JP3767140B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector provided with a retainer for locking a terminal fitting.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a connector shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 is known as this type of connector. Briefly, the male and female housings a and b are provided with retainers c and d that can be inserted from the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, and the retainers c and d are respectively held in the temporary locking positions as shown in FIG. Terminal fittings e and f are inserted and primarily locked by lances g and h. Subsequently, when the retainers c and d are pushed into the main locking positions (see the chain line in the figure for the female side), the engaging projections i and j of the retainers c and d are the rear surfaces of the jaws of the terminal fittings e and f. Thus, the terminal fittings e and f are locked in a double retaining state.
By the way, during the above operation, if it is forgotten to push the retainers c and d into the final locking position, or if the push-in operation is performed, the engagement protrusions i and f If j hits the main body of the terminal fittings e and f and cannot be pushed in, the retainers c and d may be held at a position before reaching the final locking position. In this case, since the retainers c and d are in a lifted state, it can be discriminated by visual observation. However, in the case of a small connector, the amount of the lift is small, and the possibility of being overlooked cannot be denied.
[0003]
Still, in the case of the left female connector, it is configured to be fitted in the hood part k of the mating male connector, so if the retainer c is in a raised state, both connectors are fitted as shown in FIG. In this case, it is possible to detect that the protruding portion of the retainer c hits the hood portion k and the fitting is restricted, so that the retainer c is in a half-inserted state.
On the other hand, in the case of a male connector, there is a problem that it is difficult to detect half-insertion of the retainer d because the retainer d that has been lifted during the connector fitting operation cannot be expected to hit the mating member.
[0004]
Therefore, the applicant of the present application has proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 9-73786 filed earlier that the half insertion of the retainer can be detected even on the male connector side. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the retainer 101 inserted into the male housing 100 and the detection units 103 and 104 facing the female housing 102 are provided so as to project, and both the detection units 103 and 104 are When the retainers 101 are in the half-inserted state, they can be brought into contact with each other. When the retainers 101 are pushed into the normal position, the positions are shifted. That is, when the retainer 101 is inserted in the normal position, the two housings 100 and 102 are allowed to be fitted to the normal position because the detection parts 103 and 104 are displaced as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the retainer 101 is half-inserted, the two housings 100 and 102 are properly fitted by the two detecting portions 103 and 104 abutting each other as shown by the solid line in FIG. Thus, it is possible to easily and reliably detect that the retainer 101 is in the half-inserted state.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the retainer 101 is inserted into the relatively wide insertion hole 105, there may be a case where the detection unit 103 is loosely inserted so as to swing its head as shown by a chain line in FIG. Then, although the retainer 101 is in the half-inserted state, both the detection units 103 and 104 are in a shifted state, and there is a possibility that the fitting of both the housings 100 and 102 is allowed as it is. This means that the half insertion of the retainer 101 is overlooked, and further improvement has been eagerly desired in order to improve reliability.
The present invention has been completed based on the above-described demand, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to detect the half-insertion of the retainer with higher reliability.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a means for achieving the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a retainer is provided so as to be insertable into a connector housing in which the terminal fitting is accommodated, and the retainer allows the terminal fitting to be inserted and removed. In the connector that can be held at the temporary locking position and the final locking position that is pushed further from the temporary locking position and locked to the terminal fitting, at least one of the opposing surfaces of the retainer and the mating connector housing On the other hand, when the retainer is in a half-insertion state that remains before reaching the final locking position, a detection unit that restricts the two connector housings from being properly engaged by interfering with each other Between the retainer and the connector housing when the retainer is in a half-inserted state. The retainer is provided with a guide groove along the insertion direction, and the connector housing is formed with a rib that is slidably fitted into the guide groove. The rib and the guide groove constitute the posture holding mechanism, and the rib slides into the guide groove when the retainer moves between the temporary locking position and the main locking position. The connector housing includes a main body portion in which the terminal fitting is accommodated, and a hood portion provided on a front surface of the main body portion and fitted with the mating connector housing. Is provided with a detection piece standing in the insertion direction, and the detection piece is divided into front and rear by forming the guide groove into which the rib can be fitted. Rutotomoni its front the detecting portion is provided on, and has a feature where the the detection unit is disposed within the receptacle.
[0008]
[Action and effect of the invention]
<Invention of Claim 1>
If the retainer is in a half-inserted state, when the mating connector is mated with the mating connector housing, the detecting portion interferes with the mating side and the two housings cannot be properly mated. Here, the retainer is held in a fixed posture without rattling by the posture holding mechanism even in the half-inserted state. Therefore, when the retainer is in the half-inserted state, the detection unit is always in a position where it interferes with the other side. Therefore, it can be detected with high reliability that the retainer is in the half-inserted state.
By fitting the rib on the housing side into the guide groove of the retainer, the retainer is prevented from rotating, that is, rattling.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In this embodiment, the female connector F and the male connector M which are fitted to each other are provided, and the present invention is applied to the male connector M side. In the following description, the edge sides fitted to each other for both connectors F and M are assumed to be the front.
[0011]
First, the female connector F will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the female connector F includes a female housing 1 formed in a block shape from a synthetic resin material. Three cavities 2 shown in the figure are formed in the female housing 1 in the horizontal direction, and a female terminal fitting 4 connected to the end of the electric wire 3 is inserted into each cavity 2 from the rear side to form a metal lance 5. Is locked to a locking step portion 6 formed in the cavity 2, so that it is primarily locked in a retaining state.
[0012]
A retainer mounting hole 8 is formed in the lower surface of the female housing 1 so that the retainer 10 can be mounted therein. The retainer 10 is formed with an engaging protrusion 11 that can be engaged with the jaw portion 4A of the female terminal metal fitting 4. Although the detailed description is omitted, the retainer 10 is first temporarily locked by a temporary locking piece 12. In this state, the engagement protrusion 11 is retracted to the lower surface side of the cavity 2 so that the insertion of the female terminal fitting 4 is allowed as described above. After the female terminal fitting 4 is inserted, when the retainer 10 is pushed into the main locking position held by the main locking piece 13, the engaging protrusion 11 enters the cavity 2 and the female terminal metal fitting 4. It fits into the rear surface of the jaw part 4A so that the female terminal fitting 4 is double-locked in a retaining state.
Here, when the retainer 10 is held at the temporary locking position, a part of the retainer 10 protrudes from the lower surface of the female housing 1 and is fitted into the hood portion 23 of the male housing 21 as described later. In this case, the hood portion 23 is abutted against the tip of the hood portion 23 and further fitting is restricted, so that it can be easily detected that the retainer 10 is in a half-inserted state.
[0013]
A lock arm 15 is formed on the upper surface of the female housing 1 so as to be bent from the front end side toward the rear end side. A pressing portion 16 protrudes from the upper surface of the lock arm 15, and a pair of locking protrusions 17 are formed on both side edges slightly forward of the pressing portion 16.
[0014]
Next, the male connector M will be described. The male connector M includes a male housing 21 that is also formed of a synthetic resin material, and has a shape in which a hood portion 23 into which the female housing 1 described above is fitted is provided on the front surface of the main body portion 22. Yes. Similarly, three cavities 24 shown in the figure are formed side by side in the main body 22, and male side terminal fittings 26 connected to the ends of the electric wires 25 are inserted into the cavities 24 from the rear side. 27 is locked to a locking step portion 28 formed in the cavity 24, so that the tab 29 is prevented from being detached and accommodated in a state where the tab 29 protrudes into the hood portion 23.
A retainer 41 is also mounted on the male housing 21 so as to double-lock the male terminal fitting 26. The structure of the retainer 41 and its mounting portion will be described later.
[0015]
A storage chamber 31 that opens to the front surface is provided in the ceiling portion of the hood portion 23 described above, and a pressed member 32 is fitted in the storage chamber 31 so as to slide freely in the front-rear direction. The pressed member 32 can be pushed by the pressing portion 16 of the lock arm 15 provided in the female housing 1 during the fitting operation of both the housings 1 and 21, and is a compression provided on the rear surface side. It is urged to move forward by two return springs 33 made of coil springs, and the movement is stopped by a locking portion 34 provided on the ceiling surface. The front end portion of the bottom surface of the storage chamber 31 is opened, and the lock projection 17 of the lock arm 15 rides on the inner surface of the wall 35 formed to hang from both side edges of the storage chamber 31 and can be locked to the rear surface. A locking projection 36 is formed.
[0016]
A short terminal 38 is assembled in a space above the portion where the cavity 24 is provided in the main body 22. The short terminal 38 is formed by folding a conductive metal plate into a U-shaped cross section, and is assembled in such a manner that the upper surface portion is fixed and the folded portion faces the back side. The lower surface side of the short terminal 38 is branched into three corresponding to the number of the male terminal fittings 26 to be accommodated, and a contact portion 40 bent in a downward angle is formed at the tip of each branch piece 39. Has been. In the assembled state, the contact portion 40 of each branch piece 39 comes into contact with the tab 29 protruding into the hood portion 23 of the male terminal fitting 26, and the connection between the male terminal fittings 26 is established. A potential difference is prevented from occurring in each male terminal fitting 26. On the other hand, when both the housings 1 and 21 are fitted, each branch piece 39 is elastically pushed up by the female housing 1 and separated from the tab 29, so that the male terminal fittings 26 are not electrically connected. (See FIG. 10).
[0017]
A retainer mounting hole 42 is formed on the lower surface of the main body 22 of the male housing 21 as shown in FIG. 4, and the retainer 41 is mounted here. As shown in FIG. 3, the retainer 41 is provided with three engagement protrusions 44 that can be engaged with the rear surface of the jaw part 26 </ b> A of the male terminal fitting 26 on the upper surface of the elongated substrate 43. In addition, extending portions 45 are formed on both sides of the front end of the engaging protrusion 44, and the catching portion with the jaw portion 26A is further increased while sandwiching the neck portion of the male terminal fitting 26 therebetween, It is designed to increase the locking force.
[0018]
Two sets of retainer locking projections 47 are formed at positions between the engagement projections 44. The front end portion of the retainer locking projection 47 is divided into a fork and a temporary locking piece 48 and a main locking piece 49 that are elastically deformable in the closed leg direction. On the other hand, on the male housing 21 side, a pair of retainer locking grooves 50 are formed on both sides sandwiching the central cavity 24, and as shown in FIG. A second locking portion 52 projects from the side edge of the side at a deeper position.
[0019]
And as shown to the same figure (A), the retainer 41 is hold | maintained in a temporary latching position because the temporary latching piece 48 is latched by the 1st latching | locking part 51. FIG. In this temporary locking position, the above-described engaging projection 44 is retracted to the lower surface side of the cavity 24, and the male terminal fitting 26 is allowed to be inserted into and removed from the cavity 24. When the retainer 41 is further pushed in and the final locking piece 49 is locked by the second locking portion 52 as shown in FIG. 5B, the retainer 41 is held at the final locking position. At this full locking position, the engaging protrusion 44 enters the cavity 24 and can be engaged with the jaw part 26 </ b> A of the male terminal fitting 26.
[0020]
A pair of detection pieces 54 are erected on both ends of the retainer 41. Specifically, a longitudinal groove 55 is cut at the center of the detection piece 54 in the length direction. On the front side divided by the vertical groove 55, the lower end side is cut off and the upper end side protrudes forward, and this protruding portion serves as the detection unit 56. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, detection piece insertion grooves 58 that allow insertion of the detection piece 54 are formed at both ends of the retainer mounting hole 42, and as shown in FIG. A guide wall 59 is formed in the vertical groove 55 of 54. The front side of the detection piece insertion groove 58 is open to the front surface along the inside of the side wall of the hood portion 23.
On the other hand, a detection groove 61 into which the detection portion 56 of the male retainer 41 can be fitted is formed on the side surface of the front end portion of the counterpart female housing 1. The height position at which the detection groove 61 is formed is a position where the detection unit 56 can be fitted when the retainer 41 is in the final locking position.
[0021]
On the outer surface of the detection piece 54 of the retainer 41, a pair of retaining protrusions 63 are formed at the same height on both front and rear sides with the vertical groove 55 interposed therebetween. The retaining protrusion 63 is a guide surface 64 having a tapered upper surface and a locking surface 65 having a horizontal lower surface. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, a retaining groove 67 is formed outside the detection piece insertion groove 58 described above. As shown in FIG. 9, the retaining groove 67 is formed from a lower surface of the main body portion 22 of the male housing 21 to a predetermined height from a position within a predetermined dimension. The position of the bottom edge of the retaining groove 67 is a position where the retaining surface 65 of the retaining protrusion 63 can be locked when the retainer 41 is held at the temporary locking position described above. Further, the height of the retaining groove 67 is a height that can allow the retaining protrusion 63 to rise when the retainer 41 is pushed to the final locking position, as indicated by a chain line in FIG.
A vertical partition wall 68 is formed in the retaining groove 67 so as to be sandwiched between the front and rear retaining projections 63.
[0022]
This embodiment has the structure as described above, and the operation thereof will be described subsequently.
First, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 6, when the retainer 41 is inserted into the retainer mounting hole 42 of the male housing 21, the temporary locking piece 48 is connected to the first locking portion 51 as shown in FIG. The retainer 41 is held at the temporary locking position by being locked. On the other hand, the detection piece 54 is inserted into the detection piece insertion groove 58, and accordingly, the prevention protrusion 63 is press-fitted into the prevention groove 67, and the front and rear prevention protrusions 63 hold the partition wall 68 between them as shown in FIG. 9. The bottom edge of the groove 67 is locked. In this temporary locking position, the engaging protrusion 44 is retracted to the lower surface side of the cavity 24.
When the male terminal fitting 26 is inserted into the cavity 24 in such a state, it is primarily locked by the metal lance 27. At this time, the tab 29 of the male terminal fitting 26 protrudes into the hood portion 23 and comes into contact with the corresponding branch piece 39 of the short terminal 38.
[0023]
Subsequently, when the retainer 41 is further pushed in, the detection piece 54 is further inserted while the removal prevention protrusion 63 moves upward in the prevention groove 67, and at the same time, as shown in FIG. Is locked by the second locking portion 52 and held at the final locking position. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2, the engaging projection 44 enters the cavity 24 and is engaged behind the jaw portion 26 </ b> A of the male terminal fitting 26, thereby being secondarily engaged.
[0024]
On the other hand, on the female connector F side, the female terminal fitting 4 is similarly inserted and double-locked by the retainer 10. When the female connector F is fitted into the hood 23 of the male connector M, the lock projection 17 of the lock arm 15 rides on the locking projection 36 as shown in FIG. The arm 15 is elastically deformed upward, and the pressing portion 16 is fitted while pressing the pressed member 32 against the elasticity of the return spring 33. If the retainer 41 of the male connector M is in the final locking position, as shown in FIG. 11, the detection portion 56 of the detection piece 54 and the detection groove 61 of the female housing 1 correspond to each other. The fitting is continued while entering the detection groove 61.
[0025]
When both the connectors F and M are properly fitted, the locking projection 17 exceeds the locking projection 36. Therefore, as shown in FIG. By being locked to the rear surface, the member is locked in a normal fitting state, and the pressed member 32 is returned to the front position by the restoring elasticity of the return spring 33. Further, the detection portion 56 of the detection piece 54 is deeply inserted into the detection groove 61 of the female housing 1 as shown in FIG. 13, whereby the retainer 41 is firmly retained at the final locking position.
[0026]
In the above description, when the fitting operation is interrupted before both the connectors F and M are properly fitted, the lock arm 15 exerts a force in the returning direction by the restoring elasticity of the return spring 33 as shown in FIG. Since it is in the received state, it is avoided that the female connector F is flipped outward and the connectors F and M are left in the half-fitted state.
[0027]
The above has described the case where the retainer 41 is attached to the male housing 21 at the regular full locking position. For example, forgetting to push the retainer 41 into the full locking position or performing a pushing operation. However, if the male terminal fitting 26 is in the half-inserted state, the retainer 41 may be held at the temporary locking position because the engaging protrusion 44 hits the main body of the male terminal fitting 26 and cannot be pushed in. obtain. The case where both connectors F and M are engaged in this state will be described below.
[0028]
In the state where the retainer 41 is in the temporary locking position, as shown in FIG. 14, the detection piece 54 provided on the retainer 41 is not inserted deep into the detection piece insertion groove 58. It is located in the place which shifted | deviated below from the front of the detection groove | channel 61 of the female housing 1 of this. Therefore, when it is close to the end of the fitting operation, the side surface of the front end of the female housing 1 abuts against the detection unit 56 and cannot be fitted any more. The fact that the mating operation cannot be properly performed can be clearly recognized if the female connector F is ejected by the elasticity of the return spring 33 if the mating operation is interrupted. Then, since the connectors F and M cannot be properly fitted in this way, the operator can detect that the retainer 41 is not mounted at the full locking position.
[0029]
In addition, when the retainer 41 is mounted so as to be pivoted, the detection unit 56 has a direction in which the detection unit 56 can be fitted into the detection groove 61 in spite of the temporary locking position. It can happen. Then, both connectors F and M are properly fitted as they are, and the half insertion of the retainer 41 cannot be detected. In this respect, in this embodiment, the guide wall 59 is closely fitted in the longitudinal groove 55 of the detection piece 54, and the pair of retaining projections 63 sandwich the partition wall 68 from both sides as shown in FIG. Therefore, the retainer 41 is firmly prevented from rotating. Therefore, if the retainer 41 is in the temporary locking position, the detection unit 56 is always in a position shifted downward from the detection groove 61 of the female housing 1 and can reliably prevent normal fitting of both the connectors F and M. As a result, the half insertion of the retainer 41 is accurately detected.
When half insertion of the retainer 41 is detected as described above, the retainer 41 is pushed into the final locking position while confirming the insertion state of the male terminal fitting 26, and then both the connectors F and M may be fitted again. .
[0030]
On the other hand, when performing the maintenance or the like, the male terminal fitting 26 is removed from the male housing 21 as follows. First, the lock arm 15 is bent and deformed downward from the state shown in FIG. 12 to release the lock, and the connectors F and M are pulled apart. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, when the driver-like jig 71 is inserted into the jig insertion groove 70 provided at the end edge of the retainer mounting hole 42 and the board 43 of the retainer 41 is twisted, this locking piece 49 is disengaged from the second locking portion 52 and the retainer 41 is pulled out, and the temporary locking piece 48 is locked to the first locking portion 51 and held in the temporary locking position. The male terminal fitting 26 can be pulled out while being unlocked by being bent and deformed by a tool.
[0031]
Here, when the retainer 41 is squeezed with the jig 71, the temporary locking piece 48 can be bent and deformed. .
In this regard, in this embodiment, the detection piece 54 is provided with a retaining protrusion 63, and as shown in FIG. 7, the retainer 41 is retained at the bottom edge of the retaining groove 67, whereby the retainer 41 is retained in the retainer mounting hole. It is stopped at the temporary locking position without coming out of 42.
Therefore, it is prevented that the retainer 41 is lost, and it is not necessary to reassemble it.
[0032]
<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments 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) In the above embodiment, in order to prevent the retainer from rattling, a pair of front and rear retaining protrusions in which the vertical groove of the retainer is fitted to the guide wall on the housing side and the partition wall on the housing side is provided on the retainer side Although the two means of sandwiching at the same time are used in combination, even if only one of them is adopted, it is effective in preventing rattling.
[0033]
(2) The present invention can be applied to a female connector depending on the shape.
(3) Further, the present invention is not limited to the side type retainer exemplified in the above embodiment, and can be similarly applied to a type of connector in which the retainer is mounted from the front or rear side of the housing.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a state before both connectors are mated. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a retainer. FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the retainer locking operation. FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway side view of the connector before fitting. FIG. 7 is a male connector with the retainer in the temporary locking position. FIG. 8 is a front view of the male connector. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a retainer retaining structure. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of both connectors being engaged. FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which both connectors are properly fitted. FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the detecting piece of the retainer. FIG. 14 is a half view of the retainer. Fig. 15 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which insertion is detected. FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where half insertion of the retainer on the female side is detected. FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a normal fitting state of the connector proposed previously. FIG. 18 shows half insertion of the retainer. Longitudinal section of the detected state [Explanation of symbols]
1 ... Female housing (mating housing)
21 ... Male housing 26 ... Male terminal fitting 41 ... Retainer 42 ... Retainer mounting hole 48 ... Temporary locking piece 49 ... Main locking piece 51 ... First locking portion 52 ... Second locking portion 54 ... Detection piece 55 ... Vertical groove (guide groove)
56. Detection unit 59 ... Guide wall (rib)
61 ... Detection groove (detection part)
63 .. locking protrusion (protrusion)
68 ... Partition wall (guide part)

Claims (1)

A retainer is provided in the connector housing in which the terminal fitting is accommodated so that the retainer can be inserted. The retainer allows the terminal fitting to be inserted and removed, and the terminal is further pushed in from the temporary locking position. In the connector that can be held at the main locking position for locking to the metal fitting,
When the retainer is in a semi-inserted state where the retainer stays in front of reaching the main locking position, at least one of the opposing surfaces of the retainer and the mating connector housing interferes with each other, A detection part that restricts the housing from being properly fitted is provided, and a posture that holds the posture constant when the retainer is in a half-inserted state between the retainer and the connector housing. A holding mechanism is provided,
The retainer is formed with a guide groove along its insertion direction, while the connector housing is formed with a rib slidably fitted in the guide groove, and the rib and the guide groove define the rib. A posture holding mechanism is configured, and the rib is slidable in the guide groove when the retainer moves between the temporary locking position and the final locking position .
The connector housing includes a main body portion in which the terminal fitting is accommodated, and a hood portion provided on the front surface of the main body portion and fitted with the mating connector housing,
The retainer includes a detection piece standing in the insertion direction, and the detection piece is divided into front and rear by forming the guide groove into which the rib can be fitted into the detection piece. A connector characterized in that the detection unit is provided at a front portion thereof, and the detection unit is disposed in the hood unit .

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