JP3543668B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a connector that is retained by a retainer.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An example of a connector for retaining terminal fittings by a retainer is disclosed in German Patent Publication No. 3705739. In this method, a terminal fitting is inserted from the rear into a connector housing, a retainer is attached from the side, and the retainer is locked to the terminal fitting to restrict the rearward displacement of the terminal fitting. . The retainer is formed by forming a protrusion-shaped retaining portion at the tip of an arm-shaped holding piece, and the retainer is held at a predetermined mounting position by fitting the holding piece along the outer surface of the connector housing. . In the assembled state, the retaining portion is locked by the terminal fitting to perform the retaining.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
[Regarding the function of retaining terminal fittings]
In the conventional connector described above, since the retaining piece of the retainer is exposed on the outer surface of the connector housing, the retaining piece may be deflected by the interference of foreign matter from the outside. Since the stopper is formed, the influence of interference on the holding piece affects the stopper. In this case, there is a possibility that the retaining portion may be displaced in a direction in which it comes off from the terminal fitting, and there is a problem with respect to the retaining reliability of the terminal fitting.
[0004]
Therefore, as means for solving the above problem, the retaining portion is made independent of the holding piece, the retaining portion is inserted into the inside of the connector housing, and the retaining portion extends along the outer surface of the housing from the base end of the retaining portion. Thus, a shape in which the holding piece is extended in a cantilever shape is conceivable. According to such a retainer, even if the holding piece is bent by receiving interference from the outside, the retaining portion is not affected by the interference.
By the way, it is desired to apply a side-mounting type retainer to a male connector having a cylindrical fitting portion protruding forward from a housing for accommodating a terminal fitting, but the male connector is waterproof. In the case of the type, the mounting hole of the retainer cannot be opened on the outer surface of the housing. Therefore, it is conceivable to adopt a two-piece structure of an inner housing for accommodating the terminal fittings and an outer housing which can be assembled so as to be fitted to the inner housing so as to be fitted outside, and which has a cylindrical fitting portion. In this male side housing, the retainer is assembled to the inner housing from the side at a temporary locking position, the outer housing is assembled to the inner housing so as to cover the retainer, the terminal fitting is inserted into the inner housing, and finally the retainer is inserted. Is slid to the final locking position to complete the assembly.
[0005]
By the way, in the case where a retainer of a side assembly type in which the retaining portion and the holding piece are made independent as described above is applied to such a two-piece waterproof male connector, the following problem occurs. . A space must be secured between the outer circumference of the inner housing and the inner circumference of the outer housing for arranging the retaining piece of the retainer, but this space for the retaining piece should avoid increasing the size of the male connector. In consideration of the above, it is desirable to make the size as small as possible.
[0006]
However, when the retainer moves between the temporary locking position allowing the insertion / removal operation of the terminal fitting and the final locking position preventing the terminal fitting from coming off, the holding piece gets over the locking portion on the inner housing side. Accordingly, the bending of the outer end of the outer housing toward the inner periphery is increased, and in particular, the amount of bending of the free end of the holding piece is increased. Therefore, when the space for the holding piece is reduced, the free end of the holding piece strongly contacts the inner periphery of the outer housing, and as a result, a large frictional resistance is generated, making it difficult to perform the displacement operation of the retainer.
[0007]
If this frictional resistance is to be reduced, the space between the inner housing and the outer housing may be increased, but this will increase the size of the male connector. As described above, there has been a problem that it is impossible to achieve both miniaturization of the male connector and improvement in operability of the retainer.
As a countermeasure, it is conceivable that the rigidity of the holding piece is reduced by making the entire holding piece thin, thereby reducing the frictional resistance generated between the holding piece and the inner periphery of the outer housing. However, when the retainer before being assembled to the inner housing is packed in a loose state and the bag is transported or the retainer is taken out of the bag, if the retainer is thin, the retainer may be deformed or broken. is there. Therefore, making the holding piece thinner cannot be a fundamental solution.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to achieve both miniaturization of a male connector and improvement in operability of a retainer.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the terminal fitting is inserted from the rear in a state where the retainer is assembled to the housing having the cylindrical fitting portion from the side at the temporary locking position, and the retainer is turned toward the final locking position. A male connector that is displaced in the direction so that the retainer is locked to the terminal fitting to prevent the terminal fitting from coming off, and a female side fitted into the cylindrical fitting portion of the male connector. A connector, wherein the housing comprises: an inner housing capable of inserting the terminal fitting and assembling the retainer; and an outer housing assembled so as to surround the inner housing. , the inner is inserted within the housing without the retained portion and the respective plate to retaining fit the terminal fitting by the terminal fitting and the locking plate surface thereof is the disconnect A pair of retainers extending so as to sandwich the retainer portion and perpendicular to the retaining portion and extending from the base end of the retaining portion in a cantilever manner in the same direction as the mounting direction of the retainer to the inner housing. And when the retainer is assembled to the inner housing, the two holding pieces slide along opposing outer surfaces of the inner housing, and a locking portion provided on the holding piece has an outer surface of the inner housing. Wherein the retainer piece is freer than a lock portion with respect to the inner housing. Are connected to each other by a connecting portion in an expansion-restricted state, and the connecting portion is exposed to the front end face of the inner housing to move the retainer. And it is characterized in that it is capable of operation.
[0010]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, a region where the retaining portion is formed in the holding piece is thin.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the formation region of the locking portion is made thin by depressing a surface of the holding piece facing the outer housing.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the connecting portion protrudes from a front end surface of the inner housing, and the retainer is provided on a front end surface of the female connector. Are formed with a detection groove that can be fitted only in the state where the lock position is at the final locking position.
[0012]
Function and effect of the present invention
[Invention of claim 1]
When the retainer is displaced, the locking portion of the pair of holding pieces along the outer surface of the inner housing bends outward to get over the locking portion on the inner housing side, but is more free than the locking portion. Since the end portion is restricted from expanding by the connecting portion, the free end of the holding piece strongly contacts the inner periphery of the outer housing even if the space for the holding piece between the inner housing and the outer housing is narrow. Therefore, the displacement operation of the retainer is performed smoothly.
Further, since the connecting portion is exposed at the front end surface of the inner housing, the retainer can be displaced by operating this connecting portion with a finger or a jig from the front of the male connector.
[0013]
[Invention of claim 2]
By restricting the expansion of the holding piece, the entire holding piece is difficult to bend, but in the region where the locking portion is formed, the holding portion is thin and easily bent, so the locking portion of the holding piece is Resistance when climbing over the engaging portion on the inner housing side is reduced, and the smoothness of the displacement operation of the retainer is improved.
[Invention of claim 3]
Since the recessed portion of the formation region of the locking portion becomes a bending space when the locking portion bends outward so as to separate from the inner housing, when the formation region of the locking portion expands outward, the outer portion is formed. The contact with the inner periphery of the housing can be avoided or the contact pressure can be reduced.
[0014]
[Invention of Claim 4]
When the two connectors are fitted together in the proper state where the retainer is at the final locking position, the connecting portions are fitted into the detection grooves, so that the two connectors come to the properly fitted state. If the male and female connectors are fitted together with the retainer in the temporary locking position, the connectors protruding in a rib shape abut against the front end surface of the female connector, so that the connectors cannot be fitted. Thus, the position of the retainer can be detected during the fitting process of the two connectors.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The connector of the present embodiment includes a male connector M and a female connector F that can be fitted and disconnected from each other. The female connector F includes a housing body Fa into which a terminal fitting (not shown) is inserted, a cylindrical portion Fb formed so as to surround the housing body Fa, and a seal ring Fc mounted on the outer periphery of the housing body Fa. Be composed.
[0016]
The male connector M includes a housing 10 into which the male terminal fitting T is inserted, and a retainer 26 for retaining the inserted male terminal fitting T. The housing 10 is configured by assembling the inner housing 11 and the outer housing 20. Is done.
The inner housing 11 is made of a synthetic resin. Inside the inner housing 11, a plurality of cavities 12 penetrating between the front and rear end surfaces of the inner housing 11 are formed side by side. Is formed. On the left side surface of the inner housing 11, an escape recess 14 is formed by cutting out an upper edge and a lower edge of a hole edge of the retainer mounting hole 13, and the escape recess 14 has a support portion for a retainer 26 as described later. 30 are fitted. The outer periphery of the rear end portion of the inner housing 11 serves as a positioning portion 15 which is fitted to the inner periphery of the outer housing 20 so as to be non-movable in the up, down, left and right directions. In addition, a flat guide surface 16 having an upper surface and a lower surface parallel to each other is provided in front of the positioning portion 15. The positioning portion 15 projects in a step-like manner with respect to the guide surface 16. I have. A locking projection 17 is formed on the guide surface 16 at substantially the center in the left-right direction. The locking projection 17 has a triangular cross section and extends in the front-rear direction. The retaining projection 17 holds the retainer 26 at the temporary locking position and the final locking position. Further, on the right side surface of the inner housing 11, a lock projection 18 for holding the inner housing 11 in an assembled state with respect to the outer housing 20 is formed. The lock projection 18 does not protrude from the outer surface of the inner housing 11, but has a form in which the outer surface is partially cut out in a groove shape in the front-rear direction.
[0017]
The outer housing 20 is made of a synthetic resin, and has a cylindrical shape as a whole. A plurality of cavities 22 penetrating in the front-rear direction by being partitioned by a partition wall 21 are formed in a substantially rear half portion in the outer housing 20 in a line in the left-right direction. The cavities 22 are respectively positioned so as to be aligned with the cavities 12 of the inner housing 11. A space adjacent to the front of the cavity 22 in the outer housing 20 is a fitting space 23 into which the inner housing 11 is fitted, and a cylindrical portion forward of the fitting space 23 is a female side. The tubular fitting portion 24 is fitted inside the tubular portion Fb of the connector F. The seal ring Fc of the female connector F is in close contact with the inner periphery of the cylindrical fitting portion 24, and the space between the peripheral surfaces of both connectors M and F is made waterproof. A lock projection 25 on which the lock projection 18 of the inner housing 11 is locked is provided on a right side surface of the inner periphery of the outer housing 20.
[0018]
The retainer 26 is made of a synthetic resin, is attachable to the inner housing 11, and is held at a temporary locking position and a full locking position. The retainer 26 includes a retaining portion 27 and a pair of holding pieces 28. The retaining portion 27 has a thick, relatively rigid rectangular plate shape, and is fitted into the retainer mounting hole 13 so as to be tightly and detachably insertable. In the retaining portion 27, through holes 29 that allow the male terminal fitting T to penetrate are formed at the same pitch as the cavities 12 and 22, and a part of the hole edge of the through hole 29 is formed in the cavities 12 and 22. It can be locked to the stepped portion Te of the male terminal fitting T that is properly inserted. In a state where the retainer 26 is temporarily locked to the inner housing 11 as shown in FIG. 2, the through holes 29 are aligned with the cavities 12 and 22 to allow the male terminal fitting T to be inserted, and as shown in FIG. Is locked, the hole edge of the through hole 29 is locked to the stepped portion Te of the male terminal fitting T, so that the male terminal fitting T is prevented from coming off.
[0019]
The holding piece 28 is formed integrally with the base end of the retaining portion 27 via the support portion 30, and is in the same direction as the fitting direction of the retaining portion 27 into the retainer mounting hole 13 (to the right with respect to the inner housing 11). To a cantilevered shape. The holding piece 28 has a plate shape with the plate surface oriented perpendicular to the retaining portion 27, and slides along the upper and lower guide surfaces 16 of the inner housing 11. The holding piece 28 is for holding the retainer 26 at the temporary locking position and the full locking position with respect to the inner housing 11. 31 (a locking part which is a constituent element of the present invention) and a main locking groove 32 (a locking part which is a constituent element of the present invention) are formed. The retainer 26 is held at the temporary locking position by the provisional locking groove 31 being fitted into the locking projection 17 of the inner housing 11, and the retainer 26 is fitted by the final locking groove 32 being fitted into the locking projection 17. It is held in the final locking position. The area where the temporary locking groove 31 and the final locking groove 32 of the holding piece 28 are formed is a thin wall in which the outer surface of the holding piece 28 (the surface facing the inner periphery of the outer housing 20) is recessed shallowly. The part 33 is provided. When the retainer 26 is displaced from the temporary locking position to the full locking position, the region where the locking grooves 31 and 32 are formed, that is, the thin portion 33 is It is configured to be elastically deformed outward in a curved shape so as to be separated from the guide surface 16.
[0020]
The upper and lower holding pieces 28 are restricted from expanding and displacing by connecting the front edges of the upper and lower holding pieces 28 with the connecting portion 34. The connecting portion 34 has a vertically elongated shape, and the position of the connecting portion 34 is on the free end side of the holding piece 28 with respect to the thin portion 33 where the temporary locking groove 31 and the main locking groove 32 are formed. It has been. The connecting portion 34 is projected from the front end surface of the inner housing 11, and the connecting portion 34 is formed on the front end surface of the inner housing 11 as the retainer 26 is displaced between the temporary locking position and the final locking position. Move along. A detection groove Fd is formed on the front end surface of the housing main body Fa of the female connector F so as to correspond to the connecting portion 34 in a state where the retainer 26 is at the final locking position. Therefore, when the retainer is in the temporary locking position, the connecting portion 34 is at a position where it is disengaged from the detection groove Fd.
[0021]
The male terminal fitting T is elongated in the front-rear direction as a whole, and a front end is a tab Ta that is fitted and connected to a female terminal fitting (not shown) of the female connector F, and a square tubular part Tb is connected to a rear end of the tab Ta. A thin extension Tc is coupled to the rear end of the rectangular tube portion Tb, and a wire connection portion Td to which the electric wire W is crimped is coupled to the rear end of the extension portion Tc. A continuous portion between Tb and the extension portion Tc forms a stepped portion Te that is locked by the retainer 26. The male terminal fitting T is inserted into the cavities 22 and 12 from behind.
[0022]
Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.
When assembling the male connector M, first, the retainer 26 is assembled to the inner housing 11 separated from the outer housing 20. At this time, the retaining portion 27 of the retainer 26 is fitted into the retainer mounting hole 13 from the left, the upper and lower holding pieces 28 are slid along the upper and lower guide surfaces 16 of the inner housing 11, and the connecting portion 34 is 11 along the front end face. Then, when the temporary locking groove 31 of the holding piece 28 is fitted to the locking projection 17 of the inner housing 11, the retainer 26 is assembled at the temporary locking position.
[0023]
Next, the inner housing 11 to which the retainer 26 is attached is pushed into the outer housing 20 from the front. When the inner housing 11 comes into contact with the rear end face of the fitting space 23 and reaches a proper assembly state, the lock projections 18 and 25 are locked with each other, so that the two housings 11 and 20 are united. In this state, only a slight gap S is left between the holding piece 28 of the retainer 26 and the inner periphery of the outer housing 20.
[0024]
Thereafter, the male terminal fitting T is inserted into the housing 10 from behind. At this time, since the retainer 26 is located at the temporary locking position, the insertion operation is performed without any trouble. In the inserted state, the tab Ta projects forward of the inner housing 11 and faces the inside of the tubular fitting portion 24, and the rectangular tubular portion Tb is located in a space in the cavity 12 of the inner housing 11 ahead of the retainer mounting hole 13. The extension Tc extends from the through hole 29 of the retainer 26 to the front end of the cavity 22 of the outer housing 20 via the rear end of the cavity 12 of the inner housing 11, and is connected to the wire connection portion Td and to the wire connection portion Td. The end of the wire W is located in the cavity 22 of the outer housing 20.
[0025]
Thereafter, the retainer 26 at the temporary locking position is moved to the final locking position. Thereby, the edge of the through hole 29 is locked to the stepped portion Te of the male terminal fitting T, so that the male terminal fitting T is prevented from coming off. This movement operation can be performed by inserting a jig or a finger or the like (not shown) from the front of the outer housing 20, hooking the jig or the finger on the connecting portion 34, and pushing it to the right. When the retainer 26 is moved to the full locking position, the holding piece 28 is displaced so as to curve outward (inner side of the outer housing 20) in order to get over the locking projection 17 of the inner housing 11. At this time, since the curved portion is formed as the thin portion 33 and the flexural rigidity is reduced, the resistance caused by the flexure of the holding piece 28 when climbing over the locking projection 17 can be reduced. Further, since the expanding displacement of the position of the holding piece 28 on the free end side with respect to the thin portion 33 is regulated by the connecting portion 34, the free end of the holding piece 28 is largely displaced outward and the outer It does not come into contact with the inner periphery of the housing 20.
[0026]
This embodiment has the following advantages.
{Circle around (1)} When the retainer 26 is displaced from the provisionally locked position to the fully locked position, a pair of holding pieces 28 along the outer surface of the inner housing 11 move over the locking projections 17 on the inner housing 11 side so as to move outward. However, since the portion of the holding piece 28 that goes over the locking projection 17 (the area where the temporary locking groove 31 and the full locking groove 32 are formed) is regulated by the connecting portion 34, the holding piece 28 is bent. Even when the space S for the holding piece between the inner housing 11 and the outer housing is narrow as in the embodiment, the free end of the holding piece 28 does not strongly contact the inner periphery of the outer housing 20. 26 can be smoothly performed.
[0027]
{Circle around (2)} Since the holding piece 28 is restricted from expanding, the entire holding piece 28 is hardly bent. Therefore, even if the retainer 26 interferes with each other when the retainer 26 is individually packed in a bag and transported, There is no possibility that the holding piece 28 is deformed or damaged. In addition, since the two holding pieces 28 are connected by the connecting portion 34, the effect of preventing deformation and breakage is high.
{Circle around (3)} The holding piece 28 is generally thick and has high rigidity, but the thin portion 33 (the area where the temporary locking groove 31 and the full locking groove 32 are formed) that bends as the locking projection 17 moves over. Is made thinner so as to bend easily, so that the bending resistance at the time of getting over is reduced. Therefore, the smooth displacement operation of the retainer 26 due to the increase in the rigidity of the entire holding piece 28 is not hindered.
[0028]
{Circle around (4)} The concave portion on the outside of the thin portion 33 becomes a bending space when the thin portion 33 is bent outward so as to be separated from the inner housing 11. Therefore, when the thin portion 33 expands outward, there is no possibility that the thin portion 33 will come into contact with the inner periphery of the outer housing 20.
(5) Since the connecting portion 34 is exposed at the front end surface of the inner housing 11, the retainer 26 can be displaced by operating the connecting portion 34 with a finger or a jig from the front of the male connector M. Therefore, there is no need to provide a space for displacement operation between the retainer 26 and the inner periphery of the outer housing 20, and the size can be reduced accordingly.
[0029]
{Circle around (6)} When the male and female connectors M and F are fitted in the regular state where the retainer 26 is at the final locking position, the connecting portions 34 are fitted into the detection grooves Fd, so that the connectors M and F are fitted. Reaches a regular fitting state. On the other hand, when the male and female connectors M and F are to be fitted together with the retainer 26 in the temporarily locked position, the connecting portion 34 protruding in a rib shape does not fit into the detection groove Fd and the female side is not fitted. Since the front end face of the connector F is abutted, the connectors M and F cannot reach a proper fitting state. As described above, the position of the retainer 26 can be detected based on whether or not the connectors M and F reach a proper fitting state.
[0030]
[Other embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above with reference to the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Can be implemented with various modifications.
(1) In the above embodiment, the area where the retaining portion of the holding piece is formed is made thin by recessing the surface facing the outer housing. However, according to the present invention, the surface facing the inner housing is recessed and made thin. Alternatively, both the surface facing the outer housing and the surface facing the inner housing may be recessed to be thin.
[0031]
(2) In the above embodiment, the connecting portion protrudes from the front surface of the inner housing. However, according to the present invention, the connecting portion may be accommodated in the inner housing.
(3) In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a waterproof connector is described. However, the present invention can be applied to a non-waterproof connector.
(4) In this embodiment, the connecting portion is provided at a position closer to the base end than the free end of the holding piece. However, according to the present invention, the connecting portion may be provided at the free end of the holding piece.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a retainer is at a temporary locking position. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a retainer is at a full locking position. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state in which the retainer is in a temporary locking position. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state in which the retainer is in a final locking position.
F: female connector Fd: detection groove M: male connector T: male terminal fitting 10: housing 11, inner housing 20, outer housing 24, cylindrical fitting 26, retainer 27, retaining portion 28, retaining piece 31 … Temporary locking groove (locking part)
32 ... permanent locking groove (locking part)
33 ... thin part 34 ... connecting part

Claims (4)

The terminal fitting is inserted from the rear with the retainer assembled to the temporary locking position from the side with respect to the housing having the cylindrical fitting portion, and the retainer is laterally displaced toward the full locking position. A male connector that retains a retainer with the terminal fitting so as to prevent the terminal fitting from coming off,
A female connector fitted into the cylindrical fitting portion of the male connector,
The housing includes an inner housing that allows the terminal fitting to be inserted and the retainer to be assembled, and an outer housing that is assembled so as to surround the inner housing,
The retainer has a plate-like shape with a retaining portion that is inserted into the inner housing and locks with the terminal fitting to prevent the terminal fitting from being pulled out. A pair of holding pieces extending perpendicular to the retaining portion and extending in a cantilever manner from the base end of the retaining portion in the same direction as the mounting direction of the retainer with respect to the inner housing; When assembling to the inner housing, the two holding pieces slide along opposing outer surfaces of the inner housing, and a locking portion provided on the holding piece locks to the outer surface of the inner housing, whereby A connector configured to restrict the retainer from floating in the temporary locking position and the final locking position,
The holding pieces are connected to each other on the free end side of the locking portion with respect to the inner housing by a connecting portion in an expansion restricted state,
Furthermore , the connector is characterized in that the connecting portion is exposed at a front end surface of the inner housing so that the retainer can be moved . The connector according to claim 1, wherein a region where the retaining portion is formed in the holding piece is thin. 3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein a region where the locking portion is formed is made thin by denting a surface of the holding piece facing the outer housing. 4. The connecting portion is configured to protrude from the front end surface of the inner housing, and a detection groove that can be fitted only in a state where the retainer is located at the final locking position is formed on the front end surface of the female connector. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:

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