JP2921378B2 - Connector connection detection device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector connection detecting device capable of detecting whether or not connectors which can be fitted with each other are completely locked.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, automobiles have been equipped with airbag devices. However, since such safety devices are required to have high reliability, male and female connectors are connected in an incomplete state. This situation must be reliably avoided. In view of the above, there has conventionally been developed one that electrically detects whether or not the connector is completely connected. One example is shown in FIGS.

FIG. 6 shows a male connector housing 40, in which a plurality of male terminals 41 are provided.
These terminals 41 project outward through the inner side wall surface of the housing 40. A rib 42 projects from the inner side wall surface of the housing 40 in parallel with the terminal 41. The rib 42 has a partition wall 43 erected at the center and divides the upper surface of the rib 43 into right and left, and a lock detection terminal 44 is disposed on each of them. Like the other terminals, both lock detection terminals 44 extend outward through the inner wall surface. On the other hand, the female connector housing 4
Although not shown in detail, a short-circuit terminal is accommodated in 5. This short-circuit terminal is connected to both connector housings 40, 45.
When the two lock detection terminals 4
4 are formed so as to be in contact with each other at the same time. Therefore, when both connector housings 45 are completely fitted, both lock detection terminals 44 are in a conductive state via the short-circuit terminal, and the completely fitted state is electrically detected.

[0004]

However, the structure in which the lock detection terminal 44 is disposed at the center of the connector housing 40 as described above has a problem as shown in FIG. In other words, if the two housings 40, 45 are to be fitted without being aligned during the fitting operation of the two connector housings 40, 45, the female connector housing 45
May catch the tip of the rib 42 or the lock detection terminal 44. Then, the ribs and the like are deformed, and depending on the degree of the deformation, it is conceivable that fitting or lock detection of the connector housing becomes impossible.

The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to prevent the lock detection terminal from being deformed even when the fitting operation is performed without any alignment. An object of the present invention is to provide a connector coupling detecting device .

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, at least one pair of lock detection terminals is provided in a housing of one connector, and both housings are completely provided in a housing of the other connector. A short-circuit terminal for short-circuiting the two lock detection terminals in a state where the two lock detection terminals are fitted to each other to detect a locked state of both housings, wherein the pair of lock detection terminals is
It extends along the inner wall of the connector housing.
Between the pair of lock detection terminals.
The feature is that a rib is provided along the direction in which the detection terminal extends . Further, it is preferable that the tip of the lock detection terminal is positioned so as to retreat inside the fitting opening surface of the housing.

[0007]

According to the above construction, when the connector housing on the side where the short-circuit terminal is stored is fitted to the connector housing on the side where the lock detection terminal is stored, the two are in an inconsistent state. However, the situation in which the edge of the housing on the short-circuit terminal side contacts the lock detection terminal is significantly reduced.

[0008]

The effects of the present invention are as follows. Connect the lock detection terminal to the connector housing
Since it is arranged to extend in contact with the inner wall surface,
The edge of the housing on the slave side contacts the lock
The situation that the pin detection pin is deformed by prying
Evaded. Therefore, always good mating operation is possible.
In addition, it is possible to reliably perform lock detection. Also,
Retract the tip of the lock detection terminal inward from the mating opening
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the lock detecting end
It is possible to more reliably prevent the child from touching by twisting.
I will be able to.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lock connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a female connector housing 1 is shown.
0 has a plurality of small chambers 11 penetrating in the front-rear direction,
The female terminal inserted into each of the small chambers 11 can be temporarily and permanently locked and retained by the retainer 20. Further, a groove-like concave portion 12 oriented in the front-rear direction is formed in the upper middle of the female connector housing 10, and the flexible lock piece 13 is inclined in the concave portion 12 obliquely upward from the rear side to the front side. It is formed. A knob 13a is formed at the forefront end of the flexible lock piece 13, and an elongated engagement hole 13b penetrating vertically is formed in the middle of the knob 13a slightly behind. is there.

The flexible locking piece 13 is provided with a short-circuit terminal 14 shown in FIG. The short-circuit terminal 14 has an electrode portion 14a that holds the flexible lock piece 13 by being wound between the engagement hole 13b and the knob portion 13a, and one end connected to the electrode portion 14a to have a U-shaped cross section. A curved spring portion 14b is formed integrally with the spring portion 14b.
The end of b is in contact with the bottom surface of the recess 12. Note that a contact convex portion 14a1 is formed on the upper surface of the electrode portion 14a.

On the other hand, the male connector housing 30 is formed in a hood shape into which the female connector housing 10 can be inserted, and supports the male terminal which can be fitted and connected to the female terminal at a position facing each of the small chambers 11. doing. Positioning ribs 31a and 31b are formed on the ceiling surface so as to be aligned in the front-rear direction so as to be positioned by contacting both side surfaces of the concave portion 12. In the middle of the positioning ribs 31a and 31b, and at a position facing the engagement hole 13b when the female connector housing 10 is inserted to a regular position in the male connector housing 30, the engagement hole 13b is provided. An engaging rib 32 that can be engaged with is formed. In addition, the engagement rib 32
As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of lock detection terminals 33a and 33b are disposed below the ceiling surface 30a on both sides of the ceiling surface 30a so as to be in close contact with the ceiling surface 30a. . Further, in this embodiment, the positions of the tips of the lock detection terminals 33a and 33b are substantially aligned with the opening edge of the male connector housing 30, and the opening edge is provided with the lock detection terminals 33a and 33b. Since only the portion is recessed from the other opening edges, considering that the substantial opening surface for fitting with the female connector 10 is formed by a surface including the other opening edges of the male connector housing 30, It can be said that the positions of the distal ends of the lock detection terminals 33a and 33b are set to positions retracted inward from the fitting opening surfaces. In other words, the female connector housing 10 is set at a position where the leading edge of the female connector housing 10 cannot contact even when the female connector housing 10 is fitted obliquely when the female connector housing 10 is fitted.

A fixing portion 34 fixed on a printed circuit board (not shown) is provided on the lower surface of the male connector housing 30.
And the male connector housing 3
0 and the lock detection terminals 33a,
33b is connected to the printed circuit board.

Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described.

Regarding the female connector housing 10,
The female terminal to which the electric wire is crimped is locked in the small chamber 11 using the retainer 20, and the short-circuit terminal 14 is provided on the flexible lock piece 13. At this time, the spring portion 14b of the short-circuit terminal 14 contacts the lower surface of the flexible lock piece 13 at the upper end portion and the upper surface of the concave portion at the lower end portion, and urges the flexible lock piece 13 upward. I have. The male connector housing 30 has a fixed part 3.
At step 4, it is fixed on the printed circuit board.

As shown in FIG. 3, the female connector housing 10 faces the front of the male connector housing 30, and positioning ribs 31 in the male connector housing are provided.
The female connector housing 10 is inserted so that a and 31b enter the recess 12 of the female connector housing 10.

When the female connector housing 10 is inserted, the engagement rib 32 comes into contact with the upper surface of the flexible lock piece 13 as shown in FIG. Is done. Accordingly, the electrode portion 14a of the short-circuit terminal 14 has also moved downward, and the lock detection terminal 33
a and 33b even if they reach the range where they overlap with each other.
Do not touch 3b.

However, when the female connector housing 10 is inserted to the proper position, the engagement rib 32 is
As shown in FIG. 5, the flexible lock piece 13 is pushed upward by the elasticity of the flexible lock piece 13 and the elasticity of the spring portion 14b of the short-circuit terminal 14, since the flexible lock piece 13 faces the engagement hole 13b. Thus, the female connector housing 10 and the male connector housing 30 are engaged with each other by the engagement ribs 32 and the engagement holes 13b.

On the other hand, the electrode portion 14 a of the short-circuit terminal 14 is formed so as to be wound up to the upper surface of the flexible lock piece 13.
3a and 33b, the flexible lock pieces 13
Is pushed back upward, the electrode portion 14 of the short-circuit terminal 14
"a" short-circuits both lock detection terminals 33a and 33b. That is, the lock detection terminals 33a and 33b are short-circuited at the same timing as when the female connector housing 10 and the male connector housing 30 are engaged. In addition, since the lock detection terminals 33a and 33b are provided in the male connector housing 30 fixed to the printed circuit board, the lock detection terminals 33a and 33b are reliably held at a predetermined position even if there is vibration, and the lock detection is more reliable. I have something sexual. As described above, in the female connector housing 10, the short-circuit terminal 1 is provided on the upper surface on which the flexible lock piece 13 is urged.
4 and a pair of lock detection terminals 33a, 33b are held in the male connector housing 30 at positions where the flexible lock pieces 13 are brought into contact by the restoring operation when the flexible lock pieces 13 are bent and engaged. So the flexible lock piece 1
The recovery operation 3 simultaneously performs the operation of engagement and short-circuiting of the terminals, so that there is no timing shift between them.

In the present embodiment, even if the female connector housing 10 is in an inconsistent state when the female connector housing 10 is fitted to the male connector housing 30, the lock detection terminal 3 is not required.
3a and 33b are located along the ceiling surface 30a, and the leading ends thereof are recessed from the fitting opening surface of the housing 30 so that the front edge of the female connector housing 10 cannot be reached. Lock detection terminal 33
a and 33b are not deformed. Therefore, the lock detection terminals 33a and 33b can always be held in a proper state, and the fitting operation of the housing can be facilitated and the lock detection can be reliably performed.

The present invention can be variously modified.
For example, in the present embodiment, the lock detection terminals 33a and 33b are arranged on the ceiling surface of the housing, but may be arranged on the side wall surface. Further, in the present example, the one in which the opening edge of the housing 30 in the portion where the lock detection terminal is arranged is formed to be curved so as to be retracted to the back side, but it is not necessarily required to be formed in such a manner. It may be formed flush with the opening edge.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lock connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a short-circuit terminal and a lock detection terminal.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a connection procedure.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a connection procedure.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a connection procedure.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a conventional male housing.

FIG. 7 is a sectional side view of the same.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a conventional problem.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 female connector housing 14 short-circuit terminal 30 male connector housing 33a, 33b lock detection terminal

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H01R 13/639-13/64

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] At least one pair of lock detection terminals is provided in a housing of one connector, and both lock detection terminals are short-circuited in a state where both housings are completely fitted in a housing of the other connector. Wherein the short-circuit terminals for detecting the locked state of the connector are arranged, and the pair of lock detection terminals are provided with a housing of the one connector.
It is provided to extend along the inner wall surface of the jing.
Extension of the lock detection terminal between the pair of lock detection terminals
The ribs are provided along the direction.
Nectar coupling detection device . 2. The connector connection detecting device according to claim 1, wherein a tip end of the lock detection terminal is located inward from a fitting opening of the housing.