze plate, or a spring steel plate. The formed locking piece 14 is connected to a step-shaped locking portion 15 in the housing 2.
It is fitted and locked in the space portion 7 in a meshing manner.

A through hole 10 for the coupling bolt 3 is formed in the center flat plate portion 8 of the fitting detection / lock member 6 in a circular shape, and a slot 1 is formed in the periphery of the through hole 10.
An elastic tongue piece 9 having a distal end portion 12 of a divided peripheral edge whose quarter is divided into four by 1 is integrally protruded toward the center of the insertion hole 10, and the distal end portion 12 is connected to the insertion hole 10 through the insertion hole 10. Each of the bolts 3 has a shape such that it is slightly inserted into the thread groove of the male screw portion 5.

Then, referring to FIG. 2, the front half portions of the housings 1 and 2 are aligned, and the male screw portion 5 of the connecting bolt 3 is fitted to the fitting nut 4.
When the connecting bolts 3 are tightened with a tool such as an impact wrench, the housings 1 and 2 are brought into a normal fitting posture, and the housings 1 and 2 are screwed into the screw grooves of the male screw portions 5 that have passed through the fitting nuts 4. The distal end portions 12 of the elastic tongue pieces 9 of the fitting detection / lock member 6 are configured to enter and engage.

The above multi-pole connector in Fig. 1 embodiment, the screw groove 16 of the male screw portion 5 which has passed through the fitting nut 4 reaches the insertion hole 10 of the connection detecting locking member 6, the forward rotating
The tip 1 of the elastic tongue 9 is inserted into the thread groove 16 of the connecting bolt 3
2 is engaged, so the fixed end 12 is female
It functions as a thread and allows the joint bolt 3 to smoothly rotate and advance.
Is accepted. Then, the male screw part 5 passes through the fitting nut 4 and
When idling, the tip 12 on the fixed side and the thread groove on the rotating side
Since the 16 contact points are sequentially shifted, see FIG.
The portion 12 is guided by the spiral-shaped thread groove 16 and elastically deformed.
Over the thread 17 of the male thread 5 and the next thread groove
Repeating the action of "click" into 16
Continue to generate new contact sounds, and the connector sounds
The normal fitting of the housings 1 and 2 can be accurately detected.

When the connection bolt 3 stops rotating,
The distal end of the elastic tongue piece 9 having the elastic displacement posture on the stopped male screw portion 5
Since the portion 12 is engaged, the elasticity of the distal end portion 12 in the engaged posture is obtained.
Due to the force, the connecting bolt 3 is prevented from slipping and rattling.
It is. The tip 12 of this embodiment has a divided circumferential edge.
, The contact with the male screw part 5 is good, and the elastic tongue
9 has the above-mentioned effect.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. That is, FIG. 4 shows another shape of the elastic tongue 9 of the fitting detection / locking member 6 which functions in the same manner as in the above embodiment. A pair of elastic tongue pieces 9 forming a pair of opposed cantilever plate beams are formed in the insertion hole 10, and each tip forms a tip part 12 that enters the thread groove of the male screw part 5. According to FIG. 4, the elasticity of the elastic tongue piece 9 increases.

FIG. 5 shows a multi-pole connector using the same fitting detection / locking member 6 as in the embodiment of FIG.
The elastic tongue piece 9 and the male screw portion 5 are arranged at a relative position at which the engagement between the elastic tongue 9 and the male screw portion 5 is started simultaneously with or just before the normal fitting. 5, there is no engagement between the elastic tongue piece 9 and the male screw portion 5 until the housings 1 and 2 are normally fitted, so that unnecessary engagement sound is generated due to the engagement and the tightening resistance of the coupling bolt 3 is reduced. Can be prevented from increasing.

[0021]

As described above, in the multipolar connector of the present invention, the normal fitting of the housings can be achieved by the contact sound between the fitting detecting / locking member 6 mounted in the housing and the connecting bolt 3. Because it can detect, it prevents unnecessary idle rotation of the connecting bolt after normal fitting, eliminates wasteful work, improves the efficiency of connector fitting work, and damages the connector housing and the fitting bolt tightening mechanism. Is prevented,
This has the effect of stabilizing the quality of the multipolar connector of the bolted fitting type.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a multi-pole connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the fitted state of the multipolar connector of FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of an operation of a fitting detection / locking member of the multipolar connector of the embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial plan view of a fitting detection / lock member according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial front view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a conventional multi-pole connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 One side connector housing 2 The other side connector housing 3 Coupling bolt 4 Fitting nut 5 Male screw part 6 Fitting detection / lock member 8 Central flat plate part 9 Elastic tongue piece 10 Insertion hole 11 Slot 12 Tip part 13 Leg piece 16 Screw Groove 17 thread

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H01R 13/62-13/631 H01R 13/64 F16B 37/02

Claims (3)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A connector housing comprising a pair of connector housings which are engaged with each other in a first half thereof, and a coupling bolt provided on one connector housing is screwed and engaged with a fitting nut of the other connector housing. At the same time, at the same time when the pair of connector housings reach the normal fitting posture, the male screw portion of the connecting bolt has a threading requirement to pass through the fitting nut. A fitting detection / locking member made of a plate material and having an insertion hole for the coupling bolt and an elastic tongue protruding from the periphery of the insertion hole is mounted and fixed, and in the normal fitting state,
The tip of the elastic tongue fits into the thread groove of the connecting bolt.
A multi-pole connector characterized by a structure that engages in engagement. 2. Immediately before or at the same time when a pair of connector housings reaches a normal fitting posture, at the same time, a relative position of a coupling bolt and a fitting detecting / locking member in which a distal end portion of an elastic tongue engages with a male screw portion of the coupling bolt. The multi-pole connector of claim 1 having shape requirements. 3. A multipolar connector according to claim 1 or claim 2 tip of the elastic tongue piece is formed of a split circumferential edge.