JP4056489B2 - Connector lock structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector locking structure that electrically connects a plurality of connection terminals by fitting a pair of male and female connectors together.

  As an example of a conventional connector locking structure, a male connector housing on the wire harness side is provided with an engaging projection, and the male connector housing is inserted into and removed from the hood portion of the female connector housing on the equipment side (board side). An insertion groove for inserting the engagement protrusion of the connector housing is provided, and a slide member having a flexible locking protrusion that engages with the engagement protrusion at the rear of the insertion groove in the connector insertion direction is a pressing operation of the operation portion. Is provided so as to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the connector insertion / removal direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In such a connector locking structure, when the sliding member is pressed and the male and female connector housings are fitted, the engaging protrusions of the male connector housing are engaged and locked by the locking protrusions of the lock arm, respectively. Then, the lock is released by moving the slide member in a direction opposite to the lock by a width corresponding to one engagement protrusion.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-040266 (pages 3 to 4, FIGS. 1 and 10)

  However, in the connector locking structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, the slide member is pressed in the direction perpendicular to the connector insertion / removal direction when the male / female connector housing is inserted or removed, thereby locking / unlocking the connector. It was necessary to perform a locking operation. In recent years, slide members have inevitably become small due to the demand for connector miniaturization, and it has become difficult to ensure the operability of the slide members. In particular, the male connector housing is moved in the connector insertion / removal direction. At the same time, independently moving the slide member in the direction perpendicular to the connector insertion direction complicates the pressing operation of the slide member, which is a factor that hinders reliable locking and unlocking operations.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector locking structure in which the operability of the slide member is improved while having a compact outer shape.

In order to achieve the object described above, the present invention is characterized by the following (1) to (3) .

(1) A lock structure provided on a male and female connector that can be fitted, wherein the female connector housing has a hood portion into which the male connector housing is inserted and removed, and an engagement protrusion is provided on the inner wall of the hood portion. A locking member that engages with the engaging protrusion and a slide member for releasing the engagement between the locking member and the engaging protrusion are provided on the outer surface of the male connector housing , A slide member is supported so as to be movable in the connector insertion direction, and with the complete fitting of the male and female connector housings, the locking member and the engagement protrusion are engaged, and the slide member is in the connector insertion direction. Go to the engagement and abutting projections with the locking member engaged and displaces the side of the engaging projections along the locking member on the outer surface of the male connector housing, whereby , The locking member and the A window that releases the engagement with the engagement protrusion and exposes the engagement portion of the locking member displaced to the side of the engagement protrusion on the hood portion of the female connector housing. Be provided .

According to the connector lock structure having the above-described configuration, the connector insertion / removal direction and the slide member operation direction are parallel to each other, thereby releasing the engagement between the locking member and the engagement protrusion even in a small connector. It is possible to improve the operability of the slide member when performing.
According to the connector locking structure having the above-described configuration, the locking member and the engaging protrusion are disposed between the hood portion of the female connector housing and the outer surface of the male connector housing, and are externally disposed when the male and female connectors are fitted. Since it is not exposed, it is possible to prevent the engagement between the locking member and the engaging protrusion from being inadvertently released when receiving an impact or the like from the outside.
Furthermore, according to the lock structure of the connector having the above configuration, the operation of the engaging portion of the locking member can be visually confirmed through the window provided in the hood portion of the connector housing. It is possible to easily detect the engagement state of the engagement protrusion, and thus the half-fitted state of the male and female connector housings.

(2) The connector lock structure according to (1) , wherein the locking member has at least one elastic piece extending in a connector insertion direction, and the elastic piece has the engagement protrusion at a tip portion thereof. And can be elastically deformed so as to move the tip portion to the side of the engaging protrusion along the outer surface of the male connector housing.

  According to the lock structure of the connector having the above-described configuration, the distal end portion of the elastic piece of the locking member engaged with the engagement protrusion is elastically deformed so as to move along the outer surface of the male connector housing. The thickness can be reduced. As a result, the male and female connectors can be made compact.

(3) In the connector lock structure according to (2) , the locking member has a pair of elastic pieces formed symmetrically with respect to a virtual center line parallel to the connector insertion direction of the engagement protrusion. thing.

  According to the connector lock structure having the above-described configuration, the pair of elastic pieces bends evenly and uniformly with respect to the virtual center line parallel to the connector insertion direction of the engagement protrusion as the elastic member comes into contact with the slide member. The force components that intersect the connector insertion direction among the elastic forces of the pieces act so as to cancel each other. Therefore, when the slide member is moved and brought into contact with the locking member in order to release the engagement between the elastic piece (locking member) and the engaging protrusion, the connector is inserted into the sliding member, that is, the moving direction. Only the force component parallel to is applied. Thereby, the inclination at the time of movement of a slide member is prevented, it becomes possible to move a slide member smoothly without backlash, and the operativity of a slide member can be improved.

  According to the lock structure of the connector of the present invention, the operability of the slide member can be improved while having a compact outer shape.

Hereinafter, a plurality of suitable embodiments concerning the present invention are described in detail based on a drawing.
1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a connector locking structure according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of a female connector housing in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of a male connector housing in FIG. 4 is a single perspective view of the slide member in FIG. 1, FIGS. 5A to 5C are plan views showing a process of locking the male and female connectors in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is an unlocking operation of the male and female connectors in FIG. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a connector locking structure 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of first terminals (not shown) of either a male terminal type or a female terminal type. A male connector 3 having a male connector housing 12 to be accommodated, and a plurality of second terminals (not shown) which are either the male terminal type or the female terminal type and are electrically connected to the first terminal. In the fitting with the female connector 2 including the female connector housing 11 that accommodates the female connector housing 11, an elastic piece 14 that is a locking member provided on the male connector housing 12 and a locking projection 15 provided on the female connector housing 11 are provided. The male and female connectors are locked by being engaged, and the male and female connectors are locked by operating the slide member 13 assembled to the male connector housing 12 in the connector insertion direction. It is intended to cancel.

  The female connector housing 11 is provided with a hood portion 11b that surrounds the second terminal and into which the male connector housing 12 is inserted and removed, and an engaging projection 15 projects from the ceiling surface of the inner wall of the hood portion 11b. ing. An elastic piece 14 that engages with the engagement protrusion 15 of the female connector housing 11 is provided on the upper side surface of the male connector housing 12, and the engagement between the elastic piece 14 and the engagement protrusion 15 is released. The slide member 13 is assembled. The slide member 13 is supported so as to be movable relative to the male connector housing 12 in the connector insertion direction and the removal direction (connector insertion / removal direction).

  The female connector housing 11 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a base portion 11a that protrudes from the one end surface of the second terminal in a direction perpendicular to the end surface and holds the end portion in alignment with the longitudinal direction of the end surface. And a hood portion 11b of the female connector housing 11 is formed in a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape protruding from the outer edge portion of the end surface of the base portion 11a in the same direction as the second terminal. The connector insertion / removal direction is defined by the axial direction of the hood portion 11b (in other words, the protruding direction from the end face of the base portion 11a). The female connector housing 11 is fixed on a substrate (not shown), and the base end portion of the second terminal is electrically connected to the printed wiring arranged on the substrate.

  On the ceiling surface of the inner wall of the hood portion 11B, a substantially prismatic engagement protrusion 15 that engages with the locking member 14 provided on the male connector housing 12 is formed at the center in the longitudinal direction so as to protrude from the ceiling surface. Has been. Further, a window 22 formed in a substantially rectangular shape is formed on the side of the engagement protrusion 15. A plurality of ribs 21 are formed along the connector insertion / removal direction on the side end portion of the ceiling surface of the hood portion 11b and the side wall surface connected to the side end portion of the ceiling surface.

  The male connector housing 12 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape corresponding to the inner wall shape of the hood portion 11B of the female connector housing 11, and when inserted into the male and female connectors, the insertion direction into the hood portion 11B (hereinafter referred to as the connector insertion direction). The length in the connector insertion direction is set so that the rear end portion (rear end portion) is exposed from the hood portion 11B. The male connector housing 12 has an opening in the end surface of the rear end portion, and a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing space 33 for housing the plurality of first terminals is formed therein. The plurality of first terminals are held in alignment in the longitudinal direction by a holding member (not shown), and the holding member is configured to fit in the accommodation space 33. In addition, each lead part (not shown) provided in the wire harness (not shown) is electrically connected to each base end part (end part on the rear side in the connector insertion direction) of the plurality of first terminals. Yes. The front end portion of the male connector housing 12 has a plurality of through holes so that the plurality of second terminals accommodated in the female connector housing 11 can reach the plurality of first terminals, respectively, when the male and female connectors are fitted. (Not shown) is formed.

  On the side wall surface connected to the side wall of the upper wall surface of the male connector housing 12 (that is, the outer surface facing the ceiling surface of the female connector housing 11 when the male and female connector housings are fitted). A plurality of ribs 31 are formed along the connector insertion / removal direction, and each rib 31 is a pair of adjacent ribs 21 provided on the hood portion 11B of the female connector housing 11 when the male and female connectors are fitted. The fitting groove defined by 21 is fitted. Thereby, when the male and female connectors are fitted, the male connector housing 12 is accurately positioned with respect to the female connector housing 11, and each rib 31 is guided to the fitting groove when the male and female connector housings are moved. Therefore, the male connector housing 12 can be smoothly inserted into the hood portion 11B of the female connector housing 11.

  On the upper wall surface of the male connector housing 12, a pair of guide rails 32a and 32b that support the slide member 13 so as to be movable in the connector insertion direction protrude upward from the upper wall surface. The pair of guide rails 32a and 32b are formed to extend from the front end portion to the rear end portion of the male connector housing 12 along the connector insertion direction at a predetermined distance.

  On the other side surface (outer surface) of the pair of guide rails 32a and 32b facing each other, there are provided guide grooves 35 that engage with sliding contact projections 53 of the slide member 13 described later. Each guide groove 35 is formed along the connector insertion direction. The pair of guide rails 32a and 32b is set so that the height of the male connector housing 12 protruding from the upper wall surface of the male connector housing 12 is smaller than that of the rib 31. Therefore, when the female and male connector housings are fitted, And a guide rail 32, a gap is formed, and the slide member 13 can enter the gap.

  The elastic piece 14 that engages with the engagement protrusion 15 of the female connector housing 11 is made substantially parallel to the upper wall surface of the male connector housing 12, and either one of the pair of guide rails 32a and 32b (in this embodiment). The guide rail 32a) is provided in a single-supported manner on the inner side surface. The elastic piece 14 extends from the front end portion of the inner side surface of the guide rail 32a substantially perpendicularly to the base end portion 41 via the curved portion 42 and is directed rearward in the connector insertion direction. The leg piece portion 43 is extended, and the latching claw 44 and the contact portion 45 are provided at the distal end portion of the leg piece portion 43.

  The locking claw 44 of the elastic piece 14 is located on the side of the guide rail 32b (that is, the other guide rail to which the elastic piece 14 of the pair of guide rails 32a and 32b is connected) at the tip of the leg piece 43. It is formed to bulge from the side surface, and has a curved sliding contact surface 44a on the front side in the connector insertion direction and a locking surface 44b on the rear side in the connector insertion direction. The engaging surface 44b is engaged with the rear end surface 15b of the engaging protrusion 15 of the female connector housing 11 (that is, the end surface opposite to the end surface on the opening side of the hood portion 11b) when the male and female connector housings are completely fitted. The male connector housing 12 is prevented from moving relative to the female connector housing 11 in the connector removal direction, that is, the male and female connectors are locked. Further, the contact portion 45 of the elastic piece 14 is formed so as to protrude rearward in the connector insertion direction from the protruding end of the distal end portion of the leg piece portion.

  The slide member 13 includes a substantially rectangular plate-shaped operation portion 51 and a pair of side walls 52 and 52 that are bent and extended at substantially right angles from side end portions on both sides of the operation portion 51. The slide member 13 is assembled to the male connector housing 12 so as to cover the rear end portions of the pair of guide rails 32a, 32b, and guides the sliding contact projections 53 protruding from the side surfaces of the pair of side walls 52, 52 facing each other. The guide grooves 35 of the rail 32 are engaged with each other and supported so as to be movable in the connector insertion direction.

  A substantially prismatic unlocking protrusion 16 is provided at a substantially central portion of the operation portion 51 so as to protrude in the same direction as the side wall 52 extends, and is assembled to the male connector housing 12. In this state, the corner of the unlocking projection 16 on the front side in the connector insertion direction and on the elastic piece 14 side is cut out to form an inclined surface 16a. Further, a window 54 that is formed in a substantially rectangular shape is formed on the side of the unlocking required protrusion 16. Further, the retainer 34 formed between the rear end portions of the pair of guide rails 32a, 32b of the male connector housing 12 and the rear end surface of the unlocking projection 16 are in contact with each other, so that the slide lock member 13 is rearward in the connector insertion direction. Dropout is regulated.

  Next, the locking operation of the male and female connectors will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In a state where the slide member 13 is assembled to the male connector housing 12, the male connector housing 12 is inserted into the hood portion 11 b of the female connector housing 11. The engaging protrusion 15 provided on the hood portion 11b of the female connector housing 11 relatively enters between the pair of guide rails 32a and 32b of the male connector housing 12, and as shown in FIG. The front end surface 15 a of the protrusion 15 abuts on the sliding contact surface 44 a of the locking claw 44 of the elastic piece 14 provided on the male connector housing 12.

  When the male connector housing 12 is further inserted, as shown in FIG. 5 (B), the engaging projection 15 moves relatively so as to push away the locking claw 44, and the elastic piece 14 The curved portion 42 is mainly elastically deformed so that the locking claw 44 (that is, the tip end portion of the leg piece portion 43) is brought close to the guide rail 32a side while the sliding contact surface 44a is in sliding contact with the engaging protrusion 15. Let

  When the male connector housing 12 is further inserted and the male and female connector housings are completely fitted, as shown in FIG. 5 (C), the engagement protrusions 15 are located at the rear of the locking claws 44 in the connector insertion direction, that is, the engagement. Reach position. At this time, the contact between the curved surface 44 a of the locking claw 44 and the engaging projection 15 is released, the elastic piece 14 is restored from the elastic deformation, and the engaging surface 44 b of the locking claw 44 is behind the engaging projection 15. Engages with the end face 15b. Thereby, the engagement protrusion 15 is reliably latched by the elastic piece 14, and the locking operation of the male and female connectors is automatically completed.

  Incidentally, in a series of fitting movements of the male connector housing 12 to the female connector housing 11, the operation of the distal end portion (the locking claw 44) of the elastic piece 14 is visually observed through the window 22 provided in the female connector housing 11. The half-fitted state of the male and female connector housings can be easily detected.

  Next, the unlocking operation of the male and female connectors will be described with reference to FIG. For the sake of simplicity, only the engagement protrusion 15 is shown for the female connector 2.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the locked state of the female connector housing 11 and the male connector housing 12 is released, the slide member 13 is moved in the connector insertion direction so that the guide rails 32a and 32b and the ceiling surface of the hood portion 11b Entry into the gap. As the slide member 13 moves, the inclined surface 16 a of the unlocking protrusion 16 provided on the slide member 13 comes into contact with the contact portion 45 of the elastic piece 14. When the slide member 13 is further moved in the connector insertion direction, the unlocking protrusion 16 moves the contact portion 45 along the inclined surface 16a so as to push the tip portion of the leg piece portion 43 toward the guide rail 32a. Then, the curved portion 42 of the elastic piece 14 is elastically deformed. Thereby, the engagement between the engagement surface 44b of the locking claw 44 and the rear end surface 15b of the engagement protrusion 15 is released, and the locked state of the male and female connectors is released.

  When the slide member 13 is moved in the connector insertion direction, the window 22 of the female connector housing 11 and the window 54 of the slide member 13 overlap each other, and the operation of the tip portion of the elastic piece 14 can be visually confirmed. The engagement state between the elastic piece 14 and the engagement protrusion 15 can be easily confirmed.

  The connector locking structure of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications and improvements can be made. For example, the number of first terminals and second terminals accommodated in the male and female connector housings may be at least one or more, and a plurality of terminals may be arranged in a plurality of stages such as three stages or four stages.

  Moreover, although the elastic piece 14 was provided in any one of a pair of guide rail 32a, 32b, you may provide in a pair of guide rail 32a, 32b, respectively. In this case, the pair of elastic pieces are related to a virtual center line parallel to the connector insertion / removal direction of the engagement protrusion 15 (in other words, a virtual line parallel to and equidistant from the pair of guide rails 32a and 32b). It is preferable that they are provided symmetrically. As a result, due to the elastic deformation of the elastic piece 14, the pressing force acting on the members that contact the elastic piece 14 (in the above-described embodiment, the engaging protrusion 15 of the female connector housing 11 and the unlocking protrusion 16 of the slide member 13). Since the pressure acts symmetrically and without unevenness, rattling of each member can be prevented, and the male and female connectors can be stably locked and unlocked.

  The elastic piece 14 is integrally formed with the connector housing by injection molding synthetic resin, but the material is not limited as long as it has elasticity. For example, it may be formed from an elastic metal material and integrated with the connector housing by insert molding or the like.

It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the locking structure of the connector which concerns on this invention. It is a principal part perspective view of the female connector housing in FIG. It is a principal part perspective view of the male connector housing in FIG. It is a single-piece | unit perspective view of the slide member in FIG. (A)-(C) are principal part top views which show the process of the locking operation of the male-and-female connector in FIG. It is a principal part top view which shows the unlocking operation | movement of the male-and-female connector in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector lock structure 2 Female connector 3 Male connector 11 Female connector housing 12 Male connector housing 13 Slide member 14 Elastic piece (locking member)
15 Engaging protrusion 16 Unlocking protrusion

Claims (3)

A locking structure provided in a matable male and female connector,
The female connector housing has a hood portion into which the male connector housing is inserted and removed, and an engagement protrusion is provided on the inner wall of the hood portion ,
On the outer surface of the male connector housing, a locking member that engages with the engaging protrusion, and a slide member for releasing the engagement between the locking member and the engaging protrusion are provided .
The slide member is supported to be movable in the connector insertion direction,
With the complete fitting of the male and female connector housings, the locking member and the engaging protrusion are engaged,
The slide member is moved in the connector insertion direction, come into contact with the locking member engaged with the engaging projection, the engaging projection along the locking member on the outer surface of the male connector housing Displacement to the side, thereby disengaging the locking member and the engagement protrusion;
In the connector, the hood portion of the female connector housing is provided with a window that exposes an engaging portion of the locking member displaced to the side of the engaging projection with the engaging projection . Lock structure. The locking member has at least one elastic piece extending in the connector insertion direction,
The elastic piece can be elastically deformed so as to engage with the engaging protrusion at the tip portion and move the tip portion to the side of the engaging protrusion along the outer surface of the male connector housing. The connector locking structure according to claim 1 , wherein the connector locking structure is provided. The connector locking structure according to claim 2 , wherein the locking member has a pair of elastic pieces provided symmetrically with respect to a virtual center line parallel to the connector insertion direction of the engagement protrusion.

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