JP3282120B2 - Connection structure of relay 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 structure for electrically connecting, for example, a meter box of an automobile to a rear case through a relay connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 9 shows a connection structure of a conventional relay connector described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 1-138845. This connection structure is connected to the meter box 40 of the automobile.
And the hood portion 41 are connected via the relay connector 42. A connector insertion groove 43 is formed between the meter box 40 and the hood portion 41.
Above and below the terminals 46 of the flexible circuit bodies 44 and 45,
47 are arranged facing each other. The relay connector 42 is provided with contacts 48 and 49 for the respective terminal portions 46 and 47. By inserting the relay connector 42 into the insertion groove 43, the contacts 48 and 49 come into contact with the respective terminal portions 46 and 47. The two circuit bodies 44 and 45 are electrically connected.

However, in the above-described conventional structure, since the depth of the insertion groove 43 is large, the relay connector 42 is not provided.
Insertion and removal are troublesome, and there is a problem that connection workability and maintainability are poor.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a connection structure for a relay connector which can improve connection workability and maintainability of the relay connector.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a structure for connecting one connecting body and the other connecting body via a relay connector, wherein the connecting body is connected to one connecting body. A slide guide portion for the connector is provided, and a locking portion is provided in one of the slide guide portion and the relay connector, and a temporary engagement portion and a full engagement portion for the locking portion are provided in one of the other. The relay connector is provided in the sliding direction, and the two connectors are joined in a state where the locking portion and the temporary engaging portion are engaged with each other, and then the other connector is connected to the other connector in the slide guide portion. The connection structure of the relay connector is basically based on a structure in which the contact portions of the relay connector are slid toward each other to connect the respective contact portions of the relay connector with the respective terminal portions of the connection members.

The sliding guide portion is constituted by a pair of bent guide walls, and an arch-shaped flexible locking beam is formed as the locking portion having a locking projection on the guide wall. The relay connector is provided with a temporary engagement hole and a full engagement hole as the temporary engagement portion and the full engagement portion with respect to the locking projection, and a pressing operation portion is projected between the pair of guide walls,
The surface connection terminal portion of the circuit body is provided in the one connection body such as a meter box so as to be exposed within the pair of guide walls, and the other connection body such as a rear case is provided with a connector having a connection terminal portion, and the relay is provided. The connector may be provided with a relay terminal having both contact portions for the surface contact terminal portion and the connection terminal portion.

[0007]

The relay connector is inserted into the slide guide portion of one of the connecting members, and is temporarily fixed in a state where the temporary engaging portion is engaged with the locking portion. In this state, the other connector is joined to the one connector. Then, by sliding the relay connector toward the other connector, both connectors are electrically connected via the relay connector.

[0008]

1 to 6 show an embodiment of a connection structure of a relay connector according to the present invention. This structure is shown in FIGS.
The bottom wall 2 of the meter box 1 which is one of the connecting bodies as shown in FIG.
A pair of symmetrical L-shaped sliding guide walls 3, 3 protruding from each other, and a relay connector 4 is provided between the pair of guide walls 3, 3 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. The rear case 6 is joined to the rear wall 5 of the box 1,
The relay connector 4 can be slidably fitted to the lower connector 7 of the rear case 6.

The meter box 1 has a rear wall 5 as shown in FIG.
A flexible circuit body (FPC) 8 is routed along the bottom wall 2 from above, the surface contact terminals 9 of the circuit body 8 are exposed at the rear half of the bottom wall 2, and the drawing process is performed at the front half of the bottom wall 2. The distal end of the circuit body 8 is fixed through the projection 34 in the recess 10 thus formed. The pair of guide walls 3, 3 extend from substantially the rear end of the bottom wall 2 to the front half, and the lower walls 11, 11 of the guide walls 3, 3 face each other with a gap L therebetween. Each lower wall 11 is formed by cutting and raising an arch-shaped flexible locking beam 12 extending in the sliding direction of the relay connector 4. The flexible locking beam 12 has a locking projection 13 at the center top, and can temporarily and fully engage the relay connector 4 in the sliding direction.

The relay connector 4 has a relay terminal 15 inserted into a connector housing 14 made of an insulating resin, and is inserted into the pair of guide walls 3 from behind as shown in FIG. At the front half of the bottom wall 16 of the connector housing 14, there is provided a pressing operation portion 17 projecting into the gap L between the pair of guide walls 3,3. The pressing operation portion 17 has a front inclined surface 19 with a non-slip 18.

As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 3, the relay terminal 15 has an elastic contact piece 20 with respect to the surface contact terminal portion 9 of the FPC 8 and a female contact with the male connection terminal 21 in the lower connector 7 of the rear case 6 at the rear. When the connector is not fitted, the resilient contact piece 20 moves from the upper opening 23 of the connector housing 14 to the recess 10.
Protrude into. The relay terminal 15 is connected to the connector housing 1.
4 is locked in the housing 14 by the locking lance 24.

As shown in FIGS.
A guide groove 25 for the flexible locking beam 12 of the guide wall 3 is formed on the bottom wall 16 of the guide wall 3, and the locking projection 13 of the flexible locking beam 12 is provided in the sliding direction of the relay connector 4, that is, substantially at the center of the guide groove bottom. , And a main engagement hole 27 is also provided at the front end.

In a state where the locking projection 13 is engaged with the temporary engagement hole 26 and the connector shown in FIG. 4 is not fitted, the meter box 1 and the rear case 6 are joined with positioning pins (not shown) with screws, and The connector 4 is located opposite the lower connector 7 of the rear case 6. As shown in FIG. 3, the male connection terminal 21 of the lower connector 7 has a base end connected to a printed circuit board (PCB) 28 in the rear case 6, and is connected to the female contact portion 22 of the relay terminal 15 by fitting the connector. I do.

That is, the pressing operation portion 17 of the relay connector 4
Is pushed as shown by the arrow A, and the relay connector 4 is slid in the connector fitting direction to fit the lower connector 7 as shown in FIG. Here, the elastic contact piece 20 of the relay terminal 15 is FP
It comes into contact with the surface contact terminal portion 9 of C8. At the same time, the locking projection 13 of the flexible locking beam 12 engages with the main engagement hole 27 of the relay connector 4 that has slid rearward as shown in FIG.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show another embodiment of the connection structure of the relay connector according to the present invention. In this structure, a frame 29 with a lower connector is provided for the meter box 1 instead of the rear case 6.
The lower connector 30 is fixed to the frame 29 with a fastener 31, and the male connection terminal 32 in the lower connector 30 has
The wire harness 33 is connected instead of the CB 28. With the meter box 1 and the frame 29 joined, the relay connector 4 is held in a temporarily engaged state as in the previous example. Then, the pressing operation unit 17 is pressed as shown by the arrow A, and the relay connector 4 is slid and fitted into the lower connector 30 as shown in FIG.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention, in a state in which the relay connector is temporarily held slidably on the guide portion, one connection body such as a meter box and the other connection body such as a rear case are connected. After joining, the connecting connector can be connected to each other by pushing the relay connector from the outside and sliding in the fitting direction, so that the connecting and disconnecting work of the relay connector is easy, and reliable electrical connection and Maintenance is to be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a connection structure of a relay connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the meter box, the relay connector, and the rear case are similarly assembled.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the same state in which the relay connector is temporarily engaged (the circle is an enlarged view).

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a temporary engagement state of a flexible locking beam with the relay connector.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the relay connector is fully engaged.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a flexible locking beam is fully engaged with the relay connector.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another embodiment of the connection structure of the relay connector according to the present invention in a temporarily engaged state.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same engagement state.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Meter box (one connection body) 3 Guide wall for slides 4 Relay connector 6 Rear case (the other connection body) 7, 30 Lower connector 8 Flexible circuit body 9 Surface contact terminal part 12 Flexible locking beam 13 Locking projection 17 Pressing operation part 20 Elastic contact piece 21, 32 Male connection terminal 22 Female contact part 26 Temporary engagement hole 27 Main engagement part 29 Frame (other connection body)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 31/06 H01R 4/48

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A structure for connecting one connecting body and the other connecting body via a relay connector, wherein one connecting body is provided with a slide guide portion for the relay connector, and the inside of the slide guide portion and the slide guide portion are provided. An engaging portion is provided on one of the relay connectors, and a temporary engaging portion and a permanent engaging portion with respect to the engaging portion are provided on one of the other in a sliding direction of the relay connector. After joining the two connectors together with the mating portion engaged, the relay connector is slid toward the other connector in the sliding guide portion to connect both the contact portions of the relay connector with the two connectors. A connection structure for a relay connector, characterized in that terminals of a body are connected to each other. 2. The sliding guide portion is constituted by a pair of bent guide walls, and an arch-shaped flexible locking beam is formed as the locking portion having a locking projection on the guide wall. Providing a temporary engagement hole and a full engagement hole as the temporary engagement portion and the full engagement portion for the locking projection on the relay connector,
A pressing operation portion protrudes between the pair of guide walls, and a surface contact terminal portion of a circuit body is provided in the one connection body such as a meter box so as to be exposed in the pair of guide walls. A connector having a connection terminal portion is provided on the other connection body,
The connection structure for a relay connector according to claim 1, wherein the relay connector is provided with a relay terminal having both contact portions for the surface contact terminal portion and the connection terminal portion.