JP3934315B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector capable of preventing a terminal fitting from dropping off and detecting half-insertion of a terminal fitting into a housing.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a connector used for connecting a wire harness or the like, a connector described in JP-A-8-306431 is known. As shown in FIG. 9, the connector described in this publication includes a connector housing 101 and a terminal locking tool 102. A terminal housing chamber 103 into which a terminal fitting (not shown) is inserted is formed in the connector housing 101, and a cantilever flexible locking arm 104 that constitutes a part of the inner wall of the terminal housing chamber 103. Is formed. At the distal end of the flexible locking arm 104, a locking step portion 105 is formed which includes a terminal receiver 105a protruding downward and a terminal presser 105b protruding horizontally. Further, the terminal locking member 102 is formed with a spacer 106 that is inserted into a space opposite to the terminal accommodating chamber 103 with respect to the flexible locking arm 104. At the tip of the spacer 106, a half-insertion detection unit 107, which is a stepped portion composed of a half-insertion detection surface 107a and a protruding piece 107b, is formed.
[0003]
The terminal fitting inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 103 enters while lifting the cantilevered flexible locking arm 104 provided in the connector housing 101 upward. When the terminal fitting is completely inserted, the terminal receiver 105a is opposed to the recess provided on the upper surface of the terminal fitting, the flexible locking arm 104 is lowered, and the terminal receiver 105a is engaged with the terminal fitting. Match. Thereby, dropping of the terminal fitting can be prevented.
[0004]
Thereafter, when the terminal locking member 102 is assembled to the connector housing 101, if the terminal fitting is in a completely inserted state, the half insertion detecting portion 107 and the locking step portion 105 provided at the tip of the spacer 106 of the terminal locking member 102 are used. And the spacer 106 can be pushed to a predetermined position without interfering with each other. On the other hand, if the terminal fitting is in the half-inserted state, since the flexible locking arm 104 is lifted upward by the terminal fitting, the half-insertion detecting surface 107a of the half-insertion detecting unit 107 is the terminal of the locking step portion 105. The spacer 106 cannot be pushed by hitting the presser 105b. Thereby, half insertion of a terminal metal fitting can be detected now.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, according to the connector described in the above publication, when the detection accuracy of half insertion is to be adjusted, the upper surface of the locking step portion 105 and the lower surface of the half insertion detection portion 107 face each other in the fully inserted state. Therefore, there is no choice but to change the positional relationship between the upper surface of the locking step 105 and the lower surface of the half-insertion detection unit 107. This is because the lengths of the upper surface of the locking step 105 and the lower surface of the half-insertion detection unit 107 are both In a relatively long and semi-inserted state, the locking step portion 105 is lifted upward and the upper surface thereof becomes a curved surface, which requires complicated adjustment work. Therefore, in the connector described in the above-mentioned publication, it is difficult to easily finely adjust the half-insertion detection accuracy.
[0006]
Further, in the connector described in the above-mentioned publication, since the flexible locking arms 104 and the spacers 106 are each in two rows, the thickness of the housing 101 and the terminal locking device 102 must be increased. It is difficult to reduce these sizes.
[0007]
Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can easily finely adjust the detection accuracy of half insertion.
[0008]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can be further miniaturized.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the connector according to claim 1 is engaged with the terminal fitting in the terminal receiving chamber into which the terminal fitting is inserted and the terminal fitting is completely inserted into the terminal receiving chamber. A housing having a flexible locking arm for each terminal fitting, a retainer assembled from the opposite side of the insertion direction of the terminal fitting with respect to the housing, and a terminal fitting in a fully inserted state. In combination, the front end portion of each locking arm portion enables assembly of the retainer to the housing and prevents the retainer from being assembled to the housing without being fitted to each other when the terminal fitting is half inserted. And a recess provided in a pair with a facing portion provided on the retainer so as to face the distal end portion of the locking arm portion in the insertion direction of the terminal fitting. And and a convex portion. The housing includes a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers arranged in two rows, and a plurality of locking arm portions provided independently for each of the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers. . Furthermore, the tip portions of the plurality of locking arm portions are arranged on the same plane between the two rows in which the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers are arranged.
[0010]
According to this configuration, whether the terminal fitting is in the fully inserted state or the half inserted state by the recessed portion and the protruding portion provided in pairs with the respective engaging portions of the locking arm portion and the retainer. It is possible to detect based on whether the retainer can be assembled to the housing. If the width of the concave portion and the convex portion are substantially the same, the half-insertion detection accuracy can be made extremely high, but if the width of the concave portion is larger than the width of the convex portion, As the width increases, the half-insertion detection accuracy decreases. Thus, according to claim 1, since the concave portion and the convex portion that can be formed relatively short and hardly become a curved surface even in the half-inserted state are used for detecting the half-inserted state, It is possible to easily fine-tune the half-insertion detection accuracy without requiring complicated adjustment work.
[0011]
Further, in claim 1, the convex portion and the concave portion can be changed by four positions of the two outer surfaces of the convex portion and the two inner side surfaces of the concave portion facing each other, which can be changed independently. It is possible to finely adjust the half-insertion detection accuracy with a higher degree of freedom than before.
[0012]
Further, according to the first aspect, since it is possible to easily finely adjust the detection accuracy of half-insertion, even if the housing and the retainer are downsized more than ever, erroneous detection occurs. It is possible to cope with this.
[0013]
Furthermore, according to claim 1, by arranging a plurality of locking arm portions on the same plane (in one row) between two rows in which a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers are arranged, a space between the two rows is obtained. Can be effectively utilized, and the miniaturization of the housing can be promoted.
[0014]
In claim 1, the cross-sectional shapes of the concave portion and the convex portion are not limited to a square shape, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the concave portion and the convex portion may be a triangle with a sharp tip or a circular shape. Further, the number of concave portions and convex portions is not limited to one each, and a plurality of pairs of concave portions and convex portions may be provided. Usually, it is sufficient to provide one rectangular concave portion on one of the locking arm portion and the retainer and one square convex portion on the other, and in this way, the housing and the retainer can be easily molded.
[0015]
Moreover, in the connector of Claim 2 , the said fitting part facing the said locking arm part of the said retainer becomes the protruding item | line or the ditch | groove along the sequence direction of the said some locking arm part.
[0016]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the fitting portion facing the locking arm portion of the retainer is formed in the ridge or groove along the arrangement direction of the plurality of locking arm portions, the plurality of locking arm portions Therefore, it is not necessary to separately form convex portions or concave portions corresponding to each of the retainers, and the retainers can be easily formed. In addition, since the retainer has a simple shape having ridges or grooves, the retainer can be integrally formed and its strength can be enhanced.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the connector according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the connector of FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 2 when the connector of FIG. 1 is coupled to the male connector. 4 and 5 are sectional views taken along lines AA and BB in FIG. 2, respectively. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along the line AA of FIG. As shown in these drawings, the connector 1 of the present embodiment includes a synthetic resin housing 2 having five terminal accommodating chambers 7 a and 7 b into which terminal fittings 6 are inserted, and terminals together with the housing 2. A synthetic resin retainer 3 for holding the metal fitting 6, and a rubber seal ring 4 having an outer shape formed in a rectangular frame shape so as to surround the five terminal accommodating chambers 7a and 7b for waterproofing; It has.
[0019]
The connector 1 is a female connector, and after the terminal fitting 6 is completely inserted into the terminal accommodating chambers 7a and 7b, the retainer 3 is assembled to the housing 2 from the side opposite to the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 6, and FIG. As shown, it is coupled to a male connector 5 that holds a conductor 8. Thereby, the terminal metal fitting 6 and the conducting wire 8 will contact, and both electrical connection is implement | achieved. At this time, since the seal ring 4 is in close contact with both the connector 1 and the male connector 5 and is sandwiched between them, it is possible to prevent external moisture from entering the terminal accommodating chambers 7a and 7b.
[0020]
As is apparent from FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the five terminal accommodating chambers 7a and 7b are vertically arranged such that three are in the upper stage (terminal accommodating chamber 7a) and two are in the lower stage (terminal accommodating chamber 7b). It is arranged in a staggered pattern in two stages. In each of the terminal accommodating chambers 7a and 7b, conductor insertion ports 9a and 9b into which the conducting wires 8 respectively connected to the terminal fittings 6 are inserted are provided in the five terminal accommodating chambers 7a and 7b, respectively. .
[0021]
The housing 2 is provided with a cantilever lance (locking arm portion) 11a adjacent to each of the terminal accommodating chambers 7a and a cantilever lance 11b adjacent to each of the terminal accommodating chambers 7b. More specifically, the lance 11a is provided below the upper terminal accommodating chamber 7a, and the lance 11b is provided adjacent to the upper terminal accommodating chamber 7b so as to protrude in a direction facing the retainer 3. .
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 4, the lance 11 a has an engaging ridge 13 a that protrudes toward the terminal accommodating chamber 7 a on its upper surface, and a protrusion (convex portion) 13 b at the tip that faces the retainer 3. Is formed. The end of the engaging ridge 13a on the side of the protrusion 13b is a side wall perpendicular to the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 6, and the end of the engaging ridge 13a opposite to the protrusion 13b is gently It has an inclined tapered surface. Therefore, when the terminal fitting 6 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 7a, the tip of the terminal fitting 6 can be advanced while pushing down the lance 11a with the tip thereof coming into contact with the tapered surface of the engaging raised portion 13a. Further, when the terminal fitting 6 is completely inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 7a and the engaging raised portion 13a faces the engaging depression 14 having a square cross section of the terminal fitting 6, the lance 11a is restored to its original by its own elastic restoring force. Returning to the position, the engagement ridge 13 a is fitted into the engagement depression 14. In this state, even if the terminal fitting 6 is to be pulled out, the side wall of the engaging raised portion 13a and the side wall of the engaging recess portion 14 facing the surface of the engaging raised portion 13a cannot be pushed down. The terminal fitting 6 cannot be removed. Thus, since the terminal fitting 6 and the lance 11a of the housing 2 are engaged with each other when the terminal fitting 6 is completely inserted, the terminal fitting 6 does not fall off.
[0023]
Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lance 11b is formed with an engagement ridge 16a having the same shape as the engagement ridge 13a on the lower surface thereof so as to protrude toward the terminal accommodating chamber 7b. A protruding portion (convex portion) 16 b having the same shape as the protruding portion 13 a is formed at the tip portion facing the retainer 3. Similarly to the engagement ridge 13a, the engagement ridge 16a has an end on the projection 16b side that is a side wall perpendicular to the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 6, and an end opposite to the projection 16b. The taper surface has a gentle slope. Therefore, when the terminal fitting 6 is completely inserted, the terminal fitting 6 and the lance 11b of the housing 2 are engaged to prevent the terminal fitting 6 from falling off.
[0024]
FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional perspective view of the upper portion along the line CC in FIG. As apparent from FIG. 7, since the terminal accommodating chambers 7a and 7b are arranged in a staggered manner, the three lances 11a and the two lances 11b arranged alternately have the engaging ridges 13a and 16a. Except for the above, they are provided in a line at substantially the same height, and the height and the tip positions of the three projecting portions 13b and the two projecting portions 16b of the square convex shape at the tip are substantially the same. That is, the protrusions 13b and 16b at the tips of the five lances 11a and 11b are aligned at the tip positions parallel to the arrangement direction between the upper and lower rows of the terminal accommodating chambers 7a and 7b. Are lined up in a row (on the same plane).
[0025]
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the retainer 3. As shown in FIG. 8, the retainer 3 is composed of two parts, an outer frame 18 having a substantially rectangular outer shape and an inner shelf 19 that divides the inside into two. The upper surface of the inner shelf 19 is an uneven surface corresponding to the three terminal accommodating chambers 7a, and the lower surface of the inner shelf 19 is an uneven surface corresponding to the two terminal accommodating chambers 7b. Further, a concave groove (concave portion) 21 extending in parallel with the upper and lower surfaces is formed on the side surface of the inner shelf 19 on the side accommodated in the housing 2. The concave groove 21 has a width that is slightly larger than the width of the protrusions 13b and 16b at the tips of the lances 11a and 11b, and the terminal fitting 6 when the retainer 3 is inserted into the housing 2. In the non-insertion state or the complete insertion state, the height is formed so as to correspond to the protrusions 13b and 16b at the tips of the lances 11a and 11b.
[0026]
Therefore, when one of the terminal fittings 6 is in the half-inserted state and the corresponding lance 11a, 11b is pushed down or pushed up by the terminal fitting 6, even if the retainer 3 is inserted into the housing 2, the lances 11a, 11b The protrusions 13b and 16b at the tip of the retainer 3 do not fit into the recessed groove 21 of the retainer 3 and come into contact with the side surface of the inner shelf 19 of the retainer 3. Therefore, the retainer 3 cannot be assembled to the housing 2 when the terminal fitting 6 is half inserted.
[0027]
On the other hand, when all of the lances 11a and 11b are not pushed down by the terminal fitting 6 and the terminal fitting 6 is in a normal position in a non-inserted state or a completely inserted state, when the retainer 3 is inserted into the housing 2, The protrusions 13b and 16b at the tips of 11a and 11b are fitted into the concave groove 21 of the retainer 3. Therefore, the retainer 3 can be assembled to the housing 2 when the terminal fitting 6 is not inserted or completely inserted.
[0028]
That is, in the connector 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to detect whether or not all necessary terminal fittings 6 are in a completely inserted state depending on whether or not the retainer 3 can be assembled to the housing 2. It is. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a connection failure between the terminal fitting 6 and the conductive wire 8 in advance.
[0029]
And when it is going to adjust the detection accuracy of a half insertion state, what is necessary is just to change the width | variety of the projection parts 13a and 16a and the ditch | groove 21, respectively. For example, if the width of the groove 21 is substantially the same as that of the protrusions 13a and 16a, the detection accuracy in the half-inserted state becomes very high. As the width of the groove 21 increases, the half-insertion detection accuracy decreases.
[0030]
In the present embodiment, the lengths of the projections 13a and 16a and the concave groove 21 used for detecting the half-inserted state are relatively short, and the lances 11a and 11b are pushed down or pushed up. However, since the projections 13a and 16a hardly become curved surfaces, the half-insertion detection accuracy can be easily finely adjusted without requiring a complicated adjustment operation.
[0031]
Moreover, in this Embodiment, each position of four surfaces of the two outer surfaces of the projection parts 13a and 16a and the two inner surfaces of the concave groove 21 which opposes each can be changed independently. Therefore, it is determined whether or not the protrusions 13a, 16a and the concave groove 21 are fitted, so that fine adjustment of the half-insertion detection accuracy can be performed with a higher degree of freedom than in the case of the above-mentioned publication.
[0032]
Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, since the half-insertion detection accuracy can be easily finely adjusted, erroneous detection occurs even when the housing 2 and the retainer 3 are further downsized. In response to this, accurate half-insertion detection can always be performed.
[0033]
Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, the plurality of lances 11a and 11b are arranged in one row between the two rows in which the five terminal accommodating chambers 7a and 7b are arranged. It is possible to effectively utilize the space between the two, and it is possible to promote downsizing of the housing.
[0034]
In the embodiment described above, the portion of the retainer 3 facing the lances 11a and 11b is the concave groove 21 along the direction in which the five lances 11a and 11b are arranged. There is no need to separately form recesses corresponding to each in the retainer 3. Therefore, in the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the retainer 3 can be easily created. Further, the retainer 3 having a simple shape having one concave groove 21 is integrally formed with the outer frame 18 and the inner shelf 19, and therefore has an advantage of high strength.
[0035]
The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design changes can be made as long as they are described in the claims. . For example, in the above-described embodiment, the lances 11a and 11b are provided with the convex portions and the retainer 3 is provided with the concave portions. On the contrary, the lances 11a and 11b are provided with the concave portions and the retainer 3 is provided with the convex portions. You may do it. Further, the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing 2 is not necessarily provided in two stages, and may be provided in one stage or three or more stages.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect, the concave portion and the convex portion which can be formed relatively short and hardly become a curved surface even in the half-inserted state are used for detecting the half-inserted state. Therefore, it is possible to easily finely adjust the half-insertion detection accuracy without requiring complicated adjustment work. In addition, it is possible to finely adjust the half-insertion detection accuracy with a relatively high degree of freedom. Furthermore, even when the housing and the retainer are downsized more than ever, it is possible to cope with this without causing erroneous detection.
[0037]
In addition, according to the first aspect, by arranging the plurality of locking arm portions on the same plane between the two rows in which the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers are arranged, the space between the two rows is effectively utilized. This makes it possible to promote downsizing of the housing.
[0038]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the fitting portion facing the locking arm portion of the retainer is formed in the ridge or groove along the arrangement direction of the plurality of locking arm portions, the plurality of locking arm portions Therefore, it is not necessary to separately form convex portions or concave portions corresponding to each of the retainers, and the retainers can be easily formed. In addition, since the retainer has a simple shape having ridges or grooves, the retainer can be integrally formed and its strength can be enhanced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an overall perspective view of the connector of FIG. 1. FIG.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 2 when the connector of FIG. 1 is coupled to a male connector.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.
6 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. FIG.
7 is a cross-sectional perspective view of an upper portion along the line CC in FIG. 2;
8 shows a perspective view of the retainer shown in FIG.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a connector according to the prior art.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 2 Housing 3 Retainer 4 Seal ring 5 Male connector 6 Terminal metal fitting 7a, 7b Terminal accommodating chamber 8 Conductor 9a, 9b Conductor insertion slot 11a, 11b Lance 13a, 16a Engagement bulging part 13b, 16b Protrusion part 14, 17 Engagement Recessed part 18 Outer frame 19 Inner shelf 21 Concave groove

Claims (2)

A terminal accommodating chamber into which the terminal fitting is inserted, and a flexible locking arm portion that engages with the terminal fitting and prevents the terminal fitting from falling off when the terminal fitting is completely inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber. A housing for each
A retainer assembled to the housing from the side opposite to the insertion direction of the terminal fitting;
In a fully inserted state of the terminal fitting, the retainer can be assembled to the housing, and in a half-inserted state of the terminal fitting, the retainer can be assembled to the housing without being fitted together. A recessed portion provided in pairs with a distal end portion of each locking arm portion and a facing portion provided in the retainer so as to face the distal end portion of the locking arm portion in the insertion direction of the terminal fitting. With a convex part,
The housing includes a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers arranged in two rows, and a plurality of locking arm portions provided independently for each of the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers;
The connector, wherein the distal end portions of the plurality of locking arm portions are arranged on the same plane between the two rows in which the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers are arranged. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the facing portion of the retainer is a ridge or a groove along an arrangement direction of the plurality of locking arm portions.

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