JP3285303B2 - Half mating prevention 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 pair of half-fitting prevention connectors having a half-fitting prevention function, which are used in an electric system of an automobile or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of half-fitting prevention connectors have been known. For example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-819
One disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 67 is known. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a conventional half-fitting prevention connector. The conventional half-fitting prevention connector 51 has a male connector 55 of a pair of male and female connectors 54 and 55 each having a pin contact 52 and a socket contact 53 therein.
, A spring 56 urged in the anti-fitting direction is provided, and a lock mechanism 57 is provided across the connectors 54 and 55.

[0003] The other female connector 54 is surrounded by a top plate 58, a bottom plate 59, and a side plate 60, has a box shape opened front and rear, and accommodates a plurality of pin contacts 52 therein. The male connector 55 is provided so as to be able to be fitted inside, and a plurality of socket contacts 53 accommodated in the male connector 55 are fitted and electrically connected to the pin contacts 52. I have. Further, a notch is provided at the center of the side plates 60 on both sides,
A locking piece 61 as a lock mechanism 57 is formed integrally with the side plate 60 toward the front in the cut. The tip of the locking piece 61 is located within the cut from the front edge of the side plate 60, and has flexibility that can bend slightly outward. A locking ridge 62 is provided at an end of the locking piece 61 so as to project inward.

[0004] A spring accommodating portion 63 for supporting and accommodating the rear end of the spring 56 is provided on both sides of the one male connector 55. A spring guide rod 64 is provided in the spring accommodating portion 63 so as to face forward. Further, a box-shaped movable cover 65 opened forward and backward is provided on the outer periphery of the male connector 55 so as to be slidable forward and backward. Spring housings 66 are provided on both sides of the movable cover 65 so as to cover the outer peripheral portion of the spring housing 63. The front end of the spring 56 urges the front end of the spring housing 66 forward. Locking grooves 70 as locking mechanisms 57 are provided on both side plates of the male connector 55. In addition,
An elongated hole 67 provided on the top plate of the movable cover 65 and a projection 68 provided on the top plate of the male connector 55 are for regulating the frontmost position of the movable cover 65 by the urging force of the spring 56.

When the pair of female and male connectors 54 and 55 are pressed with their front ends aligned with each other, the front part of the male connector 55 is first connected to the female connector 5.
After being fitted into the front part of the connector 4, the locking projection 62 rides on the side plate 69 of the male connector 55 while bending the locking piece 61 outward. Then, the tip of the locking piece 61 and the locking ridge 62
Is in contact with the front end face of the spring accommodating portion 66, so that the movable cover 65 is moved backward while compressing the spring 56.

At this time, a pair of male and female connectors 54, 55
Is pressed and approached, the spring 56 is further compressed, the locking ridge 62 is locked in the locking groove 70, and the locking piece 61
Is returned to its original state, and the front end of the locking piece 61 comes off the front end face of the spring housing 66. When the pressing force is released or released, the movable cover 65 is returned to the original position by the urging force of the spring 56, and the male and female connectors 5
4 and 55 are completely fitted. At the same time, the pin contact 52 and the socket contact 53 are also completely fitted. Since the outer surface of the side plate 60 is in contact with the inner surface of the spring accommodating portion 66, the locking piece 61 cannot be bent outward. Therefore, the locking ridge 62 does not come off the locking groove 70, and the pair of male and female connectors 54, 55 is completely locked by the lock mechanism 57.

However, before the locking projection 62 of the locking mechanism 57 is locked in the locking groove 70, that is, the pair of male and female connectors 5
When the pressing force at the time of fitting is loosened or released in the half-fitted state, the springs 56 are pushed back by the urging force of the spring 56, so that the half-fitted state is prevented.

[0008]

However, in the half-fitting prevention connector 51, the locking piece 61 of the locking mechanism 57 is made of a hard synthetic resin material, and the pair of male and female connectors 54 and 55 are fitted and connected. Every time it bends outward,
Since the tip of the locking piece 61 presses the front end face of the spring accommodating portion 66 of the movable cover 65 to compress the spring 56, there is a problem that repeated operations cause fatigue failure. In order to release the pair of mated male and female connectors, the locking pieces 61 are pryed open and the locking ridges 62 are engaged while pulling the movable cover 65 rearward of the connector 55 against the urging force of the spring. It must be separated from the stop groove 70. This work is difficult to be performed by one worker, and there is a problem that workability is poor. Further, since the spring accommodating portions are required on both sides, there is a problem that the connector becomes large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to reliably prevent a half-fitted state from being left when a pair of male and female connectors are fitted and connected, and to destroy a lock mechanism. It is an object of the present invention to provide a semi-fitting prevention connector which is free from fear of being disengaged, can be easily operated at the time of release, and can be reduced in size.

[0010]

The above object of the present invention SUMMARY OF] is the one of the connectors of the pair of male and female connectors with contacts respectively therein provided with a biased resilient member counter-fitting direction, the male and female connector Wherein the lock mechanism locks the lock projection on the other connector and a lock pin having a plurality of lock projections on the one connector. A locking mechanism , wherein the locking mechanism
Along the inner wall of the tubular portion provided on the other connector.
Sloping surface, on which the lock projection is slidable.
From the end of the rectilinear surface at the back of the turning slope
From the provided introduction slope and the front end starting point of the turning slope
From the end of the rectilinear surface provided toward the rear,
When the male and female connectors are completely mated.
A locking slope for picking up a lock projection;
And a locking portion for locking the lock projection.
And a semi-fitting prevention connector .

[0011] In the half-fitting prevention connector having the above structure,
The elastic member urged in the anti-mating direction prevents the pair of male and female connectors from being left in a half-mated state, and is durable because the lock pin and lock projection of the lock mechanism do not bend during the locking operation. A semi-fitting prevention connector with high reliability and high reliability can be obtained.

Further, the locking mechanism is provided along an inner wall of a tubular portion provided in the other connector, and
Ramp on which the lock projection can slide, and straight ahead
An introduction slope provided rearward from the end of the surface,
The turning slope is provided rearward from the starting point of the front end.
Provided forward from the terminal end of the rectilinear surface was, a locking slope pick up the locking projection upon complete mating of the male and female pair of connectors, it is provided continuously to the locking slope, engaging the locking projections
And a locking portion for stopping .

Therefore, the lock pin is rotated by the slide of the lock projection on the turning slope, and
When returned by the elastic member, the locking projection is picked up by the locking slope and locked by the locking portion, so that the fitting operation can be easily performed. Then, in order to release the pair of male and female connectors from the completely mated state and to release them, if the lock pin is rotated in the reverse direction while pressing the one connector, the two connectors in the mated state can be easily released. be able to. This work can be easily performed by one worker, so that workability can be improved.

Further, the lock pin penetrates the shaft center of the elastic member, and a stopper having a locking groove for locking to the lock projection is slidable in the front-rear direction of the one connector. Supported by the tip of the lock pin. Therefore, the biasing force of the elastic member is held by the stopper, so that the space is cut down and the size of the connector can be reduced.

[0015]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a half-fitting prevention connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a half-fitting prevention connector according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a stopper in FIG. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the lock mechanism in FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is a developed view showing the relationship between the turning slope and the locking slope and the locking projection in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a view in FIG. FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view showing the release state in FIG. 7.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the half-fitting prevention connector 1 is counter-fitted to one male connector 4 of a pair of male and female connectors 4 and 5 having socket contacts 2 and pin contacts 3, respectively. provided with a compression spring 6 which is an elastic member that is biased in engagement direction, a half-fitted prevention connector 1 of the lock mechanism 7 is provided straddling a pair of male and female connectors 4,5. The lock mechanism 7 includes a lock pin 9 having a pair of lock projections 8a and 8b on one male connector 4 and the lock projections 8a and 8 on the other female connector 5.
A locking mechanism 10 for locking b is provided.

The locking mechanism 10 is connected to the other female connector 5
A locking slope 8 on the inner periphery of a tubular portion 11 provided on the inner surface of the housing, on which a locking projection 8a can slide; a locking slope 13 for picking up the locking projection 8b when the pair of male and female connectors 4, 5 are completely fitted ;
A locking portion 14 for locking the projection 8b is provided. Further, the lock pin 9 penetrates the axial center of the compression spring 6, and is slidably supported in the front-rear direction of the one male connector 4, and has a locking groove 15 for locking the lock projections 8a, 8b. And a stopper 1 also serving as a spring seat of the compression spring 6.
6 is supported by the tip of the lock pin 9.

The head 21 is attached to the rear end of the lock pin 9.
Is provided, and can be rotated with a finger or a tool. An O-ring 22 is fitted to the front end of the head 21. The O-ring 22 maintains watertightness and absorbs vibration acting on the lock pin 9. Note that the diameter of the mounting portion of the O-ring 22 in the lock pin 9 is larger than the diameter of the front portion thereof, so that the step portion 23 is formed. The step portion 23 regulates the position of the lock pin 9 in the male connector 4 in the axial direction.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
Reference numeral 6 denotes a hollow cylindrical shape. The inner diameter portion 17 slides and supports the lock pin 9 in the axial direction, and is provided with a vertical groove 18 through which the lock projections 8a and 8b can pass. A locking groove 15 for locking the lock projections 8a and 8b is provided at the front end. The outer diameter portion 19 is slidable in the male connector 4 by fitting into a center hole 20 (see FIG. 1) also serving as a housing portion for the compression spring 6.

Next, the locking mechanism 10 in the female connector 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. Tubular part 1
The end of the rectilinear surface 24 at the back of the turning slope 12 along the inner wall 1
An introduction slope 25 is provided rearward from the portion .
A rectilinear surface 26 is also provided from the front end starting portion of the turning slope 12 to the back. The rectilinear surface 26 is provided at a position facing the rectilinear surface 24 on the inner wall.
Furthermore, the locking slope 13 toward the forward from the terminal end of the rectilinear surface 26, the locking portion 14 is provided which is continuously provided on the locking inclined surface 13.

In the half-fitting prevention connector 1 having the above structure, the lock pin 9 fitted with the O-ring 22 is inserted from the rear of the male connector 4 as shown in FIG.
0, the compression spring 6 is inserted from the front. Then, the outer diameter portion 19 of the stopper 16 is inserted while being guided by the center hole 20, the lock pin 9 is guided by the inner diameter portion 17, and the lock projections 8 a and 8 b pass through the vertical groove 18. At this time, since the front end of the compression spring 6 is in contact with the rear end surface of the stopper 16, the stopper 16 is guided by the center hole 20 and pressed. Next, when the lock projections 8a and 8b protrude from the front end face of the stopper 16, the head 21 is rotated, and then when the pressing force of the stopper 16 is released, the lock projections 8a and 8b are seated in the locking groove 15. The lock pin 9 is locked to the stopper 16 in the male connector 4 and the compression spring 6 is in a state where an initial urging force is applied.

Next, the fitting operation of the half-fitting prevention connector 1 of the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of male and female connectors 4 and 5 are pressed with their front ends aligned to start fitting. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, when the fitting proceeds a little, the front end face of the stopper 16 comes into contact with the front end face of the tubular portion 11, so that the stopper 16 and the tubular portion 11 are pushed into the center hole 20 of the male connector 4. Thus, the compression spring 6 is further compressed.

In this state, the socket contact 2 (FIG. 1)
And pin contacts 3 are not yet completely connected. The locking projection 8b is also provided by the locking mechanism 1 in the connector 5.
0, so a pair of male and female connectors 4, 5
Is in a half-fitted state. At this time, when the pressing force of the two connectors 4 and 5 during the fitting is released, the two connectors 4 and 5 are pushed back by the urging force of the compression spring 6. Therefore, the two connectors 4 and 5 are not left in a half-fitted state.

Further, as the fitting of the connectors 4 and 5 proceeds, as is apparent from FIGS. 5 and 6, one of the lock projections 8a is already in contact with the turning slope 12, so that the lock pin 9 has started rotation. When this rotation further proceeds and the lock projection 8a reaches the straight-ahead surface 24, the rotation of the lock pin 9 stops. At this time, the other lock projection 8b is in contact with and slides on the rectilinear surface 26 on the opposite side.

When the fitting is further advanced, the lock projection 8a slides on the introduction slope 25, so that the lock pin 9 further rotates. Then, since the other lock projection 8b has reached the back surface of the locking slope 13, when the pressing force of both connectors 4 and 5 is released, it is pulled back by the urging force of the compression spring 6, and
The locking projection 8b is guided by the locking slope 13 so that the locking portion 14
Is locked. Then, the lock pin 9 is locked by the locking mechanism 10, and as shown in FIG. 8, the pair of male and female connectors 4 and 5 are completely fitted.

In order to release the mating state of the pair of male and female connectors 4 and 5, the connectors 4 and 5 are pressed so as to approach each other, and then the head 21 of the lock pin 9 is turned, and then the pressing force is applied. When the lock projection 8b is loosened, the lock projection 8b comes off the locking slope 13, and the lock projection 8a comes into contact with the rectilinear face 24 from the introduction slope 25. Then, the fitting state of the two connectors 4 and 5 is easily released by the biasing force of the compression spring 6.

As described above, the compression spring 6 urged in the anti-fitting direction prevents the pair of male and female connectors 4 and 5 from being left in a half-fitted state, and the lock pin 9 of the lock mechanism 7. Since the lock projections 8a and 8b do not bend, a highly reliable semi-fitting prevention connector having high durability can be obtained.

The lock pin 9 is rotated by the lock projection 8a sliding on the turning slope 12, and
When returned by the compression spring 6, the locking projection 8b is picked up by the locking slope and locked by the locking portion 14, so that the fitting operation can be easily performed. When the pair of male and female connectors 4 and 5 are released from the completely fitted state and released, the lock pins 9 are rotated in the reverse direction while pressing one male connector 4 to release the pressed state. Can be separated. This operation can be easily performed by one worker, so that the workability can be improved. Furthermore, since the lock pin 9 penetrates the axis of the compression spring 6 and the stopper 16 holds the urging force of the compression spring 6, the space is cut down and the connector can be downsized.

[0029]

As described above, according to the half-fitting prevention connector of the present invention, the lock mechanism locks the lock projection having a plurality of lock projections on one connector and the lock projection on the other connector. A locking mechanism is provided ,
A locking mechanism is provided on the inner wall of the tubular portion provided on the other connector.
Sloping surface that is provided along and can slide the lock projection
From the end of the rectilinear surface at the back of the turning slope
Introductory slope provided and backward from the starting point of the front end of the turning slope
From the end of the straight surface provided toward
Lock projection is provided when the male and female connectors are fully mated.
And a locking projection, which is provided in series with the locking slope,
And a locking portion for stopping. Therefore, the pair of male and female connectors is prevented from being left in a half-fitted state by the elastic member biased in the anti-fitting direction, and the lock pin and the lock projection of the lock mechanism are not bent, so that durability is improved. An excellent and highly reliable half-fitting prevention connector can be obtained.

Further, the lock pin is rotated by sliding the lock projection on the turning slope, and when the lock projection is returned by the elastic member, the lock projection is picked up by the locking slope and locked by the locking portion. Connector fitting can be performed easily. Also, in order to release and release the pair of male and female connectors from complete fitting, if one connector is pressed and the lock pin is rotated in the reverse direction to release the pressed state, the connector can be easily released from the fitted state. Remarkable improvement can be aimed at.

Further, since the lock pin penetrates the axial center portion of the elastic member and the stopper holds the urging force of the elastic member, the space is cut down and the size of the connector can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a half-fitting prevention connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an assembled sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a stopper in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a relationship between a stopper, a lock pin, and a lock projection in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the lock mechanism in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a developed view showing a relationship between a turning slope and a locking slope and a locking projection in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory view in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view at the time of release in FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a conventional half-fitting prevention connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Half-fitting prevention connector 2 Socket contact 3 Pin contact 4,5 Female / male connector 6 Compression spring (elastic member) 7 Lock mechanism 8a, 8b Lock projection 9 Lock pin 10 Locking mechanism 11 Tubular part 12 Revolving slope 13 Lock Slope 14 Locking part 15 Locking groove 16 Stopper

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-9-82417 (JP, A) JP-A-7-263079 (JP, A) JP-A-7-50180 (JP, A) 34678 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 13/639

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pair of male and female connectors each having a contact therein are provided with an elastic member biased in an anti-fitting direction on one of the male and female connectors, and a locking mechanism is provided across the male and female connectors. in half-fitting prevention connector, the locking mechanism is comprised by comprising a lock pin having a plurality of locking projections on the one connector, a locking mechanism for locking the lock projection on the other connector, the locking A mechanism provided on the other connector,
Provided along the inner wall of the part, the lock projection is slidable
From the end of a straight turning surface and a straight running surface at the back of the turning surface.
And a rearwardly extending front end of the turning slope.
Is provided forward from the terminal end of the rectilinear surface,
A locking slope that picks up the lock projection when the connector is completely mated
And a lock that is provided continuously with the locking slope and locks the lock protrusion.
And a semi-fitting prevention connector. 2. The device according to claim 2, wherein said lock pin is an axial center portion of said elastic member.
For passing through and being locked to the lock projection.
A stopper having a locking groove is located in front of and behind one of the connectors.
Supported on the tip of the lock pin so that it can slide in the
2. The half-fit prevention core according to claim 1, wherein
Nectar.