JP4228848B2 - Terminal housing member with retainer and jig - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal housing member with a retainer and a jig.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when manufacturing a wire harness, a terminal fitting connected to a terminal of an electric wire is transported to an assembly site for the housing, and then the terminal fitting is accommodated in the housing. Among these, what was described in the following patent document 1 is known as what aimed at protecting the terminal metal fitting in the conveyance process. In this device, a plurality of terminal fittings are bundled together, and the terminal fittings are surrounded by a substantially cylindrical protective cap to protect the terminal fittings.
However, in the above, the terminal fittings are only bundled, and each terminal fitting cannot be fixed individually. There was a risk of deformation.

Therefore, it is conceivable to protect the terminal fitting by diverting a housing normally used for the connector instead of the protective cap. That is, after the terminal fittings are connected to the electric wires, the terminal fittings are housed in the housing and then transported, so that the terminal fittings can be fixed individually even during the transportation process, and the terminal fittings rub against each other Such a situation can be avoided.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-80787

However, if the housing used for the connector is diverted, the following problems occur. That is, the housing is usually provided with a retaining portion such as a lance to prevent the terminal fitting from coming off, but when each terminal fitting is removed from the housing after transportation, the locking state by the retaining portion is determined as a jig. Therefore, there is a problem that the release work becomes complicated and wins, and the workability is not good.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal housing member with a retainer and a jig with improved workability.

As a means for achieving the above object, the retainer-equipped terminal accommodating member according to the invention of claim 1 is used when the terminal fitting is transported to the assembly site for the connector housing constituting the connector in the manufacturing process of the wire harness. It is those that are used, together with the and is insertable cavity terminal fittings provided with an elastically deformable lance in accordance with the insertion of the said terminal fitting into the cavity as a retaining portion retainer There are can be mounted, the retainer has a locking position for locking with respect to the terminal fitting the lance enters into the cavity, and a release position in which the lance is out of the terminal fitting is retracted from said cavity The jig can be moved between two positions, and the jig is pushed into the jig along the insertion direction of the terminal fitting. An opening through which the provided retainer operation portion is inserted is provided separately from the cavity, and is slidably contacted with a release guide portion provided in the retainer operation portion, so that the retainer is locked. A to-be-released guide portion that can be guided from a position to the release position is provided in the retainer, and is slidably contacted with a locking guide portion provided in the jig as it is separated from the jig. The retainer is characterized in that a locked guide portion capable of guiding the retainer from the release position to the locking position is provided in the retainer .

The invention of claim 2 is the one of the mounting serial to claim 1, the locking portion is capable of holding against jig by locking portion provided in the jig is engaged is provided, The locking structure is characterized in that it is a semi-locked structure in which the locked state is released as it is pulled away from the jig with an operating force equal to or greater than the pulling force acting when removing the terminal fitting.

In the wire harness manufacturing process, the jig according to the invention of claim 3 is used when removing the terminal fitting from the terminal housing member used when the terminal fitting is transported to the assembly site for the connector housing constituting the connector. is intended to be used, the insertion can cavity terminal fittings are attached to the terminal housing member provided elastic deformation along with the insertion of the terminal fitting into the cavity as a retaining portion A jig for operating a retainer having a lance capable of being provided separately from the cavity in the terminal accommodating member as the terminal accommodating member is pushed along the insertion direction of the terminal fitting. A retainer operating portion that is inserted into the opened opening is provided, and the retainer operating portion includes a release guide portion provided in the retainer. It is in contact, from the locking position to the retainer the lance locking with respect to the terminal fitting enters into the cavity, with the lance retracted from the cavity can guide the release position disengaged from the terminal fitting The release guide portion is provided, and the retainer is moved from the release position to the lock position by slidingly contacting the locked guide portion provided on the retainer as the terminal accommodating member is pulled apart. It is characterized in that it has a configuration in which a guiding guide that can be guided is provided .

<Invention of Claims 1 and 3 >
The terminal fitting is accommodated in the terminal accommodating member, and is prevented from coming off by a lance which is a retaining portion of the retainer mounted at the locking position. After transporting in this state, when the terminal receiving member is pushed into the jig at the transport destination, the released guide portion is brought into sliding contact with the release guide portion, so that the retainer is moved from the locking position to the release position. So that the terminal fitting can be removed.
According to the present invention, it is possible to release the locked state of the terminal fitting by the lance simply by pushing the terminal accommodating member into the jig, so that workability is improved. In addition, even when a plurality of terminal fittings are accommodated, by moving the retainer to the release position, the locked state of each terminal fitting can be released collectively, and the workability is improved.
Since the terminal fitting can be inserted in a state in which the retainer is arranged at the locking position, workability when inserting the terminal fitting is improved.
When the terminal receiving member is pulled away from the jig after the work for removing the terminal fitting is finished, the locked guide portion is brought into sliding contact with the locking guide portion, so that the retainer is returned from the release position to the locking position. be able to. Therefore, when the terminal fitting is inserted again into the retainer-equipped terminal accommodating member, an operation for returning the retainer to the locking position is not required, so that workability is further improved.

<Invention of Claim 2 >
When the terminal housing member is pushed into the jig, the lock portion is locked to the locked portion, so that the terminal housing member is held against the jig. There is no need to hold down the terminal accommodating member, and workability is improved. And since the locked state is automatically released by pulling the terminal housing member away from the jig with an operating force greater than the pulling force that acts when removing the terminal fitting, workability is even better It becomes.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The terminal housing member 20 shown in this embodiment is used when the male terminal fitting 10 is transported to the assembly site for the connector housing (not shown) constituting the connector in the manufacturing process of the wire harness. The jig 50 is used when the male terminal fitting 10 is removed from the terminal accommodating member 20. The terminal accommodating member 20 can accommodate the male terminal fitting 10 having the tab 11 and can be fitted with a retainer 40 for preventing the male terminal fitting 10 from coming off. In the following description, the fitting surface side between the terminal accommodating member 20 and the jig 50 is referred to as the front, the opposite side is referred to as the rear, and the vertical direction will be described with reference to each drawing.

  The male terminal fitting 10 is formed into a predetermined shape by press-molding a metal plate. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in order from the front side, a tab 11 that can be connected to the counterpart female terminal fitting, A box-shaped main body portion 12 and a barrel portion 13 that is crimped and connected to the end of the electric wire W are connected. The tab 11 is formed in an elongated shape extending in the front-rear direction by bending the metal plate along a folding line along the front-rear direction. The barrel portion 13 includes a pair of caulking pieces 13a and 13b on the front and rear sides, of which the front caulking pieces 13a are exposed at the end of the electric wire W and the rear caulking pieces 13b are electric wires. It can be caulked to each of the W coatings.

  The main body 12 is connected to a bottom wall 12a extending forward and backward, a pair of side walls projecting downward from both side edges of the bottom wall 12a, and a side wall on the back side of FIG. 2, and is opposed to the bottom wall 12a. And an outer wall 12b that is connected to the side wall on the front side of FIG. 2 and is superimposed on the outside of the ceiling wall. A cutout portion 14 is formed at the approximate center in the length direction of the outer wall 12b, leaving a connecting portion on the front end side and opening to the front side of the sheet of FIG. On the front edge of the cutout portion 14 of the outer wall 12b, a locking projection 15 that can lock a lance 43 of a retainer 40, which will be described later, is formed so as to protrude downward (outward). The locking projection 15 is formed in a taper shape in which the width dimension and the height dimension gradually decrease toward the front end side, that is, in a substantially pyramid shape with the front end as an apex, and the lower surface and both side surfaces (outer surfaces) are formed in a tapered shape. ing. Further, a stabilizer 16 having a function of guiding the insertion operation with respect to the terminal accommodating member 20 is formed so as to protrude in the same direction as the locking projection 15 from the rear end at the front end portion of the outer wall 12b.

  The terminal accommodating member 20 is made of a synthetic resin, is formed in a substantially block shape, and is provided with a cavity 21 into which four male terminal fittings 10 can be inserted from the rear side by side in the width direction. It has been. The peripheral wall 21a of the cavity 21 has a substantially lattice shape so that it can individually surround the male terminal fittings 10 (the main body portion 12 and the barrel portion 13) to be inserted. A locking projection insertion recess 21b for inserting the locking projection 15 is formed at the substantially center in the width direction on the lower surface of the cavity 21, and the stabilizer 16 is inserted on the back side of FIG. The stabilizer insertion recess 21c is formed to be deeper. Further, on the front side of the peripheral wall 21a of each cavity 21, a protection portion 22 having a substantially lattice shape capable of partitioning in a state of individually surrounding each tab 11 is connected. The protection section 22 is provided with four tab storage chambers 23 that can store the respective tabs 11. The tab storage chambers 23 are formed so as to communicate with the cavities 21 and to open to the outside of the front. Although the inner diameter of the tab accommodating chamber 23 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the tab 11 at the rear end portion, the tab accommodating chamber 23 is formed in a substantially trumpet shape so that the inner diameter gradually increases toward the front end side. In addition, the protection portion 22 is provided with four die-cutting grooves 23a that communicate with the tab housing chambers 23 and the cavities 21 and open to the front for convenience of molding each relief surface 21d in the cavity 21 described later. .

  A retainer mounting hole 24 in which the retainer 40 can be mounted from below is provided at a substantially central lower portion in the length direction of the terminal accommodating member 20. The retainer mounting hole 24 communicates with the lower surface side of each cavity 21 and is formed to open downward. In addition, a relief surface 21d that forms a downward slope toward the front is formed at the rear edge of the opening edge of the locking projection insertion recess 21b of each cavity 21 to the retainer mounting hole 24. In the process of pulling out the terminal fitting 10 from the cavity 21, it is difficult for the locking projection 15 to be caught on the rear edge when passing through the retainer mounting hole 24. As shown in FIG. 3, side plate accommodating recesses 25 that can accommodate the side plates 42 of the retainer 40 open downward and communicate with the retainer mounting holes 24 on both sides of the terminal accommodating member 20. A pair is provided. On the side surface on the retainer mounting hole 24 side of the inner surface of the side plate housing recess 25, there is an engaging position holding portion 26 for holding the retainer 40 in a predetermined position and a release position holding portion 27 arranged vertically. Protrusively provided. Further, on the rear surface of the terminal accommodating member 20, a die-cutting recess 25 a that opens rearward is communicated with the side-plate receiving recess 25 for the sake of convenience of molding by using a mold for punching both the holding portions 26 and 27 backward during resin molding. It is formed (FIG. 1). Further, the housed side plate 42 is protected from the outside by being surrounded from the outside by a wall surface facing both the holding portions 26 and 27 among the wall surfaces constituting the side plate housing recess 25.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, an opening 28 through which a retainer operation portion 56 of a jig 50 described later can enter from the front is provided in the lower portion of each cavity 21 in the terminal accommodating member 20. ing. The opening 28 penetrates the terminal accommodating member 20 in the front-rear direction and is formed to communicate with the retainer mounting hole 24, and a tapered surface 28 a for guiding the retainer operation portion 56 is provided around the front edge thereof. Yes. At a position retracted slightly rearward from the front end on the lower surface of the terminal housing member 20, a locked portion 29 that can be locked by the lock arm 59 of the jig 50 is provided protruding downward. The locked portion 29 is formed in a rib shape extending along the width direction, and its width dimension is set slightly shorter than the terminal accommodating member 20. A pair of ribs 30 having a function of guiding the fitting operation with respect to the jig 50 are provided on both side edges of the upper surface of the terminal accommodating member 20 in a form extending along the front-rear direction. A pair of operation portions 31 are provided at the rear end portion of the terminal accommodating member 20 so as to protrude up and down in a form extending along the width direction so that an operator can hold and operate the terminal accommodating member 20. The operation portion 31 is connected to the rear end portions of both ribs 30.

  The retainer 40 is made of a synthetic resin, and generally includes a horizontally long base portion 41 and a pair of side plates 42 connected to both side edges of the base portion 41. On the upper surface of the base 41, four lances 43 that can be elastically locked to the male terminal fittings 10 are spaced apart from each other in the width direction and arranged side by side at positions corresponding to the cavities 21. . The lance 43 is formed in a cantilever shape with the front end as a free end, and can be elastically deformed vertically (in a direction intersecting with the insertion / removal direction of the male terminal fitting 10) with the rear end connected to the base 41 as a fulcrum. And is displaced in a bending space secured between the base 41 and the base 41. The lance 43 is formed to have an upward slope toward the front end side (like projecting toward the cavity 21), and the rear surface thereof is formed in a taper shape so as to substantially follow the outer surface of the locking projection 15. Thus, the lance 43 can be guided to be elastically deformed by the insertion operation of the male terminal fitting 10. The retainer 40 has a locking position (FIG. 2) in which the lance 43 can enter the cavity 21 (locking protrusion insertion recess 21 b) and can be locked to the male terminal fitting 10. It can be moved up and down between two positions with the release position (FIG. 9) allowing the insertion and removal of the male terminal fitting 10 and can be selectively held at the two positions by the holding means described below. The protruding amount of the lance 43 into the cavity 21 at the locking position is set to be substantially the same as the protruding height of the locking protrusion 15.

  A groove portion 44 that opens downward is formed at substantially the center in the length direction on the inner surfaces of the side plates 42. The portion left above the groove 44 is a locking portion 45 that can be locked to the locking position holding portion 26 and the release position holding portion 27 of the terminal accommodating member 20. The retainer 40 is held at the release position by the latching portion 45 being engaged with the release position holding portion 27. At the release position, as shown in FIGS. The lower surface of the retainer 40 is arranged substantially flush with the lower surface of the terminal accommodating member 20. On the other hand, when the locking portion 45 is locked to the locking position holding portion 26, the retainer 40 is held at a locking position that is one step higher than the release position. 2 and 3, the lower surface of the retainer 40 is disposed so as to be retracted upward (backward) from the lower surface of the terminal accommodating member 20. The groove 44 is formed to such a depth that both the holding portions 26 and 27 can be released. Further, the upper surface 45a of the locking portion 45, the lower surface 27a of the release position holding portion 27, and the lower surface 26a of the locking position holding portion 26 are all formed in a tapered shape so that the locking portion 45 can easily ride on. . Further, since the upper surface 26b of the locking position holding portion 26, which is a locking surface with the lower surface of the locking portion 45, is formed in a tapered shape, the retainer 40 is moved downward with a predetermined operating force from the locked state. When pulled, the locked state is automatically released, that is, the locked structure is a so-called semi-locked structure.

  The base portion 41 of the retainer 40 is provided with an operated opening 46 into which the retainer operation portion 56 of the jig 50 can enter. The operated opening 46 is formed so as to penetrate the base portion 41 in the front-rear direction, and a tapered surface 46 a for guiding the retainer operation portion 56 is provided around the front edge thereof. The operated opening 46 is larger in width than the opening 28 of the terminal accommodating member 20, but is smaller in height than the opening 28 and substantially the same as the thickness of the retainer operating part 56. Is set. The lower edge portion of the peripheral edge portion of the operated opening 46 is slidably contacted with the retainer operation portion 56 in accordance with the operation of pushing the terminal accommodating member 20 into the jig 50, so that the retainer 40 is locked. It is set as the to-be-released guide part 47 which can be guided to move to the release position. The released guide portion 47 protrudes above the lower surface of the opening 28 when the retainer 40 is in the locking position, and is disposed on the entry path of the retainer operation portion 56 (see FIG. 8). On the other hand, the upper edge portion of the peripheral edge portion of the operated opening portion 46 releases the retainer 40 when the retainer operation portion 56 is brought into sliding contact with the operation of pulling the fitted terminal accommodating member 20 away from the jig 50. The locked guide portion 48 can be guided so as to move from the position to the locking position. The locked guide portion 48 protrudes below the upper surface of the opening 28 when the retainer 40 is in the release position, and is arranged on the retracting path of the retainer operation portion 56 (see FIG. 11).

  The jig 50 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIGS. 1, 6, and 7, a base 51 that has a substantially flat plate shape, projects forward from the base 51, and the terminal accommodating member 20 is fitted inside. The fitting part 52 made possible is provided. The fitting portion 52 is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape that opens forward, and a pair of rib entry grooves 53 that can receive the ribs 30 of the terminal accommodating member 20 are provided on both side edges of the ceiling surface, A locked portion entry groove 54 that can receive the locked portion 29 of the terminal accommodating member 20 is provided at the center in the width direction of the bottom surface. In addition, a pair of cutout portions 55 that open to the front and side over a predetermined depth are provided on both sides of the fitting portion 52, and the terminal housing that is fitted into the fitting portion 52 via the cutout portion 55 is provided. The member 20 can be grasped from the outside.

  A retainer operating portion 56 capable of operating the retainer 40 is provided from a substantially center in the width direction of the front surface of the base portion 51 (the back wall surface of the fitting portion 52). The retainer operation portion 56 is formed in a cantilever shape extending in the front-rear direction, and the periphery thereof is surrounded by the fitting portion 52. The retainer operating portion 56 has a thickness dimension (height dimension) substantially constant over the entire length, and the size is set to be substantially the same as the height dimension of the operated opening 46 of the retainer 40. Although the front part 56a and the rear part 56b of the retainer operation part 56 are both formed substantially horizontally, their height positions are shifted up and down with respect to each other, and there is a forward movement between the front part 56a and the rear part 56b. An inclined portion 56c is provided that has an upward slope toward the top. The front portion 56a of the retainer operation portion 56 is disposed at a height position that is substantially aligned with the operated opening 46 of the retainer 40 that is in the locking position (see FIG. 8). On the other hand, the rear portion 56b of the retainer operation portion 56 is disposed at a height position that is substantially aligned with the operated opening 46 of the retainer 40, which is the release position (see FIG. 9). In addition, the height positions of the upper surface of the front portion 56a and the lower surface of the rear portion 56b of the retainer operation portion 56 are substantially the same as the upper surface and the lower surface of the opening 28, respectively.

  The lower surface of the inclined portion 56c of the retainer operating portion 56 is an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the rear, and is in sliding contact with the released guide portion 47 when the retainer 40 is in the locked position. This is a release guide portion 57 that can move the retainer 40 from the locking position to the release position in accordance with the operation of pushing the terminal accommodating member 20 into the fitting portion 52 (see FIG. 8 and FIG. 8). (See FIG. 9). On the other hand, the upper surface of the inclined portion 56c is an inclined surface that forms an upward gradient toward the front, and can be slidably contacted with the locked guide portion 48 when the retainer 40 is in the release position. In accordance with the operation of pulling the terminal accommodating member 20 away from the fitting portion 52, the retainer 40 can be moved from the release position to the lock position (see FIG. 11 and FIG. 12). The distance that the retainer 40 moves between the locking position and the release position is substantially equal to the difference in height position between the front portion 56a and the rear portion 56b in the retainer operation portion 56.

  A lock arm 59 for holding the terminal accommodating member 20 in a fitted state is provided from a position below the retainer operation portion 56 on the front surface of the base portion 51. The lock arm 59 has a cantilever shape extending along the front-rear direction and is elastically deformable along the vertical direction (direction intersecting the fitting direction of the terminal accommodating member 20). Is provided with a lock portion 60 protruding upward. The lock portion 60 is disposed so as to protrude into the locked portion entry groove 54, and can be locked to the locked portion 29 that enters when the lock portion 60 is fitted. The front surface 60 a of the lock portion 60 is formed in a tapered shape that forms an upward gradient toward the rear so that the lock arm 59 can easily ride on the locked portion 29. On the other hand, the rear surface 60b of the lock portion 60, which is a locking surface with the locked portion 29, is formed in a taper shape having a downward slope toward the rear. Therefore, when the terminal accommodating member 20 is to be pulled away with a predetermined operating force from the state in which the lock portion 60 is locked to the locked portion 29, the lock arm 59 is guided by the inclination of the rear surface 60b of the lock portion 60. By being elastically deformed, the locked state is automatically released, that is, the locked structure is a semi-locked structure. The holding force by the lock portion 60 and the locked portion 29 is set to be larger than the frictional resistance force (tensile force) generated between the terminal housing member 20 when the four male terminal fittings 10 housed in the cavity 21 are pulled out. Has been.

  This embodiment has the structure as described above, and the operation thereof will be described subsequently. First, the barrel portion 13 of the male terminal fitting 10 is crimped and connected to the end of the peeled electric wire W. After the connection work, the male terminal fitting 10 is transported to the assembly site for assembling the male terminal fitting 10 to the connector housing constituting the connector. The operation | work which accommodates the terminal metal fitting 10 is performed.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the male terminal fitting 10 is inserted from the rear into each cavity 21 with the retainer 40 attached to the terminal accommodating member 20 at the locking position. In the process in which the male terminal fitting 10 is inserted, the locking projection 15 is inserted into the locking projection insertion recess 21b, and the stabilizer 16 is inserted into the stabilizer insertion recess 21c to guide the insertion operation. . When the male terminal fitting 10 is inserted to a predetermined depth, the tab 11 enters the protective portion 22 and the outer surface of the locking projection 15 is brought into sliding contact with the rear surface of the lance 43, thereby pressing the lance 43. Is elastically deformed downward. When the male terminal fitting 10 reaches the normal depth, the lance 43 is restored and the front surface of the male terminal fitting 10 is locked against the rear surface of the locking projection 15 as shown in FIG. 10 is secured.

  In this regular insertion state, the male terminal fittings 10 are accommodated and held in the cavities 21, and the tabs 11 are individually surrounded by the protection portions 22 to protect the male terminal fittings 10. A situation in which the terminal fittings 10 (tabs 11) interfere with each other can be avoided. Moreover, although the protective portion 22 opens forward, the individual opening gaps are sufficiently smaller than, for example, a cylindrical shape that collectively surrounds the four tabs 11. Thus, it is difficult for an external foreign object or the like to enter through the tab 11, thereby preventing a situation where the external foreign object or the like interferes with the tab 11.

  After the transportation, each male terminal fitting 10 is removed at the assembly site. For this purpose, the terminal accommodating member 20 is fitted into the fitting portion 52 of the jig 50 from the front in the state shown in FIGS. When the terminal accommodating member 20 is fitted into the fitting portion 52, the retainer operating portion 56 enters the opening 28, and then the front portion 56 a is the operated opening of the retainer 40 as shown in FIG. 8. Enter 46. When the fitting further proceeds from this state, the lower surface of the inclined portion 56c, which is the release guide portion 57, comes into sliding contact with the lower edge portion of the operated opening 46, which is the release guide portion 47, thereby releasing the release guide portion 57. The retainer 40 is pushed down from the locking position. When the inclined portion 56c passes through the operated opening 46, the retainer 40 reaches the release position (FIG. 9).

  On the other hand, in the fitting process, the lock arm 59 is elastically deformed while riding on the locked portion 29 by being guided by the inclination of the front surface 60 a of the lock portion 60. When the terminal accommodating member 20 is fitted into the fitting portion 52 to a normal depth, as shown in FIG. 9, the lock portion 60 gets over the locked portion 29 and the lock arm 59 is restored to lock the lock portion 60. The terminal housing member 20 is held in a fitted state with respect to the jig 50 by the rear surface 60 b being locked to the rear surface of the locked portion 29. In this way, the retainer 40 is automatically moved from the locking position to the releasing position by the operation of fitting the terminal housing member 20 to release the locking state of each lance 43 with respect to each male terminal fitting 10 at a time. Therefore, by pulling the electric wires W together backward (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 9), the male terminal fittings 10 can be pulled out collectively as shown in FIG. At this time, the terminal accommodating member 20 is held by the lock arm 59 and the locked portion 29, and the frictional force generated between the terminal accommodating member 20 and the holding force when the four male terminal fittings 10 are pulled out. Therefore, it is not necessary for the operator to press down the terminal housing member 20 when the male terminal fitting 10 is removed, and the workability is excellent.

  After all the male terminal fittings 10 have been extracted, an operation of removing the terminal accommodating member 20 from the jig 50 is performed. An operator grasps the outer surface of the terminal accommodating member 20 via both the operation portions 31 and the notch portions 55 and pulls them backward (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 11). At this time, an operating force exceeding the holding force of the lock arm 59 and the locked portion 29 is applied to the terminal accommodating member 20, so that the lock arm 59 is automatically elastically deformed by being guided by the rear surface 60 b of the lock portion 60. The locked state with the lock portion 29 is released. When the terminal accommodating member 20 released from the holding state is relatively retracted from the jig 50, the inclined portion 56c enters after the rear portion 56b of the retainer operation portion 56 passes through the operated opening 46. When the disengagement further proceeds, the upper surface of the inclined portion 56c serving as the locking guide portion 58 is brought into sliding contact with the upper edge portion of the operated opening 46 serving as the locked guide portion 48, whereby the locking guide portion 58 The retainer 40 is pushed up from the release position by being guided by the inclination. Then, when the inclined portion 56c passes through the operated opening 46, the retainer 40 reaches the locking position as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the terminal accommodating member 20 is pulled until it is completely removed from the fitting portion 52.

  Thus, as the terminal accommodating member 20 is removed from the jig 50, the retainer 40 is automatically moved from the release position to the locking position. When used again for transporting the male terminal fitting 10, it can be used as it is. Therefore, it is excellent in workability as compared with the case where it is necessary to move the retainer to the locking position separately from the operation of removing it from the jig when it is used again.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the male terminal fitting 10 can be released from the locked state of the male terminal fitting 10 by the lance 43 simply by pushing the terminal accommodating member 20 into the jig 50. The removal workability of the is improved. In addition, by moving the retainer 40 to the release position, the locked state of the four (plural) male terminal fittings 10 can be released all at once, so that the workability to remove is good.

  Moreover, since the lance 43 which latches with respect to the male terminal metal fitting 10 can be elastically deformed, the male terminal metal fitting 10 can be inserted in a state where the retainer 40 is disposed at the engaging position. Workability at the time of insertion is improved. When the terminal housing member 20 is pulled away from the jig 50 after the work of removing the male terminal fitting 10 is finished, the locked guide portion 48 is brought into sliding contact with the locking guide portion 58, whereby the retainer 40 is moved. The release position can be returned to the locking position. Accordingly, when the male terminal fitting 10 is inserted into the terminal accommodating member 20 again, an operation for returning the retainer 40 to the locking position is not required, so that workability is further improved. Further, when the terminal accommodating member 20 is pushed into the jig 50, the lock portion 60 is locked to the locked portion 29, so that the terminal accommodating member 20 is held against the jig 50. When removing the male terminal fitting 10, it is not necessary to hold the terminal accommodating member 20, and workability is improved. And, since the terminal housing member 20 is pulled away from the jig 50 with an operating force equal to or greater than the tensile force acting when the male terminal fitting 10 is removed, the locked state is automatically released. In addition, workability is improved.

<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 ) The present invention includes a lock arm having a locked portion on the terminal accommodating portion side and a lock portion on the jig side. Further, the present invention includes a configuration in which a lock structure such as a lock arm or a locked portion is omitted.

( 2 ) The number of male terminal fittings accommodated in the terminal accommodating member can be arbitrarily changed. It is also possible to change the number of cavities, and one to three cavities or five or more cavities may be provided.
( 3 ) The present invention can also be applied to a terminal housing member that houses a female terminal fitting that can be connected to the male terminal fitting. The present invention can also be applied to a terminal housing member that houses a terminal fitting of a type that is press-contacted to an electric wire .

The perspective view of the terminal accommodating member which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, a jig | tool, a male terminal metal fitting, and a retainer. Side sectional view of the terminal receiving member with the male terminal fitting and retainer attached to the locking position XX sectional view of FIG. Front view of terminal housing member and retainer Side cross-sectional view showing the male terminal fitting inserted into the cavity Notched perspective view showing a state before the terminal accommodating member is fitted to the jig. Side sectional view showing a state before the terminal accommodating member is fitted to the jig Side sectional view showing the state during mating Side sectional view showing the state where the fitting is completed and the retainer has reached the release position XX sectional view of FIG. 9 in the terminal housing member and the retainer. Side sectional view showing a state where the male terminal fitting is removed Side sectional view showing a state in which the retainer is returned to the locking position while the terminal accommodating member is detached from the jig.

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Male terminal fitting (terminal fitting)
20 ... Terminal accommodating member 29 ... Locked part 40 ... Retainer 43 ... Lance (preventing part)
47 ... Guide to be released 48 ... Guide to be locked 50 ... Jig 57 ... Guide to release 58 ... Locking guide 60 ... Lock

Claims (3)

In the manufacturing process of the wire harness, it is used when conveying the terminal fitting to the assembly site for the connector housing constituting the connector,
A cavity in which the terminal fitting can be inserted is provided, and a retainer having a lance that can be elastically deformed as the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity as a retaining portion can be attached. The lance is movable between two positions: a locking position where the lance enters the cavity and locks to the terminal fitting, and a release position where the lance retracts from the cavity and comes off the terminal fitting. Has been
As the terminal fitting is pushed into the jig along the insertion direction, an opening into which the retainer operation part provided in the jig is inserted is provided separately from the cavity, and the retainer operation is performed. A release guide portion capable of guiding the retainer from the locking position to the release position by being brought into sliding contact with the release guide portion provided in the portion, the retainer is provided ;
Along with being pulled away from the jig, a locked guide portion capable of guiding the retainer from the release position to the lock position by slidingly contacting a lock guide portion provided on the jig is provided. A terminal housing member with a retainer, which is provided on the retainer. A locked portion that can be held with respect to the jig by locking the lock portion provided on the jig is provided, and the locking structure has a tensile force that acts when the terminal fitting is removed. claim 1 Symbol placement of the retainer with the terminal accommodating members, characterized in that has a semi-locking structure locking state is released with the detach from the above operating force with a jig. In the manufacturing process of the wire harness, it is used when removing the terminal fitting from the terminal housing member used when the terminal fitting is transported to the assembly site for the connector housing constituting the connector. is attached to the terminal housing member insertable cavity is provided, for operating the retainer having an elastically deformable lance as retaining part with to insert the terminal fitting into the cavity The jig of
A retainer operating portion that is inserted into an opening provided separately from the cavity is provided in the terminal accommodating member as the terminal accommodating member is pushed along the insertion direction of the terminal fitting. the operation unit, from said by sliding contact with the release guide portion provided on the retainer, engaging position where the retainer is the lance locking with respect to the terminal fitting enters into the cavity, the lance Is provided with a release guide portion that can be retracted from the cavity and guided to a release position that is disengaged from the terminal fitting ,
As the terminal accommodating member is pulled away, a locking guide portion is provided that can guide the retainer from the release position to the locking position by slidingly contacting a locked guide portion provided on the retainer. jig, characterized by that.

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