JP3324411B2 - Double locking 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 double locking connector having a so-called front retainer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a type in which a retainer is mounted from a mating surface side of a connector housing (a front retainer).
Are known. In some of them, a retainer has a cap shape and is fitted into the front end portion of the connector housing from outside. In this one,
A pair of locking projections are provided on opposing inner walls of the peripheral wall of the retainer, and the locking projections are locked in locking holes formed in the outer peripheral surface of the connector housing, so that the retainer can be pulled out of the connector housing. It is crowned in a stopped state.

[0003]

However, in the above-described connector, there is a possibility that only one locking projection is locked and the other locking is not performed, that is, there is a so-called one-sided effect state. This is because the cap-shaped retainer covers all the cavities of the connector housing from the front surface, so that the retainer itself has a wider lateral width, especially when the number of poles in which many cavities are arranged side by side is large. Along with this,
The width between the side walls of the retainer increases, and the distance between the locking protrusions also increases. For this reason, if the fitting is performed with a slight inclination from the facing position, a situation occurs in which one locking portion is locked but the other locking portion does not reach the locking position. So, in order to correct such inconsistency,
It is conceivable to take measures to guide the fitting of the retainer. As a technique often adopted as the guide means, for example, a guide rail is provided on an inner wall surface of a retainer, and a concave groove for receiving the guide rail is provided on an opposing surface on the connector housing side. However, even if this is done, the gap between the locking projections is still wide, so that the situation in which one of the guiding operations precedes is not resolved, and the problem in the assembly work remains. is there.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a double locking connector which can prevent the locking portion between a retainer and a connector housing from having a one-sided effect and can easily perform a mounting operation of the retainer. And

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

<Invention of claim 1> According to the invention of claim 1, a plurality of cavities formed in the connector housing are provided with flexible lances for locking terminal fittings in a retaining state, and the front end of the connector housing is provided at the front end of the connector housing. The cap-shaped retainer to be crowned was provided with a protruding piece projecting from the bottom surface thereof, penetrating into the bending region of the flexible lance, and holding the flexible lance in engagement with the terminal fitting. In the double locking connector, a guide protrusion for guiding a capping operation of the retainer is formed on a bottom surface of the retainer, and the guide protrusion is insertable at a front end of the connector housing. A double locking connector characterized in that a recess is formed correspondingly, and at least one of the recess and the guide projection is provided with a locking means for locking each other. It is.

<Invention of claim 2> According to the invention of claim 2, the guide projection of the retainer has a hollow inside, and its side faces are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction. 2. A pair of slits cut into a pair of slits to form a doubly-supported beam between the slits and the locking means is provided on the both-sided beam. It is a double locking connector as described.

<Invention of Claim 3> According to the invention of Claim 3, the internal space and the slit of the guide projection are opened to the bottom side of the retainer along the longitudinal direction of the guide projection for die cutting. The double locking connector according to claim 2, wherein

[0008]

Actions and effects of the present invention

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the retainer is mounted on the front end of the connector housing, the guide projection projecting from the bottom surface of the retainer is fitted and inserted into the recess. The retainer is assembled in alignment with the connector housing. At the same time, the projecting piece enters the bending area of the lance, and the terminal fitting is double-locked. Also,
Since the guide projection is provided on the bottom surface instead of the side surface of the retainer, the guide projection can be disposed in the central region of the retainer, so that the retainer can be easily aligned with the connector housing.

<Invention of claim 2> According to the above-mentioned structure of claim 2, as the specific structure of the locking means, the double-supported beam is bent to lock the locking means in the recess. State. That is, since the locking means can be configured as a part of the side surface of the retainer, space efficiency is superior to that of a cantilever projecting from the side surface of the retainer. Of course, the push-fitting force at the time of mounting the retainer can be smaller than when only the locking projection is formed without considering the bending.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the mold is opened in the longitudinal direction of the guide projection, the internal space and the slit are formed in the same direction as the mold opening direction. Since the mold for molding can be removed, the mold is removed in a direction different from the mold opening direction, that is, a so-called slide pin is not required, so that the mold structure can be simplified.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, a female waterproof connector is illustrated. In FIG.
Is the connector housing (hereinafter simply referred to as the housing)
In this case, a total of five cavities 2 are formed in the upper part, three in the lower part and two in the lower part. The female terminal fittings 4 (hereinafter simply referred to as terminal fittings) fixed to the rear side are inserted from the rear side (the front side in FIG. 1). A rubber stopper 7 is fitted on the rear end side of the terminal fitting 4, and is tightly fitted into the entrance of the cavity 2 to seal.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tip side of each cavity 2 is divided into two upper and lower rooms by a cantilevered lance 5 extending along the terminal insertion direction, and the lower side of the room is A room on the upper side is a space in which the box-shaped main body of the terminal fitting 4 is accommodated. When the terminal fitting 4 is inserted into the cavity 2, the upward engaging projection 5A of the tip of the lance 5 is pushed by the terminal fitting 4, and the lance 5 is bent once and is bent toward the deformation space 11 side. When the portion 5A faces the rear end portion of the main body of the terminal fitting 4, the bending of the lance 5 returns to its original state, and the terminal fitting 4 is locked in the cavity 2 in a retaining state (see FIG. 3). In addition, when pulling out the accommodated terminal fitting 4, the terminal fitting 4 is pulled out while inserting a tool from the front opening of the bending deformation space 11 to bend the lance 5 downward.

As shown in FIG. 10, a guide projection 30 of a retainer 9 to be described later is inserted between the center cavity 2 in the upper stage and the cavities 2 on both sides thereof and between the two cavities 2 in the lower stage. For this purpose, a total of three recesses 40 having a rectangular cross section are formed. The upper two recesses 40, 40
The sectional view is shown in FIG. These two recesses 4
An engagement hole 41 for engaging with the engagement protrusion 31 of the retainer 9 is formed on a side surface of the side of the retainer 9 apart from each other.
The engagement hole 41 communicates from the recess 40 to the cavity 2. On the side of the recess 40, the engagement hole 41 is connected to a mold release groove 42 extending to the longitudinal opening side of the inner surface. It is connected to a mold release groove 43 extending in the opposite direction to the release groove 42. That is, the engaging hole 41 is formed by aligning the tip side of the ridge formed on the side surface of the mold for forming the recess 40 with the ridge formed on the side surface of the mold for forming the cavity 2. Thereby, the cavity 2 and the recess 40 are formed so as to communicate with each other. The engagement hole 41 of the lower recess 40 is formed on the inner surface on the right side in FIG. 10 (in FIG. 10, the engagement hole 41 does not appear, but only the die groove 42 appears). It should be noted that the mold release groove 42 on the side of the recess 40 is used.
Also serves to guide the engagement protrusion 31 of the retainer 9.

As shown in FIG. 2, a front type retainer 9 is mounted on the front side of the housing 1 via a rubber ring 10. As shown in FIG. The retainer 9 has a cap shape, and has a bottom surface formed with a total of five projecting pieces 12 that can enter the bending deformation space 11 of the lance 5 described above. The protruding piece 12 has a groove-shaped receiving portion 13 formed at a tip thereof for receiving the lance 5. When the protruding piece 12 is inserted into the bending deformation space 11, as shown in FIG. 5 The lower part of the tip just fits and cannot be bent downward.

As shown in FIG. 4, a total of three guide projections 30 are formed in the central region of the bottom surface of the retainer 9 so as to be fitted and inserted into the recesses 40 described above. Also, this guide projection 3
0 has a space inside, and a pair of slits 32, 32 are provided on the side surface along the longitudinal direction (see FIGS. 5 and 6). An engagement projection 31 that engages with the engagement hole 41 of the recess 40 is formed on the beam portion. The position where the slit 32 is formed is different between the upper-side guide protrusion 30 and the lower-stage guide protrusion 30. As shown in FIG. 5, the upper-side guide projection 30 is formed with slits 32, 32 on the upper surface edge and side surfaces, respectively, and forms a double-supported beam between the slits 32, 32. As shown in FIG. 6, the guide projection 30 on the side has two slits 32, 32 formed on one side surface, and a double-supported beam therebetween. In the present embodiment, the upper guide protrusion 30 is small due to space limitations. However, as described above, the slits 32, 32 are separately provided on the upper surface and the lower surface, so that the small guide protrusion can be formed. Also two slits 32
Can be formed, and the space between them can be formed as a doubly supported beam. With this configuration, the locking projection 31 can be a part of the side surface of the retainer 9, so that it is superior in space efficiency and has an end portion as compared with a cantilever projecting from the side surface of the retainer 9. There is no danger of being broken by being caught on another part. Also, as compared with the case where only the locking projection is formed without considering the bending, the push-fitting force when the retainer 9 is mounted can be reduced.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the slit 32.
Shown in As shown in FIGS.
The internal space 33 and the slit 32 are open to the upper surface of the retainer 9 along the longitudinal direction of the guide projection 30 for die cutting (the opening of the internal space 33 is denoted by reference numeral 3 in FIGS. 7 and 8).
3A, and the opening of the slit 32 is denoted by reference numeral 32A in FIG.
). With this configuration, when the mold is opened in the longitudinal direction of the guide projection 30, the mold for forming the internal space 33 and the slit 32 can be removed in the same direction as the mold opening direction. Remove the mold in a direction different from the direction, that is, because a so-called slide pin becomes unnecessary,
The mold structure is simple.

As shown in FIG. 1, a cover 15 for covering the electric wires 3 drawn out from the respective cavities 2 is provided at a rear portion of the housing 1. The cover 15 is provided with hinge portions 17, 17 on both sides on the upper rear side of the housing 1.
And is rotatable between an open state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and a closed state shown in FIG. When the cover 15 is in a closed state, the projecting engaging projection 18 extending from the peripheral edge of the cover 15 to the housing 1 engages with the projection 21 of the housing 1, and the base 16 of the cover 15 The electric wire 3 facing the rear end surface, which is the electric wire drawing surface, and bent in the direction along the base 16 is drawn laterally from between the engaging projections 18.

This embodiment has a structure as described above,
Subsequently, the procedure of the assembling will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 2, the cover 15 is opened, and the terminal fitting 4 fixed to the terminal of the electric wire 3 and the waterproof rubber plug 7 are inserted into the five cavities 2 of the housing 1 from the rear side. insert. Then, the engaging projection 5A at the tip of the lance 5 is pushed by the terminal fitting 4 and the lance 5 bends once and bends toward the deformation space 11, and the engaging projection 5A faces the rear end of the terminal fitting 4 and Then, the bending of the lance 5 returns to its original state, and the terminal fitting 4 is locked in the cavity 2 in a state where it cannot be removed. In this state, the rubber plug 7 is tightly fitted into the entrance of the cavity 2 to seal.

A rubber ring 10 is attached to the tip of the housing 1.
, And the retainer 9 is further crowned. Then, the tip of the protruding piece 12 enters the bending deformation space 11, and then the guide protruding part 30 is fitted and inserted into the recess 40. When the retainer 9 is mounted in an inclined state, the inclination is corrected by fitting the guide projection 30 and the recess 40. Here, since the guide projection 30 is provided on the bottom surface instead of the side surface of the retainer 9, it can be arranged in the central region of the retainer 9, and the retainer 9 can be easily aligned with the housing 1.

When the guide projection 30 is pushed all the way into the recess 40, the engagement projection 31 of the guide projection 30 and the recess 40
And the retainer 9 is held so as not to come off the housing 1.

When the engagement projection 31 and the engagement hole 41 are engaged with each other, the receiving portion 13 at the tip of the projecting piece 12 is
The lower portion of the lance 5 cannot be bent because the lower portion is received in the bending deformation space 11 so as to receive the lower portion. That is,
The lance 5 required for the terminal fitting 4 to be pulled out of the cavity 2 and the lance 5 to bend downward cannot be operated.
The terminal fitting 4 is double-locked.

Next, the cover 15 is rotated so that the engaging projection 18 is engaged with the projection 21 of the housing 1 to close the cover, and the electric wire 3 is drawn out from between the engaging projections 18 to the side. To complete the connector assembly work. As described above, in the connector according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the locking portion between the retainer and the connector housing from being one-sided, thereby facilitating the operation of assembling the connector.

<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-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a connector with a cover has been described. However, the present invention may be applied to a connector without a cover. (2) In the present embodiment, a total of three guide projections are provided, but the number and arrangement are not limited. (3) The arrangement of the concavities and convexities of the locking means (the locking projection 31 and the engagement hole 41) may be opposite to the retainer housing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a connector with a retainer attached.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a retainer.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a guide projection on the upper stage side.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a lower guide protrusion.

FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view of a guide projection.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a retainer.

FIG. 9 is a rear view thereof.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the connector housing.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the XI-XI cross section of FIG. 2;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the retainer is assembled on the cut surface.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Connector housing 2 ... Cavity 9 ... Retainer 11 ... Deformation space 12 ... Protrusion piece 30 ... Guide protrusion 31 ... Engagement protrusion (locking means) 32 ... Slit 40 ... Concavity 41 ... Engagement hole (locking means)

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] A plurality of cavities formed in a connector housing are provided with flexible lances for locking terminal fittings in a retaining state, and a cap-shaped retainer is mounted on a front end of the connector housing. Is a double-locking connector having a projection projecting from a bottom surface thereof, penetrating into a bending region of the flexible lance, and holding the flexible lance engaged with the terminal fitting. On the bottom surface, a guide protrusion for guiding the capping operation of the retainer is formed so as to protrude, while a recess in which the guide protrusion can be inserted is formed at the front end of the connector housing, A double locking connector characterized in that a locking means for locking each other is formed in at least one of the recess and the guide projection. 2. The guide projection of the retainer has a hollow inside, and a pair of slits are cut in the side surface thereof in the length direction with an interval between the guide projections. The double-locking connector according to claim 1, wherein a bending-supported double-supported beam portion is formed between the slits, and the locking means is provided on the double-supported beam portion. 3. An inner space and a slit of the guide protrusion are open to a bottom surface side of the retainer along a longitudinal direction of the guide protrusion for die-cutting. Double locking connector.