JP3840927B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector provided with a lance.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, an example of a connector provided with a lance in a connector housing is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-325814. As shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of cavities 3 in which a terminal fitting 2 can be inserted are provided in a connector housing 1 in a horizontal direction and arranged in two stages in a vertical direction. A lance 4 is provided on the upper surface side of 3, and can be bent and deformed into a bending space 5 provided further above. When the terminal fitting 2 is inserted into the cavity 3, the lance 4 is bent and deformed in the bending space 5, and the terminal fitting 2 is inserted to the proper insertion position, and the lance 4 is restored and deformed to be locked to the terminal fitting 2. Thus, the terminal fitting 2 is prevented from coming off.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The connector described above has a configuration in which the cavity 3, the lance 4 and the bending space 5 thereof are stacked in the vertical direction. However, in order to reduce the height of the connector housing 1 for the purpose of downsizing, for example, It is conceivable to reduce the arrangement pitch of the cavities 3 by reducing the thickness and further reducing the bending space 5. However, when the thickness of the lance 4 is reduced, the lance 4 is easily bent, so that the terminal fitting 2 is easily removed. Further, when the amount of bending of the lance 4 is reduced, the hooking cost is reduced, so that the terminal fitting 2 is easily removed, and there is a limit in either case.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a connector capable of reducing the height.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the connector according to the first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-described problem, the connector housing in which the cavity into which the terminal fitting can be inserted is formed, and a lance is provided between the pair of cavities arranged in the lateral direction. The lance can be bent and deformed in a bending allowance hole extending upward, and a locking protrusion protruding from the side surface of the lance into the cavity is locked to the terminal fitting in a retaining state. It has the characteristics in the place.
In addition, about the vertical direction (up-down direction) of a connector housing, let the side which the bottom plate of the electric wire connection part of a terminal metal fitting face the wall surface of a cavity be a downward direction, and let the horizontal direction be a direction orthogonal to a vertical direction.
[0005]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the connector housing is provided with the lance on both sides in the lateral direction with respect to the cavity, and a pair of latches protruding from the lances. The projection is characterized in that it is locked to the terminal fitting from both sides.
[0006]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the lance provided between the pair of cavities adjacent in the lateral direction has a pair of the locking projections protruding into both cavities. It is characterized in that the protrusion is provided.
[0007]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the device according to any one of the first to third aspects, a tube portion is provided at a front portion of the terminal fitting, and the tube is inserted when the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity. The locking projection rides on the part, the lance is bent and deformed, the terminal fitting reaches a proper insertion position, and the lance is restored and deformed, and the locking projection is locked to the rear end edge of the cylindrical part. The connector is configured such that a recess is formed on the surface of the cylindrical portion, and the locking protrusion is in contact with the locking projection across the recess in the insertion process of the terminal fitting. It is characterized in that the protrusions do not fall into the recesses.
[0008]
Operation and effect of the invention
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the lances that are bent and deformed in the vertical direction are arranged side by side with respect to the cavities, so that the cavities, the lances, and the bending spaces thereof are stacked in the vertical direction as in the prior art. The connector housing can be reduced in height as compared with the above.
[0009]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the lance is locked from both the left and right sides with respect to one terminal fitting, it can be locked with a good balance.
[0010]
According to the invention of claim 3, since the pair of female terminal fittings can be locked with one lance, the configuration can be simplified as compared with the case where the pair of lances are individually provided.
[0011]
According to the invention of claim 4, when the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity, the locking projection straddles the concave portion of the cylindrical portion and does not fall into the concave portion. It can be prevented from getting worse.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The connector of the present embodiment is a female connector that can be fitted to a male connector housing (not shown) having a male terminal fitting, and as shown in FIG. 1, a total of four female terminals. A female connector housing 20 to which the metal fitting 10 is attached and a retainer 40 for double-locking the female terminal metal fitting 10 are provided.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 1, the female terminal fitting 10 is formed by punching one conductive metal plate into a predetermined shape and then bending it, and a male tab of the male terminal fitting is formed on the front end side. A square tube portion 11 (corresponding to the “tubular portion” of the present invention) to be connected is provided, and a wire connecting portion 12 to which a terminal of the electric wire W is connected is provided on the rear end side. The wire connecting portion 12 includes a wire barrel 13 and an insulation barrel 14 at the front and rear, and the wire barrel 13 includes a pair of caulking pieces extending from the left and right ends of the bottom plate. It is caulked from above. Similarly, the insulation barrel 14 includes a pair of caulking pieces extending from the left and right ends of the bottom plate, and by these, the covering portion of the electric wire W and the rubber plug 15 fitted around it are caulked from above. It has been.
[0014]
The rectangular tube portion 11 has an elastic contact piece inside, and when the male tab is inserted from the opening on the front surface, the elastic contact piece makes an elastic contact so that it is electrically connected to the male terminal fitting. It has become. On the upper surface of the rectangular tube part 11, a pair of stabilizers 16A, 16B for insertion guides protruding from the center part in the width direction are provided at intervals in the front-rear direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a concave portion 17 that is recessed in a step shape is formed on the upper surface of the rectangular tube portion 11, and a portion that is one step higher than the front and rear concave portions 17 is formed. The front part 11A and the rear part 11B are provided. The rectangular tube portion 11 protrudes in a step shape upward from the rear portion thereof, and the rear edge thereof is an jaw portion 18. The female terminal fitting 10 can be used in common with other connectors, and in this case, a retaining lance can be locked in the recess 17.
[0015]
The female connector housing 20 is formed of a synthetic resin material. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the terminal mounting portion 21 elongated in the front-rear direction and the rear end portion of the terminal mounting portion 21 are left around the front portion. And a hood portion 22 having a substantially rectangular tube shape so as to cover the male connector housing. Inside the terminal mounting portion 21, two cavities 23 into which the female terminal fittings 10 can be inserted along the front-rear direction are provided in two rows in the horizontal direction and arranged in two stages in the vertical direction. A terminal insertion opening 24 for inserting the female terminal fitting 10 is opened at the end. In the description of the female connector housing 20 and the retainer 40, in the front-rear direction, the direction in which the female terminal fitting 10 is inserted into the cavity 23 (left side in FIG. 1) is the front, and in the vertical direction (vertical direction), the female The side where the bottom plate of the wire connection part 12 of the side terminal fitting 10 faces the wall surface of the cavity 23 (downward in FIG. 1) is the downward direction, and the lateral direction is the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction and the vertical direction.
[0016]
An inner portion of the hood portion 22 in the terminal mounting portion 21 has a substantially square cross section. A waterproof rubber ring 25 is fitted on the outer periphery of the outer periphery of the hood portion 22, and a retainer 40 described later is fitted on the front end side. It has come to be. A lock protrusion 27 for locking the retainer 40 is formed on the upper surface of the terminal mounting portion 21 at the center in the width direction. Further, at the front end of the terminal mounting portion 21, two upper and lower front walls 28 </ b> A and 28 </ b> B project from the height position corresponding to the lower half of the upper and lower cavities 23 over the entire width of the terminal mounting portion 21. . On the front walls 28A and 28B, a lower hole edge portion 29 is formed at the front surface position of each cavity 23. The lower hole edge portion 29 is provided with a male tab of the male terminal fitting when the retainer 40 is assembled. The lower half of the hole edge part of the tab insertion opening which can be penetrated is formed.
[0017]
The cavity 23 has a circular cross section at the rear half (see FIG. 4), and the rubber plug 15 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface thereof so that the rear side of the cavity 23 is closed in a watertight manner. . The front half of the cavity 23 has a substantially square cross section corresponding to the outer shape of the rectangular tube portion 11, and the guide groove 30 into which the stabilizers 16A and 16B of the female terminal fitting 10 can enter the ceiling surface. Are formed along the front-rear direction.
[0018]
Each cavity 23 is provided with lances 31 and 32 extending in a cantilevered manner from the center to the front side by side with respect to the cavity 23 in both the left and right lateral directions. Specifically, a lance 31 is provided on each of the left side of the left cavity 23 and the right side of the right cavity 23 when viewed from the front, and a shared lance 32 (hereinafter, referred to as a pair of lances 23) is arranged between the pair of cavities 23 arranged side by side. The lances 31 and 32 are provided in the form of a horizontal plate as a whole. , 32 is formed with a wide allowance hole 33 (flexure space) on the upper side as shown in FIG. 2, and the lances 31, 32 can be deformed in an upward direction (that is, a vertical direction). The front of each lance 31, 32 and its bending allowance hole 33 is open to the front surface of the terminal mounting portion 21. In addition, a downward inclined surface 34 is formed on the front surface of the lance 31, 32. .
[0019]
Locking projections 35 projecting into the cavity 23 project from the side surface of the lance 31 on the cavity 23 side, and projecting into both adjacent cavities 23 on the left and right side surfaces of the central shared lance 32. A pair of locking projections 35 are provided to project. As shown in FIG. 8, the locking protrusion 35 is provided with a locking portion 35 </ b> A that is long in the front-rear direction and protrudes slightly below the other portion at the front end, and this is the jaw portion 18 of the female terminal fitting 10. Can be locked from the rear. The rear portion of the locking projection 35 with respect to the locking portion 35A has a substantially constant thickness, and the rear end is a riding portion 35B having a corner portion inclined. As will be described in detail later, in the process of inserting the female terminal fitting 10 into the cavity 23, the locking projection 35 rides on the rectangular tube portion 11, and the lances 31 and 32 are bent and deformed in an inclined posture ((( C)), in this posture, the lower end portions of the locking portion 35A and the ride-up portion 35B are substantially at the same height position, and the length dimension between them is larger than the length dimension of the concave portion 17 in the front-rear direction. The locking projection 35 is set so as to contact the rectangular tube portion 11 in a state of straddling the concave portion 17 in the front-rear direction.
[0020]
On the other hand, the retainer 40 is formed of a synthetic resin material and has a substantially rectangular tube shape that can be fitted to the front portion of the terminal mounting portion 21 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. A pair of through holes 42A and 42B are provided in which the walls 28A and 28B are fitted. An upper hole edge 43 is formed at the upper edge of each of the through holes 42A and 42B, and a tab insertion opening is formed on the front surface of the cavity 23 by aligning with the lower hole edge 29. Yes. In addition, a jig insertion port 44 into which a lance release jig can be inserted is opened on the front wall 41 in front of the lances 31 and 32 so as to communicate with the through holes 42A and 42B. Furthermore, from the front wall 41, a bending restricting portion 45 that protrudes backward and can be inserted into each bending allowance hole 33 to restrict the bending of the lances 31 and 32 is provided.
[0021]
On the upper inner peripheral surface of the retainer 40, a pair of lock recesses 47A and 47B that can be engaged with the lock protrusion 27 of the terminal mounting portion 21 are provided side by side, and the lock protrusion 27 is formed in the lock recess 47A. In the engaged state, the retainer 40 is held in the main locking position with respect to the female connector housing 20 (see FIG. 10), and at this time, the bending restricting portion 45 enters the bending space of each lance 31, 32 and Regulates bending deformation. Further, in a state where the lock projection 27 is engaged with the lock recess 47B, the retainer 40 is held at the temporary locking position with respect to the female connector housing 20 (see FIG. 6). It will be in the state where it retracted ahead from the bending space of 32 and the bending deformation was permitted.
[0022]
The configuration of the present embodiment is as described above, and the operation thereof will be described next.
In order to assemble the connector, first, the rubber ring 25 is fitted to the back side of the outer periphery of the terminal mounting portion 21, and then the retainer 40 is fitted to the terminal mounting portion 21 from the front. When the front end edge of the retainer 40 abuts against the lock protrusion 27, the upper wall of the retainer 40 is slightly bent and deformed upward and rides on the lock protrusion 27. When the retainer 40 is pushed in, the lock projection 27 slides on the upper wall to reach the lock recess 47B, and the upper wall that has been bent and deformed returns to its original posture, and the lock projection 27 and the lock recess 47B engage with each other. Thus, the retainer 40 is held at the temporary locking position (see FIG. 6).
[0023]
Next, the female terminal fitting 10 is attached to the female connector housing 20. When the female terminal fitting 10 is inserted into the cavity 23 from the terminal insertion opening 24, the front end of the rectangular tube portion 11 abuts on the riding portion 35B of the locking projection 35 of the lance 31 and the common lance 32, and follows the inclined surface. Both the lances 31 and 32 are bent and deformed in a forwardly inclined posture, and the riding portion 35B of the locking projection 35 rides on the front step portion 11A (see FIG. 8B).
[0024]
When the female terminal fitting 10 is advanced, the locking projection 35 comes into sliding contact with the front step portion 11A, and the sliding contact portion moves from the riding portion 35B to the front locking portion 35A. When the locking portion 35A approaches the rear end of the front step portion 11A, the riding portion 35B comes into contact with the rear step portion 11B, and as shown in FIG. In contact with the rectangular tube 11.
[0025]
When the female terminal fitting 10 is further advanced, the locking portion 35A is disengaged rearward from the front step portion 11A, but as shown in FIG. 9D, the riding portion 35B is now on the rear step portion 11B. Therefore, the locking projection 35 does not fall into the recess 17.
[0026]
When the female terminal fitting 10 reaches the proper insertion position where it hits the lower hole edge 29 of the front walls 28A, 28B, the locking projection 35 passes over the rear stage 11B, and the lances 31, 32 are deformed downward. At the same time, the locking portion 35A of the locking protrusion 35 is locked to the jaw portion 18 from the rear (see FIG. 9E). In this way, the female terminal fitting 10 is primarily locked in a retaining state.
[0027]
In this way, after the female terminal fittings 10 are mounted in all the cavities 23, the retainer 40 is subsequently pushed backward, and the lock projection 27 is engaged with the lock recess 47B, thereby holding the retainer 40 in the fully locked position. (See FIGS. 10 and 11). As a result, the bending restricting portion 45 enters the bending allowance hole 33 (deflection space) of each of the lances 31 and 32, the bending is restricted, and the female terminal fitting 10 is double locked. Thus, the assembly of the female connector is completed.
[0028]
In the above process, if one of the female terminal fittings 10 is in a half-inserted state that does not reach the normal position by mistake, the retainer 40 is moved to the full locking position. Since the movement of the retainer 40 is restricted by abutting against the tips of the lances 31 and 32 in a state where the bending restricting portion 45 is bent and deformed, it is possible to know that the operator is in a half-inserted state.
[0029]
When the female terminal fitting 10 is pulled out from the female connector housing 20, the retainer 40 is first moved forward while releasing the engagement between the lock projection 27 and the lock recess 47B, and is again held in the temporarily locked position. Thereby, the bending restricting portion 45 is retracted forward from the bending allowance hole 33 of the lances 31 and 32, and the bending deformation of the lances 31 and 32 is allowed (see FIG. 6). Subsequently, the release-side jig is inserted into the jig insertion ports 44 on both sides of the cavity 23 into which the female terminal fitting 10 to be extracted is inserted, and is pushed into the inclined surfaces 34 at the tips of the lances 31 and 32. Press and push to the back. Then, the lances 31 and 32 are bent upward and deformed according to the inclination, and the locking between the locking projection 35 and the jaw portion 18 is released. Therefore, when the electric wire W is pulled backward, the female terminal fitting 10 is pulled out from the cavity 23. When the common lance 32 is bent and deformed, the locking on the female terminal fitting 10 which is not scheduled to be extracted from the adjacent cavity 23 is also released at the same time. Since the lance 31 is locked, it will not accidentally come off.
[0030]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the lances 31 and 32 that are bent and deformed in the vertical direction are provided side by side with respect to the cavity 23, so that the cavity, the lance, and the bending space thereof are provided as in the related art. The female connector housing 20 can be reduced in height as compared with the configuration in which the two are stacked in the vertical direction.
[0031]
Further, since the lances 31 and 32 are engaged with each female terminal fitting 10 from both the left and right sides, the female terminal fittings 10 can be engaged with good balance.
[0032]
Furthermore, since the pair of female terminal fittings 10 can be locked by the single lance 32 by the common lance 32 provided between the adjacent cavities 23, compared to the case where the pair of lances 32 are provided individually. The configuration can be simplified. In addition, since the pair of lances 31 and 32 are engaged with each female terminal fitting 10, even if the common lance 32 is removed when the female terminal fitting 10 is pulled out, the adjacent female terminal fitting 10 is mistakenly attached. It will not come out.
[0033]
Further, when the female terminal fitting 10 is inserted into the cavity 23, the locking projection 35 straddles the concave portion 17 of the rectangular tube portion 11 and does not fall into the concave portion 17, so that the locking projection 35 is caught by the concave portion 17. This can prevent the insertion feeling from deteriorating.
[0034]
The technical scope of the present invention is not limited by the above-described embodiments, and, for example, those described below are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) The present invention can also be applied to a male connector provided with a male terminal fitting.
(2) In the above embodiment, one terminal fitting is locked by a pair of lances. However, according to the present invention, one terminal fitting may be locked by one lance.
(3) In the above embodiment, the pair of terminal fittings are locked by one lance with the common lance. However, according to the present invention, one terminal fitting is provided with one lance without providing the common lance. You may make it latch.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded side sectional view of a connector according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the connector housing. FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view of the connector housing. FIG. 6 is a sectional side view of the retainer assembled in the temporary locking position. FIG. 7 is a front view of the retainer. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged side view of the connector housing for explaining the operation of the lance. FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the retainer is assembled at the final locking position. FIG. 11 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the connector has been assembled. Side sectional view showing a conventional connector [Explanation of symbols]
10: Female terminal fitting (terminal fitting)
11 ... Square tube (tube)
17 ... concave portion 18 ... jaw portion (rear end edge of tube portion)
20: Female connector housing (connector housing)
23 ... Cavity 31 ... Lance 32 ... Common Lance (Lance)
33 ... Bending allowable hole (bending space)
35 ... Locking protrusion

Claims (4)

In the connector housing in which the cavity into which the terminal fitting can be inserted is formed , a lance is provided between the pair of cavities arranged in the lateral direction, and this lance can be bent and deformed in a bending allowance hole extending upward, The connector is characterized in that a locking protrusion protruding from the side surface of the lance into the cavity is locked to the terminal fitting in a retaining state.   The connector housing is provided with the lances on both sides in the lateral direction with respect to the cavity, and a pair of locking projections protruding from these lances are locked to the terminal fitting from both sides. The connector according to claim 1.   3. The lance provided between a pair of cavities adjacent to each other in the lateral direction is provided with a pair of locking projections protruding from both cavities. Connector. A cylindrical portion is provided at the front portion of the terminal fitting, and when the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity, the locking projection rides on the tubular portion, the lance is bent and deformed, and the terminal fitting is properly inserted. The connector is configured such that the lance is restored and deformed so that the locking projection is locked to the rear end edge of the cylindrical part,
A concave portion is formed on the surface of the cylindrical portion, and in the process of inserting the terminal fitting, the locking projection does not fall into the concave portion by contacting with the locking projection straddling the concave portion. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connector is formed.

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