JP3757563B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector provided with a retainer for firmly locking a terminal fitting in a housing.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a connector in which a terminal fitting is double-locked using a retainer is known. Among them, the so-called side retainer is inserted from the side of the housing, and the locking portion provided there is directly locked to the locked portion such as the jaw portion of the terminal metal fitting to prevent it from coming off. Therefore, the terminal fitting can be firmly double-locked.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the above is a structure in which when the retainer is inserted, there is a clearance between the locking portion and the locked portion of the terminal fitting, so the terminal fitting is not inserted to the normal position. Even in a so-called half-insertion state, the retainer locking part may enter the rear surface of the terminal metal latched part due to the above-mentioned clearance, and the half-insertion detection cannot be accurately performed. It was.
The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and provides a connector with a retainer that can securely detect a half-insertion of a terminal fitting while firmly locking the terminal fitting. It is intended to do.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As means for achieving the above object, the connector of the invention of claim 1 comprises a housing having an insertable cavity terminal fittings, and a lance provided to be deformed into the cavity, against said housing And a retainer that can be pushed in from the side surface, and the retainer includes a locking portion that can be locked to the terminal fitting, and a deformation restricting portion that can enter the bending deformation space of the lance and restrict its deformation. The retainer can be locked at a temporary assembly position and a main assembly position deeper than the temporary assembly position, and the locking portion allows the terminal fitting to be inserted at the temporary assembly position. The terminal in the cavity in a state where the deformation restricting portion is located on the side of the bending deformation space of the lance and the retainer is locked at the temporary assembly position. A tool is inserted and elastically locked by the lance, and at the main assembly position, the locking portion is secondarily locked to the terminal fitting, and the deformation restricting portion is It is characterized in that it enters into the bending deformation space of the lance .
[0006]
[Action and effect of the invention]
<Invention of Claim 1>
When the terminal fitting is in the half-inserted state, the lance is bent and retained in the deformation space, so that when the retainer is inserted, the retainer cannot be attached to the normal position by the deformation restricting portion hitting the lance. . With this, it is detected that the terminal fitting is half-inserted. If the terminal fitting is properly inserted, in addition to the retaining portion of the retainer being directly locked to the terminal fitting, the deformation restricting portion enters the bending deformation space of the lance to restrict the deformation of the lance, In other words, it is triple-locked. The terminal fitting is firmly locked in the retaining state.
When the retainer is held at the temporary assembly position with respect to the housing, the terminal fitting can be inserted into the cavity while the lance is bent and deformed. Since the housing can be carried into the terminal insertion site with the retainer temporarily assembled, the work at the terminal insertion site is facilitated.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In this embodiment, the case of applying to a female connector is illustrated, and as shown in FIG. 1, a female connector housing 1 (hereinafter referred to as a female housing) in which a female terminal fitting 10 is accommodated, And a retainer 20 attached thereto.
[0009]
The female terminal fitting 10 is formed by press-molding a conductive metal plate. As shown in FIG. 4, a tab of a mating male terminal fitting (not shown) is inserted at the distal end side. A connecting portion 11 having an elongated box shape is formed, and an electric wire 16 is caulked and connected through a barrel 12 provided behind the connecting portion 11. As shown in FIG. 3A, a small rectangular tube is formed on one side edge (on the right side when viewed from the front) of the upper surface of the connection portion 11 of the female terminal fitting 10 at a position close to the tip. The locked portion 13 is integrally projected over a predetermined length range. Note that a locking hole 14 into which a lance 5 described later is fitted is opened on the bottom surface of the connecting portion 11.
[0010]
The female housing 1 is formed in a block shape from a synthetic resin material, and in the female housing 1, cavities 2 facing in the front-rear direction capable of accommodating the female terminal fittings 10 are divided into upper and lower stages, respectively. Three are formed. On the right side of the ceiling surface of each cavity 2 as viewed from the front, an insertion groove 3 that allows the locked portion 13 of the female terminal fitting 10 to be inserted is formed in the rear surface. The insertion groove 3 also serves as a guide for inserting the female terminal fitting 10. The front side of the cavity 2 and the insertion groove 3 has a front stop shape that abuts the front end surfaces of the connection portion 11 and the locked portion 13 when the female terminal fitting 10 is inserted to the normal position. In the front surface of the cavity 2, a terminal insertion port 4 into which a tab of the mating male terminal fitting is inserted is opened.
[0011]
A lance 5 is provided on the bottom surface of each cavity 2. The lance 5 is formed in a cantilever shape toward the front, and a projection 6 that can be fitted into the locking hole 14 of the female terminal fitting 10 is provided on the upper surface thereof, and the tip side is provided below the projection. It is possible to bend and deform toward the bending deformation space 7.
[0012]
Accordingly, the female terminal fitting 10 is inserted into the corresponding cavity 2 from the rear side (right side in FIG. 3) while aligning the locked portion 13 with the insertion groove 3, and the lance 5 is bent in the middle and bent toward the deformation space 7. When it is pushed in while being deformed and pushed into a proper position, the lance 5 is restored and deformed, and the protrusion 6 fits into the locking hole 14 so that it can be accommodated in the cavity 2 in a retaining state. When the female terminal fitting 10 is not pushed to the normal position, that is, when the female terminal fitting 10 is held in the half-inserted state, the lance 5 is held in a bent and deformed posture in the bending deformation space 7.
[0013]
A retainer 20 can be mounted from the right side as viewed from the front of the female housing 1. Therefore, a retainer insertion hole 21 is formed so as to cross the female housing 1 in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the retainer insertion hole 21 is formed on the right side surface over a range of a predetermined width on the rear surface side of the locked portion 13 when the female terminal fitting 10 is properly inserted into the cavity 2. To the left side surface. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, an upper insertion hole 21A that crosses the insertion groove 3 on the ceiling side of the upper cavities 2 group, a bending deformation space 7 on the bottom surface side of the upper cavities 2 group, and a lower cavity The central insertion hole 21B traversing the two groups of the insertion grooves 3 on the ceiling side and the lower insertion hole 21C traversing the bending deformation space 7 on the bottom surface side of the lower two cavities 2 group are divided into three. The right end side of 21C is connected in the up-down direction.
[0014]
On the other hand, the retainer 20 is formed in the shape shown in FIGS. That is, from the left side surface of the substrate 23 in the vertical direction, three insertion plates 24A to 24C that are respectively inserted into the upper insertion hole 21A, the central insertion hole 21B, and the lower insertion hole 21C in the retainer insertion hole 21 project. It is formed in a front inverted E shape.
[0015]
Three first relief grooves 25 are formed on the lower surfaces of the upper insertion plate 24A and the central insertion plate 24B of the retainer 20 so that the locked portion 13 of the female terminal fitting 10 can be inserted in the front-rear direction. The right portion of the first relief groove 25 viewed from the front is a locking portion 26 that can be locked to the rear surface of the locked portion 13 of the female terminal fitting 10.
[0016]
Further, on the upper surfaces of the central insertion plate 24B and the lower insertion plate 24C of the retainer 20, three second relief grooves 27 that allow the lances 5 provided in the cavities 2 to bend and deform downward are formed, respectively. The right portion of each second escape groove 27 as viewed from the front is a deformation restricting portion 28 that contacts the lower surface of the lance 5 and restricts the downward deformation of deformation.
[0017]
The retainer 20 can be locked to the female housing 1 at a temporary assembly position shown in FIG. 3A and a main assembly position shown in FIG.
Therefore, the upper surface of the upper insertion plate 24A of the retainer 20 is formed in a stepped shape in which a predetermined range on the substrate 23 side is raised by one step, and a locked protrusion 30 is formed in the stepped portion over the entire width. The locked protrusion 30 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal cross section, and the left side is formed into a steep slope 30A and the right side is formed into a gentle slope 30B.
[0018]
On the other hand, on the female housing 1 side, a bulging portion 31 into which the locked protrusion 30 of the retainer 20 can be inserted is formed in the ceiling portion on the right side surface in the portion where the retainer insertion hole 21 is provided. On the ceiling surface of the bulging portion 31, a main locking ridge 32 and a temporary locking ridge 33 are formed with a space left and right. The main locking protrusion 32 located on the back side (left side) is formed in a mountain shape in which the right side is a vertical surface and the left side is an inclined surface. The temporary locking ridge 33 located on the entrance side (right side) is formed in a mountain shape that is lower than the above-described main locking ridge 32 with the left and right sides as inclined surfaces.
[0019]
Therefore, when the retainer 20 is inserted into the retainer insertion hole 21 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1, first, the locked protrusion 30 of the retainer 20 is pushed in over the temporary locking protrusion 33 to be locked. As shown in FIG. 3 (A), the slope 30A on the left side of the strip 30 abuts against the main locking ridge 32, and the slope 30B on the right side is locked to the temporary locking ridge 33 in a retaining state. 23 is held in a temporarily assembled position protruding from the right side surface of the female housing 1.
[0020]
In this temporary assembly position, each first relief groove 25 of the retainer 20 is aligned with the insertion groove 3 of the cavity 2, and the locking portion 26 is retracted to the right side of the insertion groove 3. The escape groove 27 is aligned with the bending deformation space 7 of the lance 5, and the deformation restricting portion 28 is retracted to the right side of the bending deformation space 7.
[0021]
When the retainer 20 is further pushed in from the temporary assembly position, the locked ridge 30 is pushed in over the main locking ridge 32, and is locked to the main locking ridge 32 in a retaining state. As shown to (B), the board | substrate 23 is locked to the main assembly position settled in the right side surface of the female housing 1.
In this main assembly position, each first relief groove 25 of the retainer 20 is retracted to the left side of the insertion groove 3 of the cavity 2, and the locking portion 26 enters the insertion groove 3. The escape groove 27 is retracted to the left side of the bending deformation space 7 of the lance 5, and the deformation restricting portion 28 enters the bending deformation space 7.
[0022]
The present embodiment has the above-described structure, and the assembly procedure will be described subsequently.
First, when the retainer 20 is inserted into the retainer insertion hole 21 of the female housing 1 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1, as described above, the locked protrusion 30 and the temporary locking protrusion 33 and the main locking protrusion It fits between the strips 32 and is held at the temporary assembly position shown in FIGS. The female housing 1 is carried into the terminal fitting insertion site with the retainer 20 temporarily assembled in this manner.
[0023]
Subsequently, the female terminal fitting 10 is inserted into the female housing 1. In a state where the retainer 20 is held at the temporary assembly position, each first relief groove 25 of the retainer 20 is aligned with the insertion groove 3 of the cavity 2, and each second escape groove 27 is aligned with the bending deformation space 7 of the lance 5. Therefore, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 4, when the locked portion 13 is inserted into the corresponding cavity 2 from the rear side while being aligned with the insertion groove 3, the locked portion 13 is halfway through the retainer 20. The lance 5 is pushed into the second escape groove 27 of the retainer 20 while being bent and deformed while passing through the first escape groove 25.
[0024]
When the female terminal fitting 10 is pushed to the normal position, the lance 5 is restored and deformed, and the protrusion 6 is fitted into the locking hole 14 of the female terminal fitting 10 as shown in FIG. 2 is housed in a retaining state (primary locking). When the female terminal fitting 10 is not pushed to the normal position, that is, when the female terminal fitting 10 is held in the half-inserted state, the lance 5 is held in a posture in which the lance 5 is bent and deformed in the corresponding second relief groove 27 in the retainer 20. It is burned.
[0025]
When the insertion work of the female terminal fitting 10 is completed as described above, the retainer 20 is further pushed from the temporary assembly position. Here, if there is the female terminal fitting 10 kept in the half-inserted state, the corresponding lance 5 remains bent and deformed in the second escape groove 27 of the retainer 20, so that when the retainer 20 is pushed in Furthermore, since the side surface of the second relief groove 27 on the side of the deformation restricting portion 28 abuts against the side surface of the lance 5 that is bent and deformed, the pushing of the retainer 20 is restricted. With this, it is detected that there is a female terminal fitting 10 in a half-inserted state. Then, the female terminal fitting 10 in the half-inserted state is further pushed into the normal position.
[0026]
When the retainer 20 is pushed from the temporary assembly position in a state where all the female terminal fittings 10 are housed in the regular positions, the locking portion 26 of the retainer 20 is placed on the rear surface of the locked portion 13 of the female terminal fitting 10. 3B, the deformation restricting portion 28 is pushed in while being bent into the deformation space 7 and the locked protrusion 30 is moved over the main locking protrusion 32 and locked. Locked in the main assembly position.
[0027]
When the retainer 20 is locked at the main assembly position, the engaged portion 13 of the female terminal metal fitting 10 is engaged with the engaging portion 26 of the retainer 20 so that the female terminal metal fitting 10 is prevented from coming off. Next is locked. At the same time, the deformation restricting portion 28 of the retainer 20 enters the bending deformation space 7 of the lance 5 and restricts the bending deformation of the lance 5 downward, so that the female terminal fitting 10 is so-called triple-locked. Become.
[0028]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the female terminal fitting 10 is in a half-inserted state, the deformation restricting portion 28 provided on the retainer 20 hits the deformed lance 5 and is accurately detected. If the female terminal fitting 10 is properly inserted, the locking portion 26 of the retainer 20 is directly locked to the locked portion 13 of the female terminal fitting 10, and in addition, the deformation restricting portion 28. Enters the bending deformation space 7 of the lance 5 and restricts the bending deformation of the lance 5, so that it is triple-locked, so that the female terminal fitting 10 can be firmly locked in the retaining state.
[0029]
Further, when the retainer 20 is held at the temporary assembly position with respect to the female housing 1, the female-side terminal fitting while the latched portion 13 is passed through the insertion groove 3 of the cavity 2 and the lance 5 is bent and deformed. 10 can be inserted into the cavity 2, that is, the female housing 1 can be carried into the terminal insertion site in a state where the retainer 20 is temporarily assembled.
[0030]
<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) The present invention can be similarly applied to a structure in which only one cavity is formed or three or more cavities are formed.
(2) The present invention can also be applied to a male connector that accommodates a male terminal fitting.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a retainer before assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the retainer. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of a retainer held in a temporary assembly position. Fig. 4 (B) is a cross-sectional view of the state where the retainer is held at the main assembly position. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the retainer at the temporary assembly position. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the retainer at the main assembly position. [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Female housing 2 ... Cavity 3 ... Insertion groove 5 ... Lance 7 ... Deformation deformation space 10 ... Female side terminal metal fitting 11 ... Connection part 13 ... Locked part 14 ... Locking hole 20 ... Retainer 21 ... Retainer insertion hole 25 ... First relief groove 26 ... locking portion 27 ... second escape groove 28 ... deformation restricting portion 30 ... locked protrusion 32 ... main locking protrusion 33 ... temporary locking protrusion

Claims (1)

Comprising a housing having an insertable cavity terminal fittings, and a lance provided to be deformed into the cavity, and a push wearable retainer from the side against the housing,
The retainer is provided with a locking portion that can be locked to the terminal fitting, and a deformation restricting portion that can enter the bending deformation space of the lance and restrict its deformation ,
The retainer can be locked at a temporary assembly position and a deeper assembly position than the temporary assembly position,
In the temporary assembly position, the locking portion is retracted to a position allowing the insertion of the terminal fitting, the deformation restricting portion is positioned on the side of the bending deformation space of the lance, and the retainer is engaged with the temporary assembly position. In the stopped state, the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity and is elastically locked primarily by the lance.
In the main assembly position, the locking portion is secondarily locked to the terminal fitting, and the deformation restricting portion enters the bending deformation space of the lance .

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