JP4306573B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector having a half-fitting prevention function.

  The thing of the following patent document 1 is known as an example of the connector provided with the half-fitting prevention function. This includes a male housing provided with a hood portion and a female housing that can be fitted to the hood portion, and a slider that is movable in the front-rear direction along the upper surface thereof is assembled to the female housing. In the process of fitting the two housings, the slider is pushed back into the male housing and retracted, and the urging force is accumulated in the direction of separating the two housings by the compression of the compression coil spring accommodated in the slider. Therefore, if the mating operation is stopped in the half-fitted state, the biasing force stored in the compression coil spring is released, so that both housings are forcibly separated and left in the half-fitted state. It can be avoided.

Further, the female housing is provided with a cantilevered lock arm, and the free end of the lock arm can be elastically engaged with a lock portion provided on the male housing when both housings are properly fitted. A locking protrusion is provided. Further, the slider is provided with a lock release pressing portion that restricts the elastic displacement of the lock arm by entering the bending space of the lock arm when the lock portion and the lock protrusion are in the locked state. When the slider moves backward due to the elastic force of the urging member, the unlocking pressing portion retracts from the bending space of the lock arm and allows the elastic displacement of the lock arm.
JP 2004-134259 A

By the way, in order to avoid inadvertent detachment of both housings in the normal fitting state, both locking surfaces of the lock portion and the lock protrusion are made vertical surfaces along a direction perpendicular to the detachment direction of both housings. It can be said that it is desirable to ensure a sufficient holding force.
However, when both the male and female housings are removed for maintenance, etc., the lock arm is forcibly bent and deformed to release the lock. Excessive operating force is required to perform the operation, which also contributes to the work load.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to enable easy unlocking while securing the holding force of both housings in a properly fitted state.

As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is provided in one connector housing of a pair of connector housings that can be fitted to and detached from each other, along the fitting and detaching direction of both connector housings. A lock arm that extends and can be elastically displaced in a direction crossing the fitting / removing direction, and is provided on the other connector housing, and is provided on the lock arm when both the connector housings are properly fitted. A lock receiving portion that can be elastically engaged with the lock portion, a slider that is assembled to the one connector housing, and that is movable in the fitting / removing direction of the two connector housings, and the slider And is pushed into the other connector housing which is in the process of being mated with the other connector housing. An urging means for accumulating an urging force in a disengagement direction and releasing the urging force as the two connector housings are normally fitted to allow movement of the slider. The connector housing can be moved along the fitting / removing direction of the two connector housings. By this movement, the lock receiving portion is engaged with the lock portion in a locked state. A release operation part for elastically displacing the lock arm in a direction to disengage from the lock receiving part is assembled , the release operation part is configured integrally with the slider, and the lock part and the release operation part include the A release guide surface is provided for guiding the operation of the lock unit to the release operation unit, and both release guide surfaces come into sliding contact with each other, thereby causing elastic displacement of the lock arm. Is configured to, and the release guide surface of the lock portion, the at the connecting process of the two connector housings, inducing contact with the locking portion of the riding operation to the lock receiving portion to the lock receiving portion It is characterized by its configuration.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a connector described in claim 1, said slider at a position facing the direction of displacement of the lock arm, and the arm pressing part is provided, the arm pressing part, with the When the slider moves in a direction to release the urging force of the urging member, the slider moves into the bending space of the lock arm and restricts the elastic displacement of the lock arm in the unlocking direction, while the urging force of the urging member In the process of moving the slider in the direction of accumulating the force, before the release operation portion and the lock portion engage with each other, the slider retracts from the bending space of the lock arm and moves in the lock release direction of the lock arm. It is characterized in that it is configured to allow the elastic displacement of.

<Invention of Claim 1>
In order to disengage both connector housings in the normal fitting state in maintenance or the like, the release operation portion assembled to one connector housing is moved and engaged with the lock portion. Then, since the lock arm is elastically displaced in the direction of disengagement from the lock receiving portion with this engagement, the lock arm can be unlocked by a simple operation of moving the release operation portion. Therefore, an excessive operating force is not required when the two connector housings are detached, so that the work load is reduced. This also makes it possible to configure both locking surfaces of the lock receiving portion and the lock portion as vertical surfaces along the direction perpendicular to the detaching direction of both connector housings. Can be increased. In addition, since the release operation unit is configured integrally with the slider, the release operation unit engages with the lock unit as the slider moves, so that the lock arm can be disengaged from the lock receiving unit. That is, since the lock can be released by using the movement of the slider, the work load is greatly reduced, and the structure can be simplified as compared with the case where the release operation unit is installed separately from the slider. Further, when the release operation portion is moved along the fitting / removing direction of both connector housings, the release guide surface of the lock portion rides on the release guide surface of the release operation portion, and the elastic displacement of the lock arm is induced. Release can be performed smoothly.

<Invention of Claim 2 >
When the slider moves in the direction to release the urging force of the urging member, the arm pressing part enters the bending space of the lock arm and restricts the elastic displacement of the lock arm, so that the lock arm is not locked during normal fitting. It is possible to avoid a situation where the release is made. On the other hand, in the process of moving the slider in the direction of accumulating the urging force of the urging member, first, the arm pressing part retreats from the bending space of the lock arm to allow elastic displacement of the lock arm, and then the release operation part is locked. Since the lock can be released by the lock arm by engaging with the portion, the retracting operation of the arm pressing portion and the unlocking operation of the release operation portion can be smoothly performed along with the movement of the slider.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, a slider 50 and a compression coil spring 70 (for the biasing means of the present invention) are provided on the side of a male connector housing (hereinafter simply referred to as a male housing 30) that can be fitted to a female connector housing (hereinafter simply referred to as a female housing 10). Equivalent)). In the following description, in the front-rear direction, the fitting surface side of both the male and female housings 10 and 30 is the front.

  The female housing 10 is formed of a synthetic resin material in a substantially block shape as a whole, and cavities 11 into which the female terminal fittings 80 can be inserted from behind are provided side by side in three chambers. As shown in FIG. 12A, the female terminal fitting 80 is configured by connecting a substantially box-shaped main body portion 81 and a barrel portion 82 fixed to the end of the electric wire W in the front-rear direction. A locking groove 12 that opens forward is formed on the top surface of each cavity 11, and a cantilever lance 83 cut and raised by the main body 81 of the female terminal fitting 80 can be locked on the rear surface. In the center of the female housing 10 in the front-rear direction, a retainer mounting hole 13 that crosses each cavity 11 is opened from the side surface to the upper surface, and a retainer 85 that can hold the female terminal fitting 80 in a state of retaining the female terminal fitting 80 can be mounted. . The retainer 85 is movable in the width direction between a temporary locking position that allows insertion and removal of the female terminal fitting 80 and a final locking position that locks the rear end jaw portion of the main body 81. A pair of reinforcing portions 14 for bridging the front and rear hole edges of the retainer mounting hole 13 are provided on the upper surface of the female housing 10, thereby reinforcing the female housing 10.

  On the upper surface of the female housing 10, a pair of pressing portions 15 are formed so as to protrude in front of both the reinforcing portions 14. The pressing portion 15 can press the pressed portion 51 of the slider 50 on the male housing 30 side, and the front end position thereof is set to a position slightly retracted from the front end position of the female housing 10. A space in which the pressed portion 51 can enter is secured between the pressing portion 15 and the reinforcing portion 14. The front surface 15A of the pressing portion 15 is a pressing surface with respect to the pressed portion 51 and is formed in a reverse taper shape having an upward gradient toward the front, while the rear surface 15B of the pressing portion 15 has an upward gradient toward the front. It is formed in a tapered shape.

  A lock receiving portion 16 that can be locked to the lock arm 31 on the male housing 30 is provided in a projecting manner at approximately the center in the width direction of the upper surface of the female housing 10 and between the reinforcing portions 14 and the pressing portions 15. Yes. As shown in FIG. 12B, the front surface 16 </ b> A of the lock receiving portion 16 is formed in a tapered shape that forms an upward gradient toward the rear in order to guide the climbing operation of the lock arm 31. The rear surface 16B of the lock receiving portion 16 is a locking surface with respect to the lock arm 31, and is a vertical surface that is substantially straight along the vertical direction (the direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 30). . A release groove 17 for allowing the elastic contact piece 41 of the short terminal 40 on the male housing 30 side to enter is opened from the front surface to the lower surface of the front surface of the female housing 10 below the cavity 11 and is elastically contacted by the groove surface. The piece 41 can be pushed down.

  The male housing 30 is formed of a synthetic resin material, and includes a terminal accommodating portion 32 that can accommodate the male terminal fitting 90 and the short terminal 40, and a substantially cylindrical hood portion 33 that opens in front of the terminal accommodating portion 32. A semi-fitting prevention unit assembling portion 34 capable of assembling the slider 50 and the compression coil spring 70 is provided on the terminal housing portion 32 and the upper surface side of the hood portion 33. Further, a bracket mounting portion 35 for mounting a bracket (not shown) is provided on the right side surface shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 12A, in the terminal accommodating portion 32, a cavity 36 into which the male terminal fitting 90 can be inserted from the rear is arranged side by side in a position corresponding to the cavity 11 on the female housing 10 side. Is provided. The male terminal fitting 90 is fixed to a tab 91 inserted into the main body 81 and capable of conducting contact with the female terminal fitting 80, a box portion 93 in which a lance 92 is cut and raised in a cantilever manner, and an end of the electric wire W. The barrel portion 94 is connected to the front and rear. A short terminal accommodating chamber 37 capable of accommodating the short terminal 40 is formed in the terminal accommodating portion 32 below the cavity 11 so as to open to the side surface. The short terminal 40 includes a pair of elastic contact pieces 41 protruding toward the hood portion 33 and capable of elastic contact with the lower surface of the tab 91, and is configured to be able to short-circuit two corresponding male terminal fittings 90. . Each cavity 36 is formed with a locking groove 38 in which the lance 92 of the box portion 93 can be locked, and the terminal accommodating portion 32 is formed with a retainer mounting hole 44 into which a retainer 86 can be mounted.

The hood portion 33 is formed so that the female housing 10 can be fitted from the front, and is configured to include a lock arm 31 that has a cantilever shape by cutting out an upper portion thereof over a predetermined range. The lock arm 31 is arranged along the front-rear direction at a substantially center in the width direction of the hood portion 33 and is elastically displaceable in the vertical direction with a base disposed on the terminal accommodating portion 32 side as a fulcrum.
On the lower surface side of the lock arm 31, as shown in FIG. 12B, a groove portion 42 is formed that opens rearward while leaving the lock portion 39 at the front end portion. The rear surface 39A of the lock portion 39 is locked to the rear surface 16B of the lock receiving portion 16 so that the housings 10 and 30 can be held in the fitted state. The rear surface 39A of the lock portion 39 is a substantially straight vertical surface along the vertical direction (the direction orthogonal to the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 30), and can be locked in close contact with the rear surface of the lock receiving portion 16. The detachment of both housings 10 and 30 is regulated with a high holding force. On the other hand, the front surface 39 </ b> B of the lock portion 39 is formed in a tapered shape with an upward gradient toward the front, so that it can easily ride on the lock receiving portion 16.

The lock arm 31 is formed with a pressing relief portion 43 that penetrates in the thickness direction to allow the pressing main body portion 53 of the arm pressing portion 52 of the slider 50 described later to enter when the lock arm 31 is elastically displaced. (See FIG. 6). The pressing relief portion 43 is formed to extend along the front-rear direction in the remaining portion of the lock arm 31 except for the lock portion 39 at the approximate center in the width direction. A pair of arm main body portions 45 are arranged in parallel on both sides of the press relief portion 43. The upper surface 39E of the lock part 39 can restrict the upward displacement that is disengaged from the lock receiving part 16 by contact with the presser body part 53 when both the housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted.
The pressed arm 54 of the slider 50 can enter the cutout space on both sides of the lock arm 31. A pair of release guide portions 46 that can be engaged with both of the pressed arms 54 are provided on both sides of the lock arm 31 at the upper edge portion of the terminal accommodating portion 32. The release guide portion 46 is formed in a tapered shape with an upward gradient as it goes rearward, and can be guided in a direction in which the pressed arm 54 is elastically deformed as the slider 50 moves backward, as will be described later. . In addition, an escape recess 47 is formed on the bottom surface of the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 33 for allowing the distal end portion of the elastic contact piece 41 to escape when the elastic contact piece 41 is elastically deformed.

  The half-fitting prevention unit assembly portion 34 includes a pair of side walls 48 that rise from the upper surfaces of the terminal accommodating portion 32 and the hood portion 33 and extend forward, and a rear wall 49 that connects the rear end portions of both side walls 48. Prepare. The compression coil spring 70 and the slider 50 can be assembled from the front in a space surrounded by the side walls 48 and the rear wall 49. As shown in FIG. 9, the compression coil spring 70 has a rear end portion that can be supported by the rear wall 49, and a front surface of the rear wall 49 has a spring holding portion 61 inserted into the rear end portion of the compression coil spring 70, A substantially cylindrical spring protection part 62 that covers the outer periphery of the latter half of the compression coil spring 70 is formed so as to protrude. As shown in FIG. 4, a slider pressing portion 63 for pressing the upper surface side of the slider 50 is formed so as to protrude inward from the rear upper ends of the side walls 48.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a pair of escaping grooves 64 for escaping the retaining projections 55 of the slider 50 are formed on the opposite surfaces (inner surfaces) of the side walls 48 so as to open rearward. In this case, a retainer receiving portion 65 capable of locking the retainer projection 55 is formed to protrude. The front surface of the retainer receiving portion 65 is formed in a taper shape, and can guide the approach operation of the retainer projection 55 described later into the escape groove 64.

The slider 50 is formed of a synthetic resin material, and includes a slider body 56 having a substantially flat plate shape extending in the front-rear direction as shown in FIG. When the slider 50 is attached to the half-fitting prevention unit assembly portion 34, the slider 50 is slidably in contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls 48, the upper surface of the terminal accommodating portion 32, and the upper surface of the hood portion 33 (both housings 10, 30). In the direction of fitting / removing).
The slider body 56 has a width dimension that is set to be substantially the same as or slightly smaller than the distance between the inner surfaces of the side walls 48, and an arm pressing portion 52 that projects downward in a stepped manner substantially at the center in the width direction of the lower surface. It is configured with. The lower surface of the arm pressing portion 52 can be slidably contacted with the upper surface of the lock arm 31 and the upper surface of the terminal accommodating portion 32 in the assembled state.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a pair of arm relief portions 57 that open to the front surface and the bottom surface are cut out at both end surfaces of the arm pressing portion 52. When the lock arm 31 is elastically displaced, both arm body portions 45 of the lock arm 31 can enter the both arm relief portions 57, whereby the lock arm 31 is allowed to escape. Both arm relief portions 57 have a symmetrical shape, and a narrow pressing main body portion 53 is provided therebetween. By providing such an arm relief portion 57, even when the distal end position of the arm pressing portion 52 is set to a position close to the distal end side of the lock arm 31, that is, the lock portion 39 side, the elastic displacement of the lock arm 31 is guaranteed. It will be.

  On the other hand, on the rear half of the upper surface of the slider body 56, an operation portion 58 that allows the slider 50 to be pulled is formed so as to protrude to substantially the same position as the upper ends of the side walls 48 in the assembled state. Cutout portions 59 are formed on both side edges of the upper surface of the operation portion 58, and the slider pressing portion 63 of the male housing 30 can enter here. On the inner surfaces of the slider main body 56, the arm pressing portion 52, and the operation portion 58, a protective wall escape portion 95 for releasing the spring protection portion 62 of the male housing 30 is formed. The back surface (rear surface) of the protective wall escape portion 95 can support the front end side of the compression coil spring 70, and a spring holding portion 96 that is inserted into the front end portion of the compression coil spring 70 projects therefrom.

  A pair of pressed arms 54 protrude from both sides of the front end portion of the lower surface of the slider body 56. The pressed arm 54 has a cantilever shape extending rearward, and can be elastically displaced in the vertical direction with its base end (front end) as a fulcrum. The separation distance between the inner surfaces of both the pressed arms 54 is set to be substantially the same as or larger than the width dimension of the lock arm 31. At the free end (rear end) of the pressed arm 54, a pressed portion 51 having a substantially bowl shape is formed protruding downward. The front surface 51B that can be pressed by the pressing portion 15 on the female housing 10 side in the pressed portion 51 is formed in a reverse taper shape along the front surface 15A of the pressing portion 15, as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the pressing portion 15 is set so as to be surely pushed. On the other hand, the rear surface 51A that can be engaged with the release guide portion 46 of the male housing 30 in the pressed portion 51 is formed in a tapered shape along the release guide portion 46, and thus the pressed portion 51 is the release guide portion. It is set so that the elastic displacement operation of the pressed arm 54 is smoothly performed when riding on 46.

  Further, when the two housings 10 and 30 are separated, the slider 50 is engaged with the lock portion 39 and elastically deforms the lock arm 31 in the upward direction (the direction of disengagement from the lock receiving portion 16) in the unlocking direction. A release operation unit 99 is provided. The release operation unit 99 bridges the front end side of the base end portion of both the pressed arms 54, and more specifically, is laid across the inner surfaces of the lower edges of the front ends of both the pressed arms 54, as shown in FIG. 6. The release operation unit 99 is disposed opposite to the front position of the lock unit 39 in the assembled state, and can come into contact with the lock unit 39 from the front when the slider 50 moves backward. The rear surface 99A of the release operation part 99 is formed in a taper shape with an upward gradient along the front surface 39B of the lock part 39, and when contacting the lock part 39, the rear surface 99B of the lock part 39 is here. Is set so that the bending operation of the lock arm 31 is performed smoothly. In addition, since the release operation part 99 is provided in the base end part of both the to-be-pressed arms 54, even if the free end side of both the to-be-pressed arms 54 bends and deforms, it does not bend and deform | transform continuously.

  When the slider 50 is assembled to the half-fitting prevention unit assembling portion 34, the front end position thereof is substantially aligned with the front end position of the male housing 30 as shown in FIG. The pressing main body 53 of the arm pressing portion 52 is disposed at a position that closes the bending space of the lock arm 31 above the locking portion 39 so that the bending deformation of the lock arm 31 can be restricted. When the slider 50 is in the initial position, the rear end portion of the slider 50 is pressed by the front end portion of the slider pressing portion 63 entering both the cutout portions 59 of the slider 50. Further, when the front end portion of the spring protection portion 62 enters the protection wall relief portion 95, the compression coil spring 70 is covered over the entire length, and the retaining protrusion 55 of the slider 50 is removed from the male housing 30 side. The slider 50 is held in a state where the slider 50 is prevented from coming off by being locked to the stop receiving portion 65. At this initial position, the compression coil spring 70 is slightly elastically prevented, so that the slider 50 is prevented from shaking backward from the initial position.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. When the male connector side is assembled, first, each male terminal fitting 90 and the short terminal 40 are attached to the male housing 30, and the compression coil spring 70 is assembled to the half-fitting prevention unit assembling portion 34 from the front. The rear end portion of the compression coil spring 70 is inserted into the spring protection portion 62.
Subsequently, when the slider 50 is assembled from the state shown in FIG. 11, both the pressed arms 54 enter the spaces on both sides of the lock arm 31 and the arm pressing portion 52 is slidably contacted with the upper surface of the lock arm 31. As shown in FIG. 10, the slider 50 is held at the initial position in the front stopped state by the front surface of the retaining protrusion 55 abutting against the rear surface of the retaining stopper 65. In this state, as shown in FIG. 12B, the lower surface of the presser main body 53 of the arm presser 52 comes into contact with the upper surface of the lock 39 of the lock arm 31, and the bending deformation operation of the lock arm 31 is ensured. Be regulated. Alternatively, both the compression coil spring 70 and the slider 50 may be assembled to the male housing 30 at the same time.

  Next, the operation of fitting both the housings 10 and 30 will be described. When the female housing 10 is fitted into the hood portion 33 of the male housing 30 at a predetermined depth from the state shown in FIG. 12A, the front surface 15A of the pressing portion 15 is pressed as shown in FIG. The part 51 is brought into contact with the front surface 51B. At this stage, the contact between both terminal fittings 80 and 90 has not yet started. When the fitting is further advanced, the pressed portion 51 is pressed by the pressing portion 15, so that the slider 50 moves backward from the initial position and the compression coil spring 70 exerts an urging force as shown in FIG. It is compressed while accumulating. In this process, the contact between the two terminal fittings 80 and 90 is started, and the arm pressing portion 52 is retracted backward from the bending space of the lock arm 31 so that the lock arm 31 can be bent and deformed.

  At this time, if the operator misunderstands that the operator has normally engaged, and the fitting operation is stopped, the urging force that has been accumulated in the compression coil spring 70 until then is released, and at the same time, it is pressed by the pressed portion 51 of the slider 50. The portion 15 is pushed back, so that both the housings 10 and 30 are forcibly separated. Thereby, the situation where both the housings 10 and 30 are kept in a semi-fitted state can be avoided.

  As shown in FIG. 14B, when the fitting further proceeds from the state in which the front surface 39B of the lock portion 39 of the lock arm 31 is in contact with the front surface 16A of the lock receiving portion 16, the arm is viewed from above the lock portion 39. The pressing main body portion 53 of the pressing portion 52 is retracted, and then the lock arm 31 is elastically displaced upward while the lock portion 39 rides on the lock receiving portion 16. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15B, the lock arm 31 interferes with the arm pressing portion 52 by the arm body portion 45 of the lock arm 31 entering the arm relief portion 57 of the arm pressing portion 52. Escape without. Further, just before the lock part 39 gets over the lock receiving part 16, the release operation part 99 enters the lower surface of the lock part 39 and elastically lifts the lock arm 31 in a state of being disengaged from the lock receiving part 16. When the fitting further proceeds, as shown in FIG. 16A, the rear surface 51A of the pressed portion 51 is slid on the release guide portion 46, so that the pressed arm 54 is elastically deformed upward. . Further, the elastic contact piece 41 of the short terminal 40 enters the release groove 17 of the female housing 10 and is pushed down by the groove surface, so that the elastic contact piece 41 is detached from the tab 91 and the short-circuit state of both male terminal fittings 90 is released. The

  When the two housings 10 and 30 are fitted to the normal fitting depth, the slider 50 reaches a position where the pressed portion 51 is disengaged from the release guide portion 46 and the pressed state is released. Then, the urging force of the compression coil spring 70 is released, and the slider 50 moves forward accordingly. When the slider 50 reaches the original initial position, the retaining projection 55 is stopped by the retaining member 65. Further, the release operation unit 99 is disengaged from the lock unit 39 in the process in which the slider 50 moves forward. In this state, since the lock part 39 has reached a position where the lock receiving part 16 can be transferred, the lock arm 31 is elastically restored by the disengagement of the release operation part 99, and as shown in FIG. The rear surface 39A of the portion 39 is locked to the rear surface 16B of the lock receiving portion 16. Further, when the slider 50 reaches the initial position, the arm pressing portion 52 enters the bending space of the lock arm 31, and the front end position of the arm pressing portion 52 (the front end position of the pressing main body portion 53) is the front end position of the lock arm 31. The position reaches almost the same position, and the elastic displacement of the lock arm 31 is reliably regulated there. In addition, as shown in FIG. 17A, the pressed arm 54 is restored to a natural state when the pressed portion 51 enters between the pressing portion 15 and the reinforcing portion 14.

  By the way, when both the housings 10 and 30 are detached for maintenance or the like, the slider 50 is retracted from the initial position while the compression coil spring 70 is compressed by first pulling the operation portion 58 of the slider 50 backward. . Then, when the rear surface 51A of the pressed portion 51 is in sliding contact with the rear surface 15B of the pressing portion 15, the pressed portion 51 rides on the pressing portion 15 and the pressed arm 54 is elastically deformed upward. Further, in this process, the presser main body 53 is retracted from above the lock portion 39, and the lock arm 31 can be elastically displaced. When the slider 50 is further pulled, the rear surface 99A of the unlocking operation portion 99 of the slider 50 comes into contact with the front surface 39B of the lock portion 39 of the lock arm 31, and then the both surfaces 39B and 99A (in accordance with the present invention). The lock portions 39 are slid in contact with each other and the lock portion 39 rides on the release operation portion 99, and accordingly, the lock arm 31 is elastically displaced upward. Thus, as shown in FIG. 18, after releasing the holding state of both housings 10 and 30, the two housings 10 and 30 are completely separated by further pulling the slider 50.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the release operation unit 99 is engaged with the lock unit 39 of the lock arm 31 by retreating the slider 50 when the two housings 10 and 30 in the normally fitted state are separated. Accordingly, the lock arm 31 is elastically displaced in the unlocking direction accordingly, so that the lock arm 31 can be unlocked by a simple operation of simply moving the slider 50. Therefore, an excessive operating force is not required when the two housings 10 and 30 are detached, so that the work load is reduced. Further, by providing the release operation portion 99, both the locking surfaces 16B and 39A of the lock receiving portion 16 and the lock portion 39 can be configured as vertical surfaces along the direction orthogonal to the detaching direction of both the housings 10 and 30. Therefore, the holding force of both the housings 10 and 30 in the normal fitting state is improved.

In addition, since the release operation unit 99 is configured integrally with the slider 50, the structure on the male housing 30 side can be further simplified as compared with the case where the release operation unit 99 is installed separately from the slider 50.
Further, when the slider 50 is in the initial position, the pressing main body 53 of the arm pressing portion 52 enters the bending space above the locking portion 39 in the locking arm 31 and reliably restricts the elastic displacement of the locking arm 31. A situation in which the lock by the lock arm 31 is inadvertently released at the time of fitting can be avoided. On the other hand, in the process in which the slider 50 moves backward, first, the arm pressing portion 52 is retracted from the bending space of the lock arm 31 to allow the elastic displacement of the lock arm 31, and then the release operation portion 99 is engaged with the lock portion 39. Thus, the lock arm 31 can release the lock, and the retracting operation of the arm pressing portion 52 and the unlocking operation of the release operation portion 99 can be performed smoothly and sequentially with the movement of the slider 50.

<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-described embodiment, the release operation portion is disposed so as to be bridged to the base end portions of both pressed arms. However, in the present invention, the release operation portion is a lock portion when the slider is in the initial position. It is only necessary to be in a position where it can be engaged with the lock portion when the slider moves backward, and the arrangement position is not particularly limited.
(2) In the present invention, a leaf spring or a tension coil spring can be used as the biasing means.
(3) In the present invention, contrary to the above embodiment, it is also possible to provide a lock arm, a slider, and a release operation part on the female housing side, and a lock receiving part on the male housing side.

The front view of the female housing which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention Top view of female housing Front view of male housing Front view of male housing and slider Rear view of male housing and slider Enlarged perspective view of main parts of lock arm and slider Top view of male housing and slider Top view of the male housing with the slider in the initial position XX cross section of FIG. 4 in the male housing and slider XX sectional view of FIG. 3 in the male housing with the slider assembled in the initial position. ZZ cross section of FIG. 4 in the male housing and slider (A) YY sectional view of FIG. 3 in a state before the female housing is fitted (B) ZZ sectional view of FIG. 3 in a state before the female housing is fitted (A) YY sectional view of FIG. 3 in the middle of fitting the female housing (B) ZZ sectional view of FIG. 3 in the middle of fitting the female housing (A) YY sectional view of FIG. 3 in a state where the pressing portion pushes the pressed portion (B) ZZ sectional view of FIG. 3 in a state where the lock arm is in contact with the lock receiving portion (A) YY sectional view of FIG. 3 in a state where the pressed portion is in contact with the release guide portion (B) ZZ sectional view of FIG. 3 in a state where the lock arm is elastically displaced. (A) YY sectional view of FIG. 3 in a state where the pressed portion is elastically displaced (B) ZZ sectional view of FIG. 3 in a state where the lock arm is further elastically deformed (A) YY sectional view of FIG. 3 in a state in which the slider is normally fitted with the female housing and (B) is normally fitted with the female housing and the lock arm is locked to the lock receiving portion. ZZ sectional view of FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ZZ in FIG. 3 in a state where the release operation portion is engaged with the lock portion in the process of detaching the female housing.

Explanation of symbols

10: Female housing (the other connector housing)
16 ... Lock receiving part 30 ... Male housing (one connector housing)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 31 ... Lock arm 39 ... Lock part 50 ... Slider 53 ... Pressing main-body part 57 ... Arm relief part 70 ... Compression coil spring (biasing means)
80 ... Female terminal fitting 90 ... Male terminal fitting 99 ... Release operation part

Claims (2)

Provided in one connector housing of a pair of connector housings that can be fitted to and detached from each other, and extends along the fitting / removing direction of both connector housings and can be elastically displaced in a direction crossing the fitting / removing direction. A locked arm,
A lock receiving portion provided on the other connector housing, and capable of elastically engaging with a lock portion provided on the lock arm when the two connector housings are properly fitted;
A slider assembled to the one connector housing and capable of moving along the fitting / removing direction of the two connector housings;
While being supported by the slider and being pushed into the other connector housing that is in the process of being mated, the biasing force in the direction of disengagement with respect to the other connector housing is accumulated, and both the connector housings are properly fitted. And a biasing means for releasing the biasing force and allowing the slider to move,
The one connector housing can be moved along the fitting / removing direction of the two connector housings, and by this movement, the lock receiving portion is engaged with the lock portion and is engaged. With this, a release operation part for elastically displacing the lock arm in a direction to disengage from the lock receiving part is assembled ,
The release operation unit is configured integrally with the slider,
The lock part and the release operation part are provided with a release guide surface for guiding the climbing operation of the lock part to the release operation part. And is configured to guide the elastic displacement of
The connector is characterized in that the release guide surface of the lock portion abuts against the lock receiving portion during the fitting process of the two connector housings, and guides the movement of the lock portion to the lock receiving portion . The slider is provided with an arm pressing portion at a position facing the displacement direction of the lock arm,
The arm pressing portion, when the slider moves in a direction to release the urging force of the urging member, enters the bending space of the lock arm and restricts elastic displacement of the lock arm in the unlocking direction. In the process of moving the slider in the direction of accumulating the urging force of the urging member, the slider is retracted from the bending space of the lock arm prior to the engagement of the release operation portion and the lock portion. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is configured to allow elastic displacement in the unlocking direction of the lock arm .

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