JP3506355B2 - Electrical connector with door - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric connector with an opening / closing door, which is formed by mating a first connector and a second connector with each other.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 9, an electric connector 70 adapted to a high voltage or / and a strong current has been proposed. This electrical connector 70 is a male connector 71.
And a female connector 72 accommodating the male connector 71 are mutually fitted to electrically connect the terminals 73 and 74 in the respective connectors 71 and 72. However, when the male connector 71 and the female connector 72 are separated from the fitted electrical connector 70, or after the separation, the terminals 73 and 74 in the respective connectors 71 and 72 are exposed to the outside, so that the operator can There is a risk that the terminals 73 and 74 may be touched directly by mistake.

Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of the operator, the electric connector 70 is connected to the electric connection box 75 having a circuit as shown in FIG. That is, the electrical junction box 7
Fuse 7 between battery 76 and motor 77 in
8, the relay 79, and the breaker 80 are electrically connected. That is, the fuse 78 and the relay 79 are used for the purpose of electrically interrupting the current. Further, the breaker 80 is used for the purpose of mechanically and easily interrupting the electric current by the operator's hand when the contact of the relay 79 is welded or when the fuse 78 is not blown.

However, since a high voltage or / and a strong current is applied to the terminals 73 and 74 inserted in the electric connector 70, the fuse 78,
The sizes of the relay 79 and the breaker 80 are increased,
Therefore, the size of the electric junction box 75 is increased, and it cannot be installed in a desired space (not shown) in the vehicle.
There was a problem.

Further, when the connectors are fitted to each other and / or each connector is detached from the electric connector,
A connector 85 with a shutter mechanism as shown in FIG. 11 has been proposed as a means for preventing an operator from accidentally touching the terminal inserted in each connector (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-1).
38785).

As shown in FIG. 11, in this connector with shutter mechanism 85, the front end portion 88a of the support hood 88 covering the fitting hood 87 of the first connector 86 is connected to the second connector 90.
12. The second shutter 92 is opened by abutting against the second shutter 92 pivotally supported by the supporting hood 91 of the above, and thereafter, as shown in FIG.
Is abutted against the first shutter 89 pivotally supported by the fitting hood 87 to open the first shutter 89, and as shown in FIG. 13, the respective terminals 86a inserted into the first connector 86 and the second connector 90, 90a is electrically connected.

However, since the first shutter 89 and / or the second shutter 92 are pivotally supported at four points a, b, c, d, the reliability of the opening / closing operation of each shutter 89, 92 is low. was there. Further, since the first connector 86 or the second connector 90 is not directly attached to the electric junction box (not shown), the structure of the first connector 86 or / and the second connector 90 as a single unit may be complicated. was there.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention surely prevents a worker from accidentally touching a terminal in a connector with his / her hand, and further simplifies the structure of the connector. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric connector with an opening / closing door that further reduces the number of constituent parts.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems] To achieve the above object
The present inventionConnector with open / close door according to claim 1
Is a first connector and a receiver for receiving the first connector.
Mating with a second connector having a cableWith open / close doorElectrical
In the connector, outside the housing of the first connector
A guide arm extending in the fitting direction is provided on the wall surface and the guide arm is provided.
Inner wall surfaces of the hood facing each other, with engaging protrusions formed on the arms
A rotary shaft is installed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft.,Ridge and,one
A pair of opening and closing doors are provided,The engagement protrusion includes the first engagement protrusion and the engagement protrusion.
And a second engaging projection, and the ridge portion includes the first projection.
Features, a second ridge and a third ridge,ThefirstEngagement bumpStart
Is thefirstRushArticleThe open / close door is opened and closed by pressing
WithguideArm can move back and forth between the doors in the mating direction
Moved toAnd the first connector and the second connector
After fitting with the second ridge and the third ridge,
By sandwiching and fixing the engaging projection, the first connector and the second connector
Make sure that the mating protrusions and
And each ridge was placedToCharacteristicTo. Claim
The electric connector with an opening / closing door according to claim 2 is defined in claim 1.
In electrical connector with open / close door,Each of the doors
A locking projection is provided at one end, and the open / close door is closed
Locking hole for opening and locking for opening in open state
a hole,Each of the above hoodThe aboveFormed on the inner wallOctopus
WhenToFeatures andDo.

According to the invention of claim 1, the guide arm having the engagement projection is provided on the outer wall surface of the housing of the first connector and extends in the fitting direction. The rotating shaft, which is erected on the inner wall surfaces of the hood of the second connector that face each other, has a protrusion extending in the axial direction on the outer peripheral surface and a pair of open / close doors. Accordingly, by moving the guide shaft forward and backward between the pair of open / close doors in the fitting direction, the protruding portion is pressed by the locking projections to rotate the rotating shaft, and the pair of open / close doors are opened / closed. Also, the engagement protrusion
The first engaging protrusion and the second engaging protrusion, and the first protrusion of the protruding portion
The first, second, and third protrusions respectively engage with each other.
The opening and closing door opens and closes when the projection presses the first ridge.
And the second ridge and the third ridge engage the second engagement
Both protrusions are clamped and fixed so that both connectors are locked together.
It has been arranged. This keeps the guide arm inside the hood.
The first engaging projection presses the first ridge when pushed into
This causes the pivot shaft to rotate and the open / close door to open,
The second protrusion and the third protrusion sandwich and fix the second engaging protrusion.
By doing so, both connectors are locked. Conversely, the guide arm
Is pulled out of the hood, the locks on both connectors will
Released, i.e. the second and third ridges to the second engaging projection
The pinching state with the
Roll over, the first engaging projection presses the first ridge again, and opens.
The door closes.

According to the second aspect of the invention , each opening / closing door has a locking projection at one end. At the same time, the hood forms a closing locking hole and an opening locking hole on the inner wall surface corresponding to the open state and the closed state of each door. As a result, in the closed state, the locking projection of the opening / closing door engages with the closing locking hole, and in the open state, the locking projection engages with the opening locking hole.

[0012]

[0013]

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Specific examples of embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 8 show an embodiment of an electric connector with an opening / closing door according to the present invention.
In the present embodiment, the case where the second connector directly attached to the electric connection box and the first connector are fitted will be described.
The same applies to the case where the second connector not directly attached to the electric connection box and the first connector are fitted together.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electric connector 1 with a door is a second connector 3 having a first connector 10 and a hood 32 for receiving the first connector 10.
The terminals 12 in the first connector 10 and the mating terminals 33 in the second connector 30 are electrically connected to each other. The first connector 10 includes a pair of guide arms 1 extending in a fitting direction (hereinafter, referred to as an X direction) on outer surfaces of opposite side walls 11a and 11a of a housing 11 that houses a terminal 12.
3 and 13 are provided, and the engaging protrusions 14 are provided on the respective guide arms 13.
Have.

The guide arm 13 is arranged at a substantially middle portion between the opposite side walls 11a, 11a of the housing 11. The length of the guide arm 13 protruding from the housing 11 is set so that the tip portion 13a of the guide arm 13 does not abut the second connector 30 when the first connector 10 and the second connector 30 are fitted together. There is. The engagement protrusion 14 is provided on the guide arm 13.
To the free end side (second connector 30 side) of the first engaging projection 15
And has a second engaging projection 16 at the end opposite to the free end side. Both engaging projections 15 and 16 are formed in a triangular shape in cross section and have taper surfaces 15a and 16a in the X direction.

The second connector 30 has a housing for accommodating the mating terminal 33, that is, a side wall 31a of an electric connection box 31, and a hood 32 welded thereto, and a pair of rotating shafts formed on inner wall surfaces 32a and 32a of the hood 32 which face each other. 34 and 34 are installed, and the protrusion 35 and the pair of open / close doors 39 and 39 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of each rotary shaft 34 in the axial direction. A pair of pivots 34,
34 is rotatably supported on the upper part and the lower part of the inner wall surface 32a of the hood 32, and is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the X direction.

The protrusions 35 projecting from the outer peripheral surface of each rotary shaft 34 are provided with a first protrusion 36, a second protrusion 37, and a second protrusion 37 from the opening / closing door 39 side.
And the third ridge 38 in this order. Second ridge 3
7 is provided on the outer peripheral surface at an angle of approximately 90 ° from the first ridge 36, and the third ridge 38 is arranged on the outer peripheral surface at an acute angle from the second ridge 37. By forming the openings 40b and 40c in the upper wall 32b and the lower wall 32c of the hood 32, respectively, the upper half (or the lower half) of the rotating shaft 34 is located in the hood 3.
2 is exposed to the outside. This prevents the protrusion 35 and the connecting band 42, which will be described later, from contacting the upper wall 32b (lower wall 32c) of the hood 32 due to the rotation of the rotating shaft 34.

A groove 41 having a V-shaped cross section, which is parallel to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 34, is formed on the outer peripheral surface in the vicinity of the first protrusion 36 between the first protrusion 36 and the third protrusion 38. ing. Third ridge 3
A connection band 42 extending toward the first protrusion 36 is provided on the groove wall surface 41a on the eighth side. After the connecting band 42 crosses the first protrusion 36, the free end of the connecting band 42 is connected to the opening / closing door 39 (FIG. 3). The open / close door 39 is located on an extension of the first protrusion 36 in the protruding direction. Thus, the first engagement projections 15 of the first protrusion 36 guide arm 13
The pair of open / close doors 39, 39 is opened / closed by being pressed by.

The pair of open / close doors 39, 39 are arranged at both ends of the rotary shaft 34 and have a symmetrical shape. One locking projection 39a is provided at the end of each opening / closing door 39. The inner wall surface 32a of the hood 32 is formed with a closing locking hole 43 and an opening locking hole 44 that are engaged with the locking projections 39a. That is, the closing locking hole 43 is located at a position corresponding to the closed state of the opening / closing door 39, and the opening locking hole 4
4 are respectively arranged at positions corresponding to the open state of the opening / closing door 39. Thus, when the opening / closing door 39 is in the closed state, the locking protrusion 39a and the closing locking hole 43 engage with each other, so that the mating terminal 33 in the second connector 30 is not exposed to the outside.

Next, the first connector 10 and the second connector 3
A case where the electrical connector 1 is manufactured by fitting 0 with each other will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the first connector 10 and the second connector 30 directly attached to the electric connection box 31 are arranged in a state of facing each other. As shown in FIG. 4, the first connector 1
The guide arm 13 of 0 is the pair of rotation shafts 3 of the second connector 30.
It is pushed toward the intermediate portion of the rotary shaft 34 (i.e., between the pair of open / close doors 39, 39) between 4, 34 (FIG. 2). The tapered surface 15a of the first engaging protrusion 15 of the guide arm 13 abuts against the first protrusion 36 and presses it. As shown in FIG. 5, the engagement between the locking protrusion 39a of the opening / closing door 39 and the closing locking hole 43 is released, and the pair of rotating shafts 34, 34 rotate (each rotating shaft 3
4 starts rotating in synchronization with the opposite directions.

[0022] Then, the second engagement projections 16 second ridges 3
The guide arm 13 is pushed into the hood 32 while the open / close door 39 is open until it abuts with 7. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the terminals 12 in the first connector 10 and the mating terminals 33 in the second connector 30 start to be electrically connected to each other. When the second engagement projection 16 comes into contact with the second protrusion 37,
As shown in FIG. 7, the locking projection 39 a of each opening / closing door 39 is engaged with the opening locking hole 44, and the second protrusion 37 of the rotating shaft 34 is engaged.
The second engagement protrusion 16 is sandwiched and fixed by the third protrusion 38 and the third protrusion 38. That is, the first connector 10 and the second connector 30
And are locked. In this way, the first connector 10 and the second connector 30 are fitted together and the first connector 1
The terminal 12 in 0 and the mating terminal 33 in the second connector 30 are electrically connected to each other to manufacture the electric connector 1.

On the contrary, a case where the first connector 10 and the second connector 30 are pulled out from the electrical connector 1 will be described. The second ridge 37 and the third ridge 3 of the rotating shaft 34
8 is a second engaging projections 16 and nipped that force or a force of the guide arm 13, pulling the first connector 10 shown in FIG. 7 (X
6), the engaging state between the locking projection 39a of the opening / closing door 39 and the opening locking hole 44 is released, and the second protrusion 37 and the third projection 37 are removed. the second engagement projection 16 is released from the sandwiched state by the protrusion 38. That is,
The lock between the first connector 10 and the second connector 30 is released.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the terminal 12 in the first connector 10 and the mating terminal 33 in the second connector 30.
The electrical connection with is released. Each rotating shaft 34 gradually rotates in the direction opposite to the rotating direction at the time of fitting. With the opening / closing door 39 open, the first engaging protrusion 15 of the guide arm 13 and the rotating shaft 34
The first connector 10 is pulled out until it comes into contact with the first protrusion 36. As shown in FIG. 8, since the vertical surface 15b of the first engaging projection 15 and the first protrusion 36 abut against each other, the rotating shaft 34 rotates again and the opening / closing door 39 rotates. And FIG.
As described above, the locking projection 39a of the opening / closing door 39 is engaged with the closing locking hole 43 of the hood 32, and the first connector 10
And the second connector 30 are completely separated from the electrical connector 1.

As described above, since the opening / closing door 39 of the second connector 30 is closed before the first connector 10 and the second connector 30 are fitted to each other or after being separated from the electrical connector 1, as compared with the conventional case. The operator accidentally puts the second connector 3
There is no need to touch the mating terminal 33 within 0. That is, the safety during work is further improved. Also, since the operator's safety during operation is improved, as compared with the conventional circuit breaker to an electrical junction box 31, fuses, or it is not necessary to connect a relay or the like (not shown). As a result, the electric connection box 31 is downsized, and the installation space (not shown) of the vehicle in which the electric connection box 31 is arranged is saved.

Furthermore, the first connector 1 and the second connector 30 can be provided without providing separate members.
0 and locking mechanism between the second connector 30, and since the opening and closing mechanism of the door 39 can be configured, and this of Ru reduces the number of parts of components of the first connector 10 and second connector 30 is it can. As a result, the configuration of each of the connectors 10 and 30 becomes simpler than that of the conventional one. Therefore, it is Rukoto reduce the manufacturing cost of each connector 10, 30.

[0027]

As above, according to the present invention, according to the first aspect of the invention, the engaging projection of the guide arm extending provided in the first connector in the fitting direction, a pair of opening and closing provided in the rotating shaft By moving back and forth between the doors in the fitting direction, the ridges are pressed against the engaging protrusions, so that the rotating shaft rotates, and the open / close door provided on the rotating shaft is automatically opened and closed. It As a result, the configuration of the first connector and the second connector can be simplified and the number of components can be reduced as compared with the related art. Also, the engaging protrusion
The first engaging protrusion and the second engaging protrusion, and the protrusion is
The first ridge, the second ridge, and the third ridge. And
The opening and closing door is opened by the first engaging protrusion pressing the first protrusion.
The second ridge and the third ridge engage the second after opening and closing and after fitting.
Hold both the protrusions so that both connectors are locked,
The engagement protrusions and the protrusions are arranged. By this
Compared with the past, the first connector and the second connector
The number of parts for attaching and detaching the lock is reduced. Therefore,
For example, charge one of the first and second connectors.
If it is directly attached to the air connection box,
To prevent contact with terminals inside the connector (or second connector)
The breaker can be removed from inside the electrical junction box. This
As a result, the electric junction box is smaller than before,
In addition, the installation space of the electrical connection box installed in the vehicle etc. is saved.
Paced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention , when the opening / closing door is closed, the locking projections of the opening / closing doors are engaged with the closing locking holes to fix the opening / closing door to the hood. The terminals of the connector are mechanically shut off in the hood. This prevents the operator's hand from directly contacting the terminals in the second connector during the fitting work, and the worker can safely perform the fitting work.

[0029]

[0030]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of an electric connector with an opening / closing door according to the present invention including a partial cross section.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view including a partial cross section of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a rotary shaft in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state before fitting the first connector and the second connector.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state in which an opening / closing door is opened before fitting.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the beginning of the connection between the terminals of the first connector and the mating terminals of the second connector before fitting.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the first connector and the second connector are fitted together.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a state immediately before disconnecting the first connector and the second connector from the electric connector.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a conventional electric connector.

10 is a wiring diagram of an electric connection box connected to the electric connector of FIG.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing a state before another conventional first connector and a second connector are fitted to each other.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the first connector and the second connector are being fitted together.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state after the first connector and the second connector are fitted together.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrical connector 10 with an opening / closing door 10 1st connector 11 Housing 13 Guide arm 14 Engagement protrusion 15 1st engagement protrusion 16 2nd engagement protrusion 30 2nd connector 32 Hood 32a inner wall surface 34 Rotating shaft 35 Ridge 36 First ridge 37 Second ridge 38 Third ridge 39 Opening / closing door 39a Locking protrusion 43 Closing locking hole 44 Opening locking hole X Fitting direction

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 13/44 H01R 13/639 H01R 13/52 302

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An opening / closing means for mating a first connector with a second connector having a hood for receiving the first connector.
In the electrical connector with a door, a guide arm extending in the fitting direction is provided on the outer wall surface of the housing of the first connector, and an engaging protrusion is formed on the guide arm, and the guide arm is rotated on the inner wall surface of the hood facing each other. A shaft is installed, and a protrusion and a pair of opening / closing doors are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, and the engagement protrusion includes a first engagement protrusion and a second engagement protrusion.
In addition, the ridge portion includes a first ridge, a second ridge, and a ridge.
Includes three ridges, retractably moved together with the first Kakarigo突electromotive has the door by pressing the first collision condition is opened and closed, the guide arm between the door in the fitting direction And the front of the first connector
After the fitting with the second connector, the second ridge and the third ridge
A strip holds and fixes the second engaging projection, and the first connector
So that the connector and the second connector are locked to each other,
An electric connector with an opening / closing door, wherein each engaging protrusion and each ridge are arranged respectively . Wherein with the locking projection is provided at one end of each of said door, closing locking holes and open for locking holes corresponding to the closed state and during the opened state of the door is, wherein each hood door with electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein a formed in the inner wall surface of.