JP3951469B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector that has been improved so that a male and female housing can be smoothly fitted.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As an example of a conventional connector, one shown in FIG. 19 is known. This is provided with male and female housings c and d, which contain male and female terminal fittings a and b, respectively, and the male housing d has a locking projection e, while the female housing c has A lock arm f locked to the locking projection e is provided so as to be able to bend and deform, and a hood portion h is formed so as to surround the housing portion g of the terminal fitting a and the front half of the lock arm f. Then, the male housing d is fitted into the hood portion h of the female housing c while the lock arm f is bent and deformed, and when the lock housing f is properly fitted, the lock arm f moves backward and is locked to the locking protrusion e. By doing so, it is locked in the fitted state.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the area | region where the male housing d is fitted in the hood part h is an area | region corresponding to the accommodating part g of the terminal metal fitting a correctly. On the other hand, since the hood portion h needs to secure a space i that allows its bending deformation in addition to surrounding the lock arm f, the hood portion h has a high momentum. In particular, when the housing part g of the terminal fitting a is small, such as a small-pole connector, the area where the male housing d occupies in the hood part h is reduced. Incidentally, in the thing of the same figure, the male housing d will be fitted in the area | region of the lower half in the food | hood part h.
[0004]
On the contrary, this means that it is necessary to perform alignment when the male housing d is fitted into the hood h, and the fitting is performed while observing the fitting surface side of the female housing c. When the fitting operation is performed with the fitting surface side of the female housing c hidden as shown in FIG. 20 due to the relationship between the positions of the housings c and d, etc. The male housing d is difficult to understand in which position of the hood h can be fitted, and there is a problem that it takes time for the fitting work.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to enable a male and female housing to be smoothly fitted.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that a hood portion is provided on the fitting surface side of one of the male and female housings, and the other housing is provided in a predetermined region of the hood portion. In the connector that is adapted to be fitted,
On the outer surface of the hood portion, a mark visible from the rear in the fitting direction of the one housing is provided, and the one housing has a lower area from the mark as a fitting area for the other housing. The mark is characterized in that it can be aligned with the other housing when the male and female housings are fitted .
The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the mark is provided on an end edge of the hood portion on the fitting side.
[0006]
[Action and effect of the invention]
<Invention of Claim 1>
When fitting the male and female housings, even if the fitting surface of the housing on the side where the hood portion is provided is not sufficiently visible, the other housing is placed inside the hood portion by the mark provided on the hood portion. It is determined which region should be aligned. As a result, the male and female housings can be smoothly fitted.
<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the mark is on the end edge of the hood portion on the fitting side, the mating housing can be more accurately aligned.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a male connector housing 1 (hereinafter referred to as a male housing) and a female connector housing 11 (hereinafter referred to as a female housing) are provided. . In the following, in each of the housings 1 and 11, the surface to be fitted is defined as the front surface.
[0008]
The male housing 1 is provided with a synthetic resin material so as to protrude directly from the electrical device, and is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape that opens forward. Inside, two male terminal fittings 2 are arranged in the horizontal direction. Contained. A locking projection 3 is formed at a position near the front end of the upper surface of the male housing 1, and a pair of ribs 4 are erected parallel to each other along the axial direction on both sides of the locking projection 3.
[0009]
Next, the female housing 11 will be described. Similarly, the female housing 11 is made of a synthetic resin material, and has a main body portion 12 in which two cavities 13 are arranged side by side, and a female terminal fitting (not shown) is retained in each cavity 13 in a state of being prevented from coming off. It can be accommodated.
As shown in FIG. 2, a hood portion 14 that opens forward is formed around the front half of the main body portion 12, and the central portion of the upper surface of the hood portion 14 further bulges upward to form an arch portion 15. Has been. The ceiling surface of the arch portion 15 reaches a position before a predetermined dimension on the rear surface of the main body portion 12. Further, the upper surface of the main body 12 is extended rearward by a predetermined dimension, and side walls 17 connected to the side walls of the arch portion 15 are formed on both sides of the extended surface 16, and a storage space 18 of a spring holder 25 described later is formed therein. Is configured.
[0010]
A lock arm 20 for holding the housings 1 and 11 in a fitted state is provided in the housing space 18. The lock arm 20 is arranged in the front-rear direction from a position slightly retracted from the front surface of the main body portion 12 to a position protruding rearward slightly from the rear surface, and is connected to the upper surface of the main body portion 12 at a substantially central portion in the length direction. The front and rear are bent into a seesaw shape and can be deformed with the connecting portion 21 as a fulcrum. A lock claw 22 having a hook shape is formed at the distal end of the lock arm 20, and when both the housings 1 and 11 are completely fitted, the both housings 1 and 11 are fitted by locking to the rear surface side of the locking projection 3. It works to keep it in a state. A taper surface is formed on the distal end surface of the lock claw 22 toward the back side so that the ride-up operation on the locking protrusion 3 can be performed smoothly.
[0011]
A spring holder 25 is accommodated in the accommodating space 18 so as to cover the lock arm 20. The spring holder 25 is unitized in a state in which a coil spring 41 to be described later is incorporated, and is handled in a unit state so that it can be incorporated in the accommodation space 18. As shown in FIG. 5, the spring holder 25 has a flat plate-like substrate 26 with a narrow front end side, and a pair of left and right spring accommodating portions 27 are sandwiched between the lock arm 20 on the lower surface thereof. (See FIG. 7).
[0012]
A pair of guide rails 28 are formed on both the left and right side surfaces of the spring holder 25 so as to extend substantially over the entire length. The front ends of both guide rails 28 are tapered. On the other hand, front and rear grooves 29 are formed in the left and right inner walls of the housing space 18 of the female housing 11 so that both guide rails 28 are slidably fitted. The grooves 29 are formed to open to the rear side. Has been. For this reason, the spring holder 25 can be inserted from the rear side by aligning the left and right guide rails 28 with the corresponding grooves 29, and the substrate 26 can enter between the ceiling surface of the arch portion 15 and the upper surface of the lock arm 20. It has become.
[0013]
On the front end side of the ceiling surface of the arch portion 15, a protective wall 30 is formed over a predetermined area. Therefore, the forward movement of the inserted spring holder 25 is restricted when the tip of the narrow portion 31 abuts against the protective wall 30. In addition, the protective wall 30 also functions to protect against the external force acting on the tip of the narrow portion 31 when the spring holder 25 is assembled.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 1, the spring holder 25 that is inserted into the accommodation space 18 and restricted by the front stop as described above is in a state where a part of the rear end side is exposed behind the arch portion 15. The exposed rear end corresponds to the upper surface of the rear end of the lock arm 20, and a release operation piece 32 for unlocking the lock arm 20 is formed here. As shown in FIG. 5, the release operation piece 32 is cut on both sides thereof so as to be able to bend and deform in the vertical direction, and an operation step portion 33 that is one step higher is formed at the rear end portion. . The rear corner portion of the operation step portion 33 is a tapered operation surface 34, and a jig hole 35 for inserting a jig such as a minus driver is formed in the operation surface 34. The vertical contact surface 36 of the jig hole 35 is also inclined.
[0015]
In addition, a relief recess 38 is formed on the back surface of the substrate 26 of the spring holder 25 with the width of the release operation piece 32 described above leaving the front edge. The relief recess 38 is for allowing the lock arm 20 to bend when the lock arm 20 gets over the locking projection 3 while the housings 1 and 11 are fitted.
On the other hand, the front wall of the relief recess 38 becomes a restraint wall 39 that engages with the front end of the lock arm 20 and restricts the backward movement of the spring holder 25 described later. The contact surface 40 of the constraining wall 39 is a tapered surface that gradually increases in thickness upward.
[0016]
The coil springs 41 are accommodated in the spring accommodating portions 27 of the spring holder 25 in a substantially natural state and horizontally. As shown in FIG. 7, the front surface side of the spring accommodating portion 27 is formed by opening only the inner half of the spring accommodating portion 27. That is, the spring accommodating portion 27 accommodates both springs by a pair of stop pieces 42 formed at the front end edges of the both spring accommodating portions 27. The outer half surface of the portion 27 is covered and hidden. A spring seat 44 is fitted on the front end sides of the two coil springs 41. Both spring seats 44 prevent the coil spring 41 from coming forward by contacting with the back side of the stopper piece 42. Further, the portions exposed from the stopper pieces 42 in both spring seats 44 are set at positions facing the ribs 4 of the male housing 1 when the male and female housings 1 and 11 are fitted, and thus this fitting is performed. In some cases, the compression operation of the coil spring 41 is performed by the ribs 4 via the corresponding spring seats 44.
[0017]
A pair of holding arms 54 for temporarily locking the spring holder 25 in the forward position is provided on the outer side surfaces of both spring accommodating portions 27. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, a mounting plate 55 is formed on the rear end side of the outer surface of both spring accommodating portions 27 so as to open obliquely downward, and is held from the tip of the mounting plate 55. The arm 54 is formed in a cantilever shape extending forward in a posture substantially along the plate surface of the mounting plate 55. Therefore, both holding arms 54 can be bent and deformed obliquely inward, and a locking claw 56 is formed at the tip thereof.
[0018]
On the other hand, a pair of hooks 60 project from the left and right corners of the upper surface, in other words, at the shoulders, on the outer peripheral surface of the substantially central portion of the main body 12 in the length direction. The pawl 56 can be elastically locked to the corresponding hooking portion 60. Thus, the spring holder 25 is always temporarily locked at the forward movement position. The locking claws 56 of the holding arms 54 can abut against both corners at the top edge of the male housing 1 (see FIG. 13). Is disengaged. However, when the engagement is released, the housings 1 and 11 are completely fitted, and the state immediately before the locking of the spring holder 25 by the lock arm 20 is released (the state shown in FIGS. 11 and 12). It is set to be.
[0019]
As shown in detail in FIG. 14, the contact surface 57 with which the leading edge of the male housing 1 contacts with the locking claw 56 and the locking surface 58 with which the hook 60 is locked are formed in a tapered shape. Has been. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, oblique guide grooves 62 for inserting and guiding the holding arm 54 and the mounting plate 55 are formed at both end portions on the bottom surface side in the accommodation space 18 described above.
[0020]
In addition, a pair of left and right upper protrusions 64 are formed in the vicinity of the base of the narrow portion 31 on the upper surface of the substrate 26, while the ceiling surface of the arch portion 15 has the above-mentioned as shown in FIG. An escape groove 65 in the front-rear direction for fitting the upper protrusion 64 to escape is formed, and upper locking protrusions 66 that can be locked to the upper protrusions 64 are formed in the middle of the groove. In addition, a pair of left and right lower protrusions 67 are formed at a position near the rear end of the lower surface of the spring accommodating portion 27, while the lower protrusion 67 is fitted to the bottom surface (extending surface 16) of the accommodating space 18. An escaping groove 68 in the front-rear direction is formed, and a lower locking protrusion 69 that can be locked to each lower protrusion 67 is formed at a midway position. Then, when the restraint of the spring holder 25 is released and the retracting operation is performed, the upper protrusion 64 and the lower protrusion 67 abut against the upper locking protrusion 66 and the lower locking protrusion 69, respectively. 25 backwards are regulated.
[0021]
Further, on the left and right outer surfaces of the distal end edge of the hood portion 14 of the female housing 11, a mark 71 for projecting the mating region of the mating male housing 1 is provided. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 8, the mark 71 is provided so as to substantially correspond to the left and right corners on the upper surface of the main body 12, and is located below the mark 71 in the hood part 14. This area is the fitting area of the male housing 1. These marks 71 are visible from the rear side of the female housing 11.
[0022]
This embodiment has the structure as described above, and the operation thereof will be described subsequently.
When the male and female housings 1 and 11 are fitted, the female housing 11 in which the spring holder 25 is temporarily locked in the forward position is assembled directly from the electric device as shown by the arrow in FIG. The male housing 1 is provided so as to face the male housing 1. In this case, the male housing 1 needs to be fitted around the main body portion 12 in the female housing 11, but the height of the hood portion 14 including the arch portion 15 in the female housing 11 is higher than the height of the male housing 1. Therefore, in the form in which the fitting surface side of the female housing 11 is not visible, it is difficult to understand which region of the hood portion 14 should be matched with the male housing 1.
[0023]
In this respect, in this embodiment, since the left and right side surfaces of the outer surface of the hood portion 14 are provided with marks 71 indicating positions substantially corresponding to the upper surface of the male housing 1, The male housing 1 can be fitted around the main body portion 12 of the female housing 11 by pushing the hood portion 14 over the male housing 1 so that the male housing 1 comes to the side.
[0024]
When the male and female housings 1 and 11 are fitted in this way, the lock claw 22 of the lock arm 20 abuts against the locking projection 3 of the male housing 1, and the lock claw of the lock arm 20 as shown in FIG. The 22 side rides on the locking projection 3 and is lifted, whereby the locking claw 22 is locked to the restraining wall 39 of the spring holder 25. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, the ribs 4 come into contact with the corresponding spring seats 44 with a slight delay from the contact between the lock claw 22 and the locking projection 3, and as the fitting proceeds, the two coil springs 41 are moved. Is pushed in. At this time, as described above, since the spring holder 25 is restrained from moving backward by the locking of the lock arm 20 and the restraining wall 39, both the coil springs 41 are restrained on the rear end side thereof, and both the coil springs 41 are Each of the ribs 4 is compressed by being pushed.
[0025]
However, until the movement of the spring holder 25 is restricted by the lock arm 20, both the holding arms 54 are in a state of being locked to the hooking portion 60, so that the two coil springs 41 may be pushed for some reason. Even if it exists, the spring holder 25 will not retreat carelessly.
[0026]
The locking between the holding arms 54 and the hooking portion 60 continues even while the housings 1 and 11 are being fitted, but the state just before the complete fitting, that is, just before the lock claw 22 gets over the locking projection 3. In this state (the state shown in FIGS. 11 and 12), as shown in FIG. 13, the leading edge of the male housing 1 abuts against the abutment surface 57 of the latching claw 56 of the both holding arms 54 and the both holding arms 54. In order to lift the front end side of the hook, the latching between the latching claw 56 and the hook portion 60 is released. In other words, this release operation is performed prior to the release of the locking of the spring holder 25 by the lock arm 20.
[0027]
Here, the locking claws 56 of the both holding arms 54 are locked in an oblique posture with respect to the hooking portions 60 projecting from both shoulder portions on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 12. As shown in the figure, even when the male housing 1 is fitted in a relatively downward posture, the leading edge of the male housing 1 (both corners of the upper edge) is the contact surface 57 of the locking claw 56. Therefore, the locking claw 56 can be reliably released from the hooking portion 60.
[0028]
Further, as shown in FIG. 14A, since the locking surface 58 of the locking claw 56 of the holding arm 54 is formed in a tapered shape, the leading edge of the male housing 1 is the contact surface of the locking claw 56. When pressing 57, the holding arm 54 gradually bends and deforms while the locking surface 58 is in sliding contact with the corner of the hook 60 as shown by the solid arrow in FIG. The nail | claw 56 act | operates so that it may remove | deviate from the hook part 60. FIG. That is, since the locking claw 56 is gradually detached from the hooking portion 60, no abnormal noise is generated as in the case where the locking claw 56 is released from the hooking portion 60 at once, for example. Therefore, as will be described later, the housings 1 and 11 are completely fitted, so that there is no possibility of mistaken with the sound generated when the lock arm 20 moves backward, and the fitting operation is interrupted due to a misunderstanding caused by the occurrence of abnormal noise. It is prevented in advance.
[0029]
In addition to the case of the above-mentioned misunderstanding, the fitting operation of both the housings 1 and 11 may be interrupted in the middle, that is, may be kept in a semi-fitted state. In that case, the female housing 11 is pushed back away from the male housing 1 by the spring force of the coil springs 41 incorporated in the spring holder 25 until both terminals are in a non-conductive state. Since this detects that it was a half-fitting, what is necessary is just to push in the female housing 11 again.
[0030]
Further, even when the holding arm 54 is already bent and deformed and remains in the half-fitted state, the tapered locking surface 58 of the locking claw 56 is hooked as shown in FIG. As long as the hooks are caught at the corners of the portion 60, following the two housings 1 and 11 being pulled apart, the locking claws 56 follow the taper by the restoring elasticity, as shown by the chain line in FIG. Returning to the original locking position, the temporary locking of the spring holder 25 is achieved again. Therefore, the spring holder 25 is prevented from inadvertently retreating before the female housing 11 is pushed again, and the fitting detection function using the coil spring 41 can be exhibited again.
[0031]
On the other hand, when both the housings 1 and 11 are fitted to the normal position, the lock claw 22 of the lock arm 20 gets over the locking projection 3 and the lock arm 20 is allowed to return. At this time, the restraint wall 39 is pressed against the front end of the lock arm 20, and the spring force of the coil spring 41 acts in the horizontal direction. However, since the contact surface 40 of the constraining wall 39 is formed as a tapered surface, the component force in the direction in which the lock arm 20 moves backward along the tapered surface from the spring force of the coil spring 41. With this component force and the return force of the lock arm 20 itself, the lock arm 20 is smoothly returned to the original position as shown in FIG. Along with this, the locking claw 22 is locked to the rear surface of the locking projection 3 to lock the fitting state, and the electrical connection between the male and female terminal fittings is completed.
[0032]
At the same time, the lock claw 22 is released from the restraint wall 39, so that the spring holder 25 is released from the restraint by the lock arm 20, and the spring holder 25 is retracted by the spring force of both coil springs 41. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, the upper protrusion 64 hits the upper locking protrusion 66 and the lower protrusion 67 hits the lower locking protrusion 69, whereby the retreat of the spring holder 25 is stopped. Since both the coil springs 41 have returned to their natural length as the spring holder 25 moves backward, they do not act as a force for separating the housings 1 and 11 in the fully fitted state.
Further, in the fully fitted state, as shown in FIG. 17, the restraint wall 39 of the spring holder 25 presses the front end side of the lock arm 20. Thus, a more secure locked state is obtained.
[0033]
When the two housings 1 and 11 are separated from each other, from the state shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the operation surface 34 of the release operation piece 32 is pressed vertically, or a jig is inserted into the jig hole 35 and the contact surface 36. When the two are pressed vertically, first, the spring holder 25 is pushed forward by compressing both the coil springs 41 by the forward component force, and both holding arms 54 are locked to the hooking portion 60 again. At this time, since the restraint wall 39 has returned to the position where the restraint wall 39 passes through the front end of the lock arm 20, the release operation piece 32 is subsequently bent and deformed downward by a downward component force. The rear end side of the arm 20 is pushed, the front end side of the lock arm 20 is forcibly lifted, and the lock claw 22 is disengaged from the locking projection 3. Thereby, both the housings 1 and 11 can be pulled apart.
[0034]
In this embodiment, the following special advantages are obtained. When the hood portion 14 of the female housing 11 is fitted to the male housing 1, the hood portion 14 is taller than the male housing 1, so that any region of the hood portion 14 is fitted to the male housing 1. Although it is difficult to determine whether or not it is necessary to match, since the left and right side surfaces of the outer surface of the hood portion 14 are provided with marks 71 indicating positions substantially corresponding to the upper surface of the male housing 1, the marks 71 are arranged from the rear. The male housing 1 can be fitted around the main body portion 12 of the female housing 11 by pushing the hood portion 14 over the male housing 1 so that the male housing 1 comes to the lower side while visually observing. That is, the fitting operation of the male and female housings 1 and 11 can be performed smoothly.
[0035]
<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, the protruding means is exemplified as the mark means, but conversely, it is a groove-shaped thing or a different color from the outer surface of the hood part. What is necessary is just to show the fitting area | region of a housing so that visual recognition from the rear surface side is possible.
(2) The present invention can be similarly applied to a housing in which the male housing is handled as a single unit, not directly connected to the device.
[0036]
(3) In the structure in which the spring holder and the lock arm are set on the male housing side and covered with the hood portion, and the female housing is fitted in the hood portion, the female housing is provided on the outer surface of the hood portion of the male housing. A mark indicating the fitting region may be provided.
(4) The present invention is not limited to a fitting detection connector using a spring, but is a type in which the other housing is fitted into a predetermined region in the hood portion provided on one fitting surface side of the male and female housings. It can be widely applied to all connectors.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing both housings before mating according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of a female housing. FIG. 3 is a rear view of the female housing. Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the spring holder. Fig. 6 is a front view of the spring holder. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view cut at the mounting portion of the coil spring of the female housing. FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway side view showing the fitting operation of the coil. FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the lock arm is in contact with the locking projection. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where compression of the coil spring is started. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state immediately before the lock arm gets over the locking projection. FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a compression state of the coil spring at the same time as the state shown in FIG. 11. FIG. At the timing of dissociation Fig. 14 is an enlarged view of the locking portion of the holding arm. Fig. 15 is a schematic view when both housings are squeezed together. Fig. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the lock arm is moved backward. FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the spring holder is retracted. FIG. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view cut at the coil spring mounting portion at that time. FIG. 19 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state before fitting according to a conventional example. [Fig. 20] Perspective view [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Male housing 11 ... Female housing 12 ... Main-body part 14 ... Hood part 15 ... Arch part 71 ... Mark

Claims (2)

In the connector in which the hood portion is provided on the fitting surface side in one of the male and female housings, and the other housing is fitted in a predetermined region of the hood portion,
On the outer surface of the hood portion, a mark visible from the rear in the fitting direction of the one housing is provided, and the one housing has a lower area from the mark as a fitting area for the other housing. The connector is capable of positioning with respect to the other housing when the male and female housings are fitted .   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the mark is provided on an end edge of the hood portion on a fitting side.

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