JP2985657B2 - 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 connector provided with a retainer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in a connector constructed by inserting a terminal fitting into a connector housing, for example, a locking piece called a lance is provided on the connector housing side, and the lance is engaged with the terminal fitting. The terminal fitting is held in the terminal receiving chamber of the connector housing so as not to come off. Further, a so-called double locking mechanism using a retainer is provided in order to detect a half-inserted state of the terminal fitting and to surely prevent the terminal fitting from coming off.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the double locking mechanism. This is a configuration in which a retainer 2 is inserted in a direction indicated by an arrow in the same figure and can be mounted in a connector housing 1 having a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers (not shown). After the terminal fitting 3 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber of the connector housing 1, the retainer 2 is pushed into a deep insertion position to be in a final locking state, whereby the retainer 2 is engaged with the terminal fitting 3. Then, it is stopped.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned connector is of a type which can be attached to an appropriate fixed body (not shown), and a bracket receiving portion 4 is formed on the upper surface of the connector housing 1 so as to protrude from the fixed body (not shown). The entire connector can be supported by inserting the tip of the bracket.

[0005]

However, in the above-described connector, the half-insertion of the terminal fitting 3 is detected by the retainer 2, but if the retainer 2 is overlooked at the mounting stage, It will be attached to the fixed body in the half-inserted state. That is, the half-insertion state is detected by visually checking whether the retainer 2 is properly attached to the housing 1 or not, and whether the retainer 2 is attached to the housing 1 or not. In any case, if the worker's attention is reduced, it may be overlooked. Since there is no opportunity to perform a half-insertion check of the terminal fittings after the step of attaching the retainer 2, the terminal is attached to the fixed body in a half-inserted state.

The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector which can reliably avoid a situation in which a terminal fitting is attached to a fixed body in a half-inserted state. It is to be.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a housing having a terminal accommodating chamber.
The main body and the hood part which is slightly wider than this housing main body
Connector housing, and the housing body side
A locking position provided on the surface and covering the side surface of the housing body;
Displaced between a separated position separated from the housing body
The terminal receiving chamber when in the locking position
Equipped with a locking part that locks with terminal fittings that are properly inserted in the
And a retainer of the side of the hood portion.
Is located on the same side as the
The side facing the connector opens as an insertion port,
Bracket for supporting the body to the fixed body is inserted inside
Connector with a bracket
When the retainer is at the separated position,
Restrict the insertion of the bracket into the insertion slot
However, when in the locking position, the upper surface is
The outlet is opened by making it almost flush with the upper surface of
And insert the bracket into the bracket receiving part
It is characterized in that it is possible only for

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the connector, the bracket receiving portion is formed so that the bracket can be inserted along an upper surface of the connector housing, and the retainer can be inserted in a direction in which the bracket is inserted. Is arranged behind the position where the is incorporated.

[0009]

According to the present invention, the retainer is displaced to the locking position after the terminal fitting is inserted into the terminal receiving chamber. At this time, if the terminal fitting is inserted into the proper position, the retaining portion of the retainer engages with the terminal fitting. In this way, when the retainer is properly engaged with the terminal fitting, the bracket receiving portion provided in the housing is in an open state, so that when the bracket protruding from the fixed body is inserted, it engages with this and the connector engages with the bracket. It is attached. However, unless the terminal fitting is inserted to the proper position, the retainer cannot be properly engaged with the terminal fitting, so that the bracket receiving portion does not open. Therefore, the bracket cannot be inserted, which detects that the terminal fitting is not properly inserted.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the half-insertion state is lighter than the above, even if the retainer is in a floating state, the retainer is pushed down to the locking position by inserting the bracket. As a result, the terminal fitting is automatically pushed into the proper position by the slope of the retainer.

[0011]

The effects of the present invention are as follows. According to the invention of claim 1, since the retainer cannot be attached to the fixed body when the terminal fitting is in the half-inserted state, the half-inserted state is detected and the attachment in the normal state can be reliably performed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the terminal fitting is in a half-inserted state, the insertion failure of the terminal fitting can be automatically corrected by using the assembling operation to the fixed body.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

The connector housing 11 is made of a synthetic resin, and has a flat box-shaped housing body 12 having two longitudinally extending partitions 12a formed therein to form three terminal receiving chambers 13 side by side. In addition, a hood portion 1 which is formed to be slightly wider and has a rectangular shape is provided in front of the terminal accommodating chamber 13.
4 are formed. In the center of the bottom of each terminal accommodating chamber 13, a lance 15 having a locking claw 15a is formed in a cantilever state in which the side opposite to the hood section 14 is connected to the housing body 12, and In this case, the terminal fitting 16 can be engaged with the engaging hole 16a of the terminal fitting 16 inserted from the left side in the figure to prevent the terminal fitting 16 from coming off.

An opening 17 is formed in each of the left and right side walls of the housing main body 12, and a terminal detecting piece 18 is formed integrally with the housing main body 12 so as to be located in the opening 17. I have. This terminal detecting piece 1
As shown in FIG. 2, one end (left end in the figure) is connected to the housing main body 12 and the other end is bent outward in a substantially L-shape.
In a free state in which the terminal fitting 16 is not inserted into the second terminal accommodating chamber 13, the bent portion 18 a is located in the terminal accommodating chamber 13, and the engaging portion 19 at the distal end is in the housing body 1.
2 so as not to protrude from the outer wall surfaces of the left and right side walls. When the terminal fittings 16 are inserted into the respective terminal accommodating chambers 13 located on the left and right sides from the left side in the drawing, the side portions of the terminal fittings 16 abut against the bent portions 18a of the terminal detecting pieces 18 and move them outward. The engaging portion 19 at the distal end is projected outward from the opening 17 so that the engaging portion 19 can be engaged with a retainer 20 described later. Further, rectangular through holes 21 are formed in the upper surface of the housing main body 12 at portions corresponding to the lances 15 of the respective terminal accommodating chambers 13 so that they can pass through the respective locking projections 25 of the retainer 20 described later. is there.

On the other hand, a pair of support shafts 22 are integrally protruded from the left and right side walls of the housing body 12 near the ends opposite to the hood portion 14, and the retainer 20 is rotatable here. Supported. This retainer 20 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the housing body 12 has a hood shape that covers the upper surface and the left and right side surfaces, and bearing holes 23 are formed on the left and right sides near the left end, and these are formed in the support shaft 22 of the housing body 12. By fitting, retainer 2
0 is rotatable with respect to the housing body 12, and FIG.
As shown in (1), the housing body 12 is displaced between a locking position covering the outside of the housing body 12 and a separating position separated from the housing body 12 by rotating upward therefrom.

On the left and right side walls of the retainer 20, rectangular engaging holes 24 are provided at positions corresponding to the engaging portions 19 of the terminal detecting pieces 18 of the connector housing 11, and the engaging portions 19 protrude. When the retainer 20 is rotated to the locking position in the state of being engaged, the engaging portion 19 is engaged with the engaging hole 24 and the retainer 20 is locked at that position. As shown in FIG. 6, locking projections 25 are provided on the lower surface side of the retainer 20 at three locations corresponding to the three through holes 21 of the housing body 12 described above, and project downward. Is rotated to the locking position, the locking projection 25
Project through the through hole 21 of the housing body 12 into the terminal accommodating chamber 13.

Each locking projection 25 is in the form of a protruding piece protruding downward, and extends vertically from the inner surface of the retainer 20.
At the lower end portion continuous to 5a, slope portions 25b and 25c are formed in which the hood portion 14 side and the opposite side are cut off obliquely, and the lower end portion has a sharpened shape. The slope 25c located on the side of the hood 14 out of the slopes 25b and 25c has a steeper slope than the opposite slope 25b, and this slope of the terminal fitting 16 inserted into the irregular position. The terminal fitting 16 contacts the shoulder 16b.
To the hood section 14 side.

As shown in FIG. 5, an elastic piece 26 is integrally provided at the center of the rear end of the retainer 20 so as to protrude therefrom. This is a protruding piece shape that becomes thinner toward the front side, and when the retainer 20 is rotated so as to rise from the locking position covering the housing main body 12, the tip of the elastic piece portion 26 warps while contacting the upper surface of the housing main body 12. Thus, the retainer 20 is urged in the direction of the locking position.

The connector of this embodiment is suspended and supported by a bracket 28 attached to a fixed body 27 (see FIG. 7).
The bracket receiving portion 29 is disposed on the upper surface of the bracket. The bracket receiving portion 29 has a pair of guide pieces 30 formed along the left and right side edges of the hood portion 14. The guide pieces 30 are formed such that opposing portions are opened.
The portion facing the retainer 20 is an insertion port 31, and the bracket 28 is inserted from the retainer 20 side. Therefore, the bracket receiving portion 29 is disposed behind the position where the retainer 20 is assembled in the inserting direction of the bracket 28. Further, the upper surface of the hood portion 14 is substantially flush with the retainer 20 when the retainer 20 is in the locking position, so that when the retainer 20 is in the locking position, the bracket 28 can be inserted into both guide pieces 30. However, as shown in FIG. 8, when the retainer 20 is not at the locking position, the insertion port 31 is not in the open state, and the insertion of the bracket 28 can be restricted. Further, a locking projection 32 protrudes between the two guide pieces 30 on the upper surface of the hood portion 14, and engages with a through hole 33 formed at the tip of the bracket 28 to fix the entire connector via the bracket 28. It can be suspended and supported from the body 27.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

When the terminal fitting 16 is not inserted into the connector housing 11, the engaging portion 1 of the terminal detecting piece 18
9 does not protrude outward from the housing body 12 as shown in FIG. Accordingly, in this state, the retainer 20 is temporarily set.
Is rotated to the locking position, the engaging portion 19 of the terminal detecting piece 18 does not engage with the engaging hole 24 of the retainer 20, and there is no possibility that the retainer 20 is held at the locking position. For this reason, even if a large number of the retainers 20 are loaded into the container and transported in a state where the retainers 20 are mounted on the connector housing 11, the retainer 20 is vibrated at the time of transport.
Is not locked in the locking position, and it is possible to reliably prevent troublesome work for returning the retainer 20 to the original position in the step of inserting the terminal fitting 16.

Next, when the connector housing 11 is transported to the work site for inserting the terminal fittings 16 and the work is performed, each terminal fitting 16 is moved from the tip to the connector housing 1.
1 are sequentially inserted from the left side in FIG.
Then, when the terminal fitting 16 is inserted, the distal end of the lance 15 of the connector housing 11 is accordingly connected to the terminal fitting 16.
Is elastically deformed so as to be pushed down by the lower surface of the base member, and its entry is allowed. Then, when the terminal fitting 16 reaches the regular position, the engaging hole 16a is fitted to the locking claw 15a of the lance 15, and the locking claw 15a is engaged with the engaging hole 16a of the terminal fitting 16, so that the terminal fitting 16 is engaged. Is stopped.

At the same time, as for the two terminal fittings 16 located in the left and right terminal accommodating chambers 13, the side portions of the terminal fittings 16 are bent portions 18 a of the terminal detecting pieces 18 of the connector housing 11. As a result, the terminal detecting piece 18 is elastically deformed so as to be pushed outward, and the engaging portion 19 at the tip of the terminal detecting piece 18 projects outside the housing body 12.

Then, when the retainer 20 is pressed down from above the housing main body 12 and is rotated so as to cover the housing main body 12, the lower surface portion on the distal end side of the retainer 20 abuts on the engaging portion 19 of the terminal detecting piece 18. The left and right side walls are elastically expanded and deformed by contact with each other. The engaging portion 19 reaches the locking position where the left and right side walls of the retainer 20 cover both sides, and the engaging portion 19 engages with the engaging hole 24. Therefore, the retainer 20 cannot rotate. Thus, the retainer 20
3 reaches the locking position, as shown in FIG. 3, the locking protrusion 25 protruding from the lower surface of the retainer 20 penetrates the through hole 21 formed in the housing body 12, and
3, the vertical wall 25a is engaged with the shoulder 16b on the upper surface of the terminal fitting 16, so that the terminal fitting 16 is securely prevented from coming off.

If the retainer 20 is depressed in a state where the insertion position of the terminal fitting 16 does not reach the proper position slightly, although not shown, the slope 25 c of the locking projection 25 is connected to the terminal fitting 25. The terminal fitting 16 is pressed forward (toward the hood section 14) by contacting the shoulder 16 b of the terminal 16. For this reason, the retainer 20 naturally pushes the terminal fitting 16 to the regular position, and the retainer 20 is held at the locking position in a state where the terminal fitting 16 reaches the regular position and is securely stopped by the locking projection 25. Is done. The retainer 20 is provided with an elastic piece portion 26, and in the state of FIG. 3, the elastic force urges the retainer 20 in the locking position (the state of FIG. 8). It acts as an assisting force when rotating the retainer 20 in the locking position direction, which facilitates the operation of pushing the terminal fitting 16 into the proper position.

However, in a state where the terminal fitting 16 is further inserted shallower than in the above case, even if the retainer 20 is pushed down, the locking projection 25 abuts forward of the shoulder 16b, so that the retainer 20 is locked in the locking position. , And the retainer 20 is in a floating state.
Usually, the operator notices such an abnormality of the retainer 20 and re-inserts the terminal fitting 16.
In the unlikely event that the terminal fitting 16 is transported to the mounting site on the fixed body 27, the terminal fitting 16 is mounted at the site as follows.
Half-insertion is detected.

That is, when the connector is mounted on the fixed body 27, the connector is approached to the bracket 28 from the direction of the arrow P shown in FIG. At this time, when the retainer 20 is in the normal locking position, the upper surface of the retainer 20 and the upper surface of the hood portion 14 are substantially flush, so that the bracket 28 is directly inserted between the two guide pieces 30, and The projection 32 matches the through hole 33 so that both are engaged. As a result, the bracket 28 is prevented from coming off with respect to the bracket receiving portion 29, so that the entire connector is suspended and supported on the fixed body.

However, as shown in FIG. 8, when the retainer 20 is lifted up due to the half-insertion of the terminal fitting 16 and is carried in, even if the retainer 20 is to be inserted into the bracket 28, the lifted retainer 20 is lifted. Can not be plugged in as an obstacle. As a result, the operator can reliably recognize that the terminal is half-inserted.
After pushing 6 into the proper position, the reattachment work is forced. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent a situation in which the user is inadvertently attached to the fixed body in a half-inserted state due to a mistake.

Although the retainer 20 is floating, the terminal of the bracket 16 is pushed down during the insertion process of the bracket 28 when the half insertion of the terminal fitting 16 is lighter than the above case. Can be displaced to the locking position. That is, when being pushed down to the locking position, the slope 25c of the retainer 20 automatically pushes the terminal fitting 16 to the proper position. Therefore, according to this example, if the insertion is slight, the half-insertion can be automatically corrected in the process of attaching to the fixed body 27, so that the half-insertion situation is automatically eliminated and the workability is excellent. Is obtained.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings. For example, the retainer is not limited to the one that is rotatably mounted on the connector housing, but is described in the conventional example of FIG. As described above, the connector housing may be provided so as to be movable in the insertion / removal direction with respect to the connector housing. In this case, contrary to the one shown in FIG. 9, the surface into which the retainer is to be installed is set to the same surface as the surface on which the bracket receiving portion is provided, and only when the retainer is pushed into the proper locking position. It is sufficient to allow the bracket to be inserted.

In this embodiment, the movable terminal detecting piece 18 is formed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The protrusion which can be simply engaged with the engaging hole 24 of the retainer 20 is provided. It may be formed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a connector.

FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view of a housing.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view when a terminal fitting and a retainer are in a regular engagement state.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the connector.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a retainer.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a retainer.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state of attachment to a bracket.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a mounting operation of the bracket in a half-inserted state.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a conventional connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Connector housing 13 ... Terminal accommodating chamber 16 ... Terminal fitting 20 ... Retainer 27 ... Fixed body 28 ... Bracket 29 ... Bracket receiving part

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A housing body having a terminal accommodating chamber;
Hood part slightly wider than the housing body
Nectar housing, provided on the side of the housing body
A locking position for covering the side surface of the housing body,
It can be displaced between the jig body and the separated position.
When in the locking position,
With a locking part for locking the terminal fitting inserted into the
And the retainer is disposed on a side surface of the hood portion.
Is located on the same side as the
Side to be opened as an insertion port, fixing the whole connector
Bracket for body support can be inserted inside
A connector comprising a bracket receiving portion, wherein the retainer is in the insertion position when in the separated position.
Restrict the insertion of the bracket into the slot
However, when in the locking position, the upper surface is
Open the slot by making it almost flush with the top
The bracket into the bracket receiving part
A connector characterized in that it is possible. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the bracket receiving portion is formed so that the bracket can be inserted along an upper surface of the connector housing, and is located behind a position where the retainer is assembled in the insertion direction of the bracket. On the other hand, the retaining portion of the retainer is provided with a slope portion, and the slope portion is brought into contact with a terminal fitting at an irregular position by the retainer being pushed down in conjunction with the insertion operation of the bracket. A connector characterized in that the terminal fitting can be pushed into a proper position by pushing.