JP3067597B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a connector having a large number of poles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A multi-pole connector of this type is used, for example, in a direct connection connector of a junction box (hereinafter simply referred to as J / B), which will be described with reference to FIGS. That is, on the J / B side, FIG.
The male connector 41 shown in FIG. This male connector 41 has a female connector 4 inside
A male housing 43 having a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape capable of fitting 2 is provided, and a large number of male terminal fittings (not shown) protrude through insertion holes 44 formed in the bottom surface thereof.
One female connector 42 is, as shown in FIGS.
The female housing 45 has a block-shaped female housing 45 that can be fitted in the male housing 43 described above, and is fitted into and connected to each of the male terminal fittings in a cavity 46 formed in the female housing 45. Terminal fittings are to be inserted. Then, the female connector 4 to which the female terminal fitting is attached
When 2 is fitted into the male housing 43 of the male connector 41 on the J / B side, the corresponding male and female terminal fittings are fitted and connected, and are locked in a locking state by a lock mechanism.

[0003]

However, in the above-described multi-pole connector, since a large number of terminal fittings are fitted at one time, a large fitting force is required, and the fitting operation is difficult. . In some cases, only part of the connector poles may be used, and even in such a case, a large female connector must be used with some cavities emptied. There were also disadvantages that were wasted.

The present invention has been completed in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has as its object to provide a connector which is easy to use by selectively fitting an integrated type and a split type. Is what you do.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, one of a pair of male and female connectors has the same number of poles as the number of poles of the other connector. have a, and mating region of the other connector
One integrated connector that can be mated over the entire area of
Have a number of poles number obtained by dividing the number of poles of the other connector,
And the divided area of the mating area of the other connector
A plurality of split connectors that can be individually fitted for each area are provided, and the other connector is capable of selectively fitting the integrated connector and each of the split connectors. And the other connector
Is the integrated connector and each of the split connectors
Locking means that can be individually locked in the retaining state
It is characterized by having a configuration provided with.

[0006]

[0007]

The operation of the first aspect of the invention is as follows. The integral connector is fitted over the entire area of the mating connector. Each of the split connectors is fitted in each corresponding area of the mating connector. At that time, an integrated connector
And each split type connector is locked by a locking means.
This locks the lock.

[0008]

The effects of the first aspect of the present invention are as follows. If all connectors are used, if the split connectors are mated sequentially, each split connector can be fitted with a small number of poles and a small fitting force. Can be performed efficiently. When only some of the poles are used, only the corresponding split-type connectors need to be fitted, and the cost can be reduced by eliminating waste of the connectors. If the same integrated connector as before is more suitable for handling reasons, etc., it may be fitted, that is, a wide range of fitting modes can be selected according to the purpose of use, and Excellent effects can be obtained.

[0009]

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a J / B direct connection type connector will be described below with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an upper box of J / B, which is integrally formed of a synthetic resin material, and which is assembled with a lower box (not shown) also formed of a synthetic resin material to form a J / B. , An electric circuit is accommodated therein. A plurality of male connectors are provided on the surface of the upper box 1, and the male connector indicated by the reference numeral A is a male connector to which the present invention is applied.

Next, the structure of the male connector A will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the male connector A includes a cylindrical male housing 3 which is elongated in the left-right direction and has a substantially rectangular front view. The male housing 3 is formed integrally with the surface of the upper box 1 of the J / B so that the mating female connectors B and C are fitted inside the male housing 3 as described later in detail. It has become. A first inner wall 4 which is formed in a U-shape and protrudes inward is formed at the center of the left and right short side peripheral walls of the male housing 3.
A second inner wall 5, which also has a U-shape and protrudes inward, is formed at the center of the peripheral wall on one long side. Also,
As shown in FIG. 7, a short partition wall 6 is formed at the center of the bottom surface in the male housing 3 in the left-right direction, and two fitting recesses 7, 7 are formed in the male housing 3 by the partition wall 6.
Are formed.

Each fitting recess 7 is formed in a symmetrical shape, and eight insertion holes 8 shown in the figure are symmetrically arranged and opened in the bottom surface of each, so that the electric circuit in the J / B is opened. The connected male terminal fittings (not shown) project into the fitting recesses 7 through the respective insertion holes 8. Further, each fitting recess 7 is provided with two first guide grooves 10 on both sides of the first inner wall 4, and a position on the outside of the side surface of the second inner wall 5 and a peripheral wall on the opposite side. The second guide groove 11 is provided at a position corresponding to the above-mentioned position.

Next, a female connector fitted to the male connector A will be described. The female connector of this embodiment includes two split connectors B and an integrated connector C. The split connector B has a female housing 13 as shown in FIGS. Each female housing 13
Are formed in a block shape having a left-right symmetric shape by a synthetic resin material, and the first rib 14 and the second rib 15 protruding from the outer peripheral surface are respectively formed in the first and second guide grooves 1.
It is possible to fit tightly into the corresponding fitting concave portion 7 on either the left or right while fitting into 0 and 11. Eight cavities 17 are formed in each female housing 13 as shown in the figure.
The female terminal fittings to be fitted with the male terminal fittings protruding into the corresponding fitting recesses 7 of the male housing 3 can be respectively accommodated.

These female housings 13 can be locked in a retaining state when they are fitted in the corresponding fitting recesses 7. Therefore, a mounting plate 19 is formed between the rear ends (upper ends in FIG. 7) of the first ribs 14 in each female housing 13, and the elastic locking pieces 20 are formed to extend downward from the outer edges thereof. ing. This elastic locking piece 20
Has a lower end side that can be bent and deformed inward, and a locking groove 21 is cut from a position slightly above the lower end toward the upper end. A pressing portion 22 for pressing operation is formed on the outer surface of the elastic locking piece 20.

On the other hand, on the male housing 3 side, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, a short protruding wall 24 is formed in a portion of the peripheral wall where each first inner wall 4 is provided. When the female housing 13 is fitted into the fitting recess 7, the projecting wall 24 allows the distal end portion of the elastic locking piece 20 to enter the inside thereof. An inward hook 25 that can be fitted into the locking groove 21 of the elastic locking piece 20 is formed on the upper edge of the elastic locking piece 20.

Next, the other integrated connector C will be described. The integrated connector C is the same as the female connector described in the section of the prior art, but will be described again.
The integrated connector C has a female housing 27 as shown in FIGS. The female housing 27 is also formed of a synthetic resin material in a block shape, and two male ribs 28 projecting from one surface thereof are fitted into the second guide grooves 11 on the left and right sides of the second inner wall 5 while the male housing 27 is formed. In the region extending over the fitting recesses 7 on the left and right sides of the housing 3, the housing 3 is tightly fitted to a position between the protruding surfaces of the first inner walls 4. In the female housing 27, 16 cavities 17 shown in the drawing, into which female terminal fittings can be inserted, are formed corresponding to the insertion holes 8 of the male housing 3. A relief groove 29 into which the partition wall 6 of the male housing 3 can be fitted is formed on the fitting surface of the female housing 27.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 13, the locking mechanism of the integral connector C is
7, a mounting plate 31 is formed between the rear ends (upper ends in the figure) of the ribs 28, and an elastic locking piece 32 is formed to extend downward from the outer edge thereof. This elastic locking piece 32
Also, like the elastic locking piece 20 of the split connector B, the lower end side can be bent and deformed inward, and the locking groove 3 extends slightly upward from the lower end toward the upper end.
3 is cut off. Also, on the outer surface of the elastic locking piece 32,
A pressing portion 34 for pressing operation is formed.

2 and 13 on the male housing 3 side.
As shown in FIG. 7, a short protruding wall 36 is formed in a portion of the peripheral wall where the second inner wall 5 is provided, and when the female housing 27 is fitted into the male housing 3, the distal end of the elastic locking piece 32 is formed. Part can enter the inside of the projecting wall 36, and the projecting wall 3
On the upper edge of 6, an inward hook 37 is formed which can be fitted into the locking groove 33 of the elastic locking piece 32.

This embodiment has the above-described structure, and its use will be described below. In the case of using the split connector B, the female terminal fittings are accommodated in the left and right female housings 13, respectively, and then each female housing 13 is placed in the corresponding fitting recess 7 of the male housing 3 as shown in FIG. Fits sequentially. Each female housing 13 has the first rib 14 and the second rib 15 on the outer peripheral surface fitted in the first and second guide grooves 10 and 11, respectively, and is fitted while being guided thereby, and elastically locked in the middle. When the tip of the piece 20 hits the hook 25, the elastic locking piece 20 is pushed in while being bent inward and deformed, and when the female housing 13 is completely fitted, as shown in FIG. 20 is restored and deformed and hook 2
The female housing 13 is locked in a state in which the female housing 13 is prevented from falling out by the fitting of the female housing 13 into the locking groove 21. This is sequentially performed for the left and right female housings 13 as described above. Thereby, the male terminal fitting of the male housing 3 and the female terminal fittings accommodated in the left and right female housings 13 are fitted and connected.

That is, even when the total number of poles of the connector is used, if the split type connectors B are sequentially fitted as described above, each split type connector B has a small number of poles and is small. Since the fitting can be performed with the fitting force, the fitting operation can be performed efficiently.

When the connector B is disengaged, see FIG.
When the pressing portion 22 is pressed from the state described above, the elastic locking piece 20 bends inward and the locking groove 21 comes off from the hook portion 25, so that the female housing 13 may be pulled out as it is.

Next, when only some of the poles are used, for example, when it is sufficient to make only the connection to the male terminal fitting protruding from the one fitting recess 7 in the male connector A, FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, only the split type connector B corresponding to the fitting concave portion 7 needs to be fitted. In this case, the fitting operation, the locking operation, and the detaching operation of the split connector B are the same as those in the above example.
In the case where only some of the poles are used as described above, it is sufficient to fit only the necessary split-type connector B, and the cost can be reduced by eliminating unnecessary use of the connector.

Further, if the same integrated connector C as before is more appropriate for handling reasons, it is also possible to use it. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, when the female housing 27 in which the female terminal fitting is inserted is fitted into the male housing 3, the female housing 27
Are inserted into the second guide groove 11, and the escape groove 29 is guided and pushed by them while being inserted into the partition wall 6,
As shown in FIG. 12, the male housing 3 is tightly fitted to a position between the protruding surfaces of the first inner walls 4 in a region extending over the right and left fitting concave portions 7. In the middle of the pushing, the tip of the elastic locking piece 32 hits the hook portion 37 so that the elastic locking piece 32 bends inward and is deformed inward. As shown in FIG. As described above, the elastic locking piece 32 is restored and deformed, and the hook portion 37 is fitted into the locking groove 33, so that the female housing 27 is locked in a retaining state.

When the connector C is disengaged, see FIG.
When the pressing portion 34 is pressed from the state of FIG.
Is bent inward and the locking groove 33 comes out of the hook 37,
The female housing 27 may be pulled out as it is.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when all the number of poles of the connector are used, the split type connector B on the female side is used.
Are successively fitted into the corresponding fitting recesses 7 of the male connector A, and only a small fitting force is required for each, and the fitting operation can be performed efficiently. When only some of the poles are used, only the corresponding split type connector B needs to be fitted, so that waste of the connector is eliminated and cost is reduced.
If the same integrated connector C as before is more appropriate for handling reasons or the like, it may be fitted.
Then, the female housings 13, 13, 27 are respectively locked to prevent the female housings from coming off. In other words, a wide variety of fitting modes can be selected according to the purpose of use, and an advantage of excellent usability can be obtained.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

(1) In the above embodiment, the female connector is divided into two parts. However, the female connector may be divided into three or more parts. (2) The present invention is not limited to the J / B direct connection type connector, but can be applied to a wire-to-wire connector. (3) Both the male and female connectors may be further divided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an upper box of a J / B according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the male connector.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the split connector.

FIG. 4 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the integrated connector.

FIG. 6 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the split connector before fitting.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view after fitting.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view before fitting when only one split connector is fitted.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view after the fitting.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a state before fitting of the integrated connector.

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view after the fitting.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view thereof.

FIG. 14 is a front view of a conventional male connector.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of the female connector.

FIG. 16 is a front view thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: Male connector B: Divided connector (on the female side) C: Integrated connector (on the female side) 3: Male housing 7: Fitting recess 13: Female housing 20: Elastic locking piece 21: Locking groove 25 ... Hook 27: Female housing 32: Elastic locking piece 33: Locking groove 37: Hook

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 13/514 H01R 13/639

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A one connector of the pair of male and female connectors, possess the other connector of the same number of poles and the number of poles, or
Mating over the entire mating area of this other connector
Possess one integral connector that, the number of poles number obtained by dividing the number of poles of the other connector, and the connector of the other
Individually mated for each divided area of the mating area
Includes a plurality of divided type connector and capable, the other connector, said the integrated connector, when the each of the split-type connector selectively has a fittable
In both cases, the other connector includes the integrated connector and the front connector.
Lock each split connector separately.
A connector provided with locking means that can be locked .