JP4419875B2 - Mating detection connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fitting detection connector.

As a so-called fitting detection connector that makes it possible to detect that both connector housings have been properly fitted, the one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. As the two connector housings are engaged, when the deflectable lock arm provided on one connector housing rides on the locking projection provided on the other connector housing, the slider provided on one connector housing is engaged. By stopping, the slider is prevented from moving backward, the spring is compressed, and when the lock arm gets over the locking projection and returns, the locked state with the slider is released, and the slider moves to the spring. It is made to recognize that it has reached regular fitting by moving backward by the restoring elasticity of. This structure uses only the elastic reaction force of the lock arm to release the locked state between the lock arm and the slider, and the frictional force between the lock arm and the slider is greater than the elastic reaction force of the lock arm. As one means, the lock arm is smoothly returned by setting one of the two locking surfaces as a tapered surface.
JP 2000-82541 A (see FIG. 11)

  However, in this case, since the locking surfaces are tapered, the locking surfaces are easily slipped, and there is a possibility that the locking is released and the slider starts to move despite being in the process of fitting. The fact that the slider starts to move before both connector housings are properly mated causes the misunderstanding that regular mating has been reached during mating, and lacks the essential role as a mating detection connector. It is. The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to regulate the start of movement of the slider in the course of fitting and to ensure proper fitting.

  As means for achieving the above object, according to the invention of claim 1, of the two connector housings that can be fitted to each other, one connector housing is provided with a locking projection, and the other connector housing is provided with the other connector housing. In the course of fitting of the two connector housings, the two connectors are bent and deformed so as to ride on the locking projections, and when the two connector housings are properly fitted, the two projections get over the locking projections and return. A lock arm that locks the housing in a normal fitting state, a slider that is movable along the fitting and disengaging directions of the two connector housings, and that is disposed on the bending direction side of the lock arm; and the slider; A spring that is interposed between the one connector housing and can extend and contract along the fitting direction of the two connector housings. The slider has a stopper portion provided on the slider in the middle of the fitting, and engages with the lock arm in a bent state to restrict its movement, so that the spring is It is pushed in by the connector housing so that the energy can be stored, and when the regular fitting is reached, the lock arm is restored and the stopper portion and the lock arm are unlocked, so that the spring It is a fitting detection connector that makes it possible to recognize that the normal fitting has been reached by moving the slider with a restoring force, and in the course of fitting, the locking surfaces of the stopper portion and the lock arm are The lock arm hits in a state where almost no component force in the bending direction is generated, and in the regular fitting, a receiving projection formed from the slider toward the locking projection is formed. Is disposed on the bending direction side of the lock arm, and the receiving portion receives a push-up action by the locking projection to force the slider in a direction to release the locking between the stopper portion and the lock arm. It is characterized in that it is configured to be displaced.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the other connector housing is provided with a receiving portion for the lock arm and the slider, and an opening for relief is provided on the displacement direction side of the slider in the receiving portion. It is characterized in that the lock arm is deformed and the slider is displaced through the opening.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the one according to the second aspect, a projection is provided on one of the slider and the other connector housing, and a groove that can be locked to the projection is provided on the other. By being provided, the displacement of the slider is restricted and the movement of the slider is allowed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the slider according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the lock arm moves onto the locking projection as the lock arm rides on the locking projection. A sub-stopper portion is formed that locks on the arm and restricts movement of the slider together with the stopper portion, and releases the lock on the lock arm as the lock arm is restored when the normal fitting is reached. The sub-stopper part is characterized in that it is arranged in the bending space of the lock arm along with the movement of the slider after the normal fitting, thereby restricting the deformation of the lock arm.

<Invention of Claim 1>
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the stopper provided on the slider is locked to the lock arm and the movement of the slider is restricted during the fitting process, one connector housing pushes in the spring to accumulate energy. During this time, the locking surfaces of the stopper part and the lock arm come into strong contact with each other. However, since the contact is made in a state where almost no component force is generated in the bending direction, the lock is released and the slider is released. There is no fear of moving. In addition, in the normal fitting state, the receiving portion is pushed up by the locking projection and the slider is forcibly displaced in a direction to release the locking between the stopper portion and the locking arm. The locking state of the part is reliably released, the lock arm is elastically restored and locked to the normal fitting state by locking with the locking projection, and then the normal movement is reached when the slider moves backward Can be recognized.

<Invention of Claim 2>
According to the invention of claim 2, since the lock arm and the slider are allowed to escape outwardly through the opening provided in the housing portion, the escape space is secured in the housing portion without providing the opening portion. In comparison, the overall height of the connector can be reduced by that amount of space.

<Invention of Claim 3>
If the slider is exposed to the outside as a result of providing the opening in the housing portion according to the invention of claim 2, the protrusion and the groove are provided between the slider and the connector housing as in claim 3 when it is necessary to take measures against detachment. If it is provided and locked, a structure in which the slider does not easily come off can be obtained.

<Invention of Claim 4>
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the secondary stopper portion is provided on the slider, and the secondary stopper portion can be locked to the lock arm as the lock arm rides on the locking projection. In combination with the stop, double locking is possible, and it is possible to more reliably avoid a situation in which the slider is inadvertently moved during the fitting. Further, in the normal fitting state, the sub stopper portion is arranged in the bending space of the lock arm and restricts the bending deformation, so that the function of locking in the normal fitting state can be further strengthened.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the fitting detection connector according to the first embodiment includes both male and female connectors F and M that can be fitted to each other. In the first embodiment, the front-rear direction will be described with the fitting surface side as the front side based on the fitting direction of the connector housings 1 and 10.

  The male connector M has a male connector housing 1 made of synthetic resin. The male connector housing 1 includes a hood portion 11 that opens forward. The hood portion 11 has a step portion formed in the circumferential direction at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction on the inner side surface, and a front half portion of the hood portion 11A is a hood front portion 11A that is thinner than the latter half portion. ing. Two male tabs 12 are formed on the rear wall of the hood portion 11 so as to protrude forward in the width direction. The front end of the male tab 12 is located slightly behind the stepped portion, and a locking projection 13 is formed at the approximate center in the width direction on the upper surface side of the stepped portion. The front surface of the locking projection 13 is a guide surface 13A that forms a steep upward slope toward the rear, the upper surface is a sliding contact surface 13B that forms a gentle downward slope toward the rear, and the rear surface is a planar shape that stands upright. The connector locking surface 13C.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the female connector F includes a female connector housing 10, a slider 20, a seal ring 30, and a retainer 40. The female connector housing 10 is made of a synthetic resin and is formed in a block shape having a substantially square cross section. And a main body part 15 provided so as to penetrate the back wall of the part 16. The rectangular tube portion 16 has a fitting space 18 in which the hood portion 11 can be accommodated between the rectangular tube portion 16 and the hood portion when both the connector housings 1 and 10 are properly fitted. 11 hood front portion 11 </ b> A tip can enter the back wall of the rectangular tube portion 16.

  Two cavities 14 each having a shape penetrating in the front-rear direction are arranged in the body portion 15 in the width direction. The female terminal fitting 2 can be accommodated in each cavity 14. The female terminal fitting 2 is composed of a terminal connecting portion 27 and a wire connecting portion 28. The male tab 12 is elastically sandwiched from above and below by contact pieces 29 provided in the terminal connecting portion 27, and the wire connecting portion. In 28, electrical conduction is achieved by connecting the electric wire W back together with the waterproof rubber plug 26. Further, when the female terminal fitting 2 is inserted from the rear side of the cavity 14, the front terminal wall 31 of the cavity 14 is stopped in front and the rear end of the cavity 14 is bent backward by a lance 25 provided to be able to bend. Stopping is made. Further, a front type retainer 40 can be attached to the front surface of the main body 15, and when the retainer 40 is attached to the main body 15, the lower surface of the retainer 40 enters the bending region of the lance 25, By restricting the bending deformation of the lance 25, the female terminal fitting 2 is double-locked.

  A seal ring 30 for waterproofing between the connector housings 1 and 10 can be inserted into the main body 15 from the front. The seal ring 30 can be fitted along the outer peripheral surface at the approximate center in the front-rear direction of the main body 15. The seal ring 30 has a seal lip in close contact with the inner surface of the hood front portion 11A. When the retainer 40 is mounted, the front end of the seal ring 30 comes into contact with the rear end surface thereof, so that the seal ring 30 is prevented from being pulled forward.

  An upper surface of the rectangular tube portion 16 is formed with an arch portion 17 bulging upward so as to communicate with the fitting space 18, and the lock arm 24 and the slider 20 are accommodated therein. The arch portion 17 is formed in a length range extending from the front end to the rear end of the main body portion 15, leaving an upper portion of the front end of the rectangular tube portion 16, and an opening 19 is formed on the ceiling surface. When the slider 20 is in a parallel posture, the height of the upper edge of the both side walls of the arch portion 17 is higher than the upper end of the slider 20 and is in a state of protecting the slider 20. It is set so as to be lower than the upper end of the slider 20 when it is in a bent state in the riding position.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13, a groove portion 22 extending along the front-rear direction is formed in the rear half portion by cutting out the wall surface, as shown in FIG. ) And a retreat position (position shown in FIG. 6) can be guided. Further, a boundary portion between both inner wall surfaces of the arch portion 17 and the front end of the groove portion 22 is a step surface, which is a forward regulation surface 21 for regulating the forward movement position of the slider 20. In this embodiment, a jig insertion hole extends coaxially with the groove portion 22 in both inner wall surfaces of the arch portion 17 and penetrates from the forward regulation surface 21 to the front wall of the arch portion 17. The jig insertion hole is for inserting a release jig for removing the slider 20. Further, a pair of abutting portions 43 are formed in the groove portion 22, and when the slider 20 is in the retracted position, it is prevented from being pulled backward.

  A lock arm 24 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 15 to lock the connector housings 1 and 10 in a properly fitted state. The lock arm 24 is arranged in a shape that is long in the front-rear direction at a substantially center in the width direction of the main body portion 15, and is formed in a length range from the rear end of the arch portion 17 to the rear end of the main body portion 15. Further, the lock arm 24 maintains a parallel posture with the vicinity of the rear end of the square tube portion 16 on the upper surface of the main body portion 15 as a base end portion 24A, and the front and rear are bent and deformed in a seesaw shape.

  A locking hole 32 is formed at the front end and slightly rearward of the lock arm 24. The front and back surfaces of the locking hole 32 are formed to be a flat surface. The front end of the lock arm 24 is formed with a tapered surface that slopes downward toward the rear, so that the operation of riding on the locking projection 13 can be performed smoothly while the connector housings 1 and 10 are being fitted together. It has become. When the front end of the lock arm 24 rides on the locking projection 13, after sliding on the sliding contact surface 13 </ b> B, the locking projection 13 is elastically restored by fitting into the locking hole 32. Can be locked in the normal fitting state by engaging with the connector engaging surface 13C. The front end of the lock arm 24 can be bent and deformed through the opening 19.

  The slider 20 can be incorporated into the arch portion 17 (corresponding to the accommodating portion in the present invention) so as to cover the lock arm 24 from above. The slider 20 is in a state of waiting in the forward position during the fitting of the two connector housings 1 and 10, and when the two connector housings 1 and 10 reach normal fitting, the slider 20 moves to the backward retracted position so that the normal fitting is achieved. Plays a role in recognizing that the team has reached a joint state. The slider 20 is unitized with the spring 50 incorporated therein, and can be handled in the unit state and incorporated into the arch portion 17.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 20, the slider 20 includes a substantially rectangular base plate portion 34 that is long in the front-rear direction, and a pair of spring accommodating portions 23 provided on the lower surface sides of both ends in the width direction. And are formed integrally. Protrusions 42 are formed on the outer surfaces of both side surfaces in the width direction of the spring accommodating portions 23, 23 so as to be slidable in the groove portion 22 when the slider 20 is incorporated in the female connector housing 10. Mating. The protrusion 42 is formed in a flat surface with a front side having a gentle downward slope toward the front and a rear side standing upright. The protrusion 42 is locked to the abutting portion 43 provided in the groove portion 22 to prevent the slider 20 from being pulled out rearward.

  FIG. 18 is a plan view of the slider 20. Reference numeral 35 denotes a protective wall suspended along the front-rear direction at both side edges of the substrate portion 34 in the width direction, and the upper surface of the substrate portion 34 is opened in a square shape. In this opening, a frame edge protrudes from the peripheral edge excluding the front edge. Further, a stopper piece 38 (corresponding to a stopper portion in the present invention) is extended at the rear edge of the opening so as to be able to bend in the vertical direction. A main stopper portion 41 is formed so as to protrude from the inner surface on the tip end side of the stopper piece 38. When the slider 20 is in the forward movement position, the main stopper portion 41 is engaged with the rear surface of the engagement hole 32 of the lock arm 24 to restrict the slider 20 from moving backward. Further, while the connector housings 1 and 10 are being fitted, the lock arm 24 rides on the locking projection 13 and bends and deforms, but the main stopper portion 41 is locked with the locking hole 32 of the lock arm 24. Since the stopper piece 38 rides on the upper surface of the lock arm 24 and can be bent and deformed while holding, the slider 20 is restricted from moving from the forward movement position to the backward movement position (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The main stopper portion 41 has a tapered surface whose front surface forms a downward slope toward the rear and has a flat rear surface, and the rear surface of the main stopper portion 41 and the rear surface of the locking hole 32 of the lock arm 24. The moving operations of the slider 20 are surely restricted by contact of the mutually cut surfaces. The main stopper portion 41 is arranged so as to be positioned above the locking projection 13 in the normal fitting state of the connector housings 1 and 10. Then, as the lock arm 24 returns to the normal engagement, the main stopper portion 41 is pushed up from the locking projection 13 to forcibly release the locking between the stopper piece 38 and the lock arm 24. It is possible (see FIG. 4). When the locking between the main stopper portion 41 and the locking hole 32 of the lock arm 24 is released, the slider 20 moves from the advanced position to the retracted position, and the main stopper portion 41 moves to the locking hole 32 of the lock arm 24. The stopper piece 38 is elastically restored by being accommodated in the escape hole 33 positioned slightly rearward (see FIG. 6).

  A sub stopper portion 37 is formed on the front side of the opening in the substrate portion 34 so as to connect the protective walls 35 to each other. When the slider 20 is in the forward movement position, the sub stopper portion 37 is in front of the tip of the lock arm 24 and is allowed to bend and deform. When the lock arm 24 is bent and deformed during fitting, the sub stopper portion 37 It engages with the rear surface, and is regulated in a double manner together with the movement of the main stopper 41 described above. The sub stopper portion 37 is positioned on the lower surface of the arch portion 17 when the slider 20 is in the forward movement position, and allows bending deformation of the lock arm 24. However, when the slider 20 is in the reverse position, the sub stopper portion 37 is located. 37 is positioned on the upper surface of the front end of the lock arm 24 and restricts the bending deformation of the lock arm 24, thereby enhancing the lock function (see FIG. 6).

  At a position sandwiched between the spring housing portions 23, 23 on the rear surface of the board portion 34, an operation portion 39 for detaching the connector housings 1, 10 extends backward and bendable in the vertical direction. Has been. Near the rear end of the lower surface of the operation unit 39, an abutting portion 36 that is in a state of being substantially in contact with the upper surface of the rear end of the lock arm 24 when the lock arm 24 is in a parallel posture is disposed in the front-rear direction. When the slider 20 is in the retracted position, the one disposed on the rear side of both the abutting portions 36 and 36 is located behind the lock arm 24, but the one disposed on the front side is the lock arm 24. The contact state is maintained. When the connector housings 1 and 10 are detached, the slider 20 is pushed forward. In order to clearly indicate the working direction of the pushing, the top of the operation unit 39 has an arrow tip. A protrusion having a shape facing forward is formed. In addition, this protrusion functions also as a slip stopper when pushing in with a finger.

  The pair of spring accommodating portions 23, 23 are provided at a predetermined interval so that the lock arm 24 can be disposed between the spring accommodating portions 23, 23 when incorporated into the female connector housing 10. Yes. In addition, when the spring accommodating portion 23 is incorporated in the female connector housing 10, the substantially lower half of the spring accommodating portion 23 enters the rectangular tube portion 16 and is positioned in the entry space of the hood front portion 11 </ b> A of the hood portion 11. Has been.

  The spring accommodating portion 23 is formed so that the spring 50 can be assembled from the front, and the spring 50 is accommodated so as to be extendable along the front-rear direction. In the state where the holding portion 60 is fitted into the front end of the spring 50 and the spring 50 is housed in the spring housing portion 23 together with the holding portion 60, the holding portion 60 comes into contact with the inner surface of the front wall of the spring housing portion 23. 50 stoppers are provided. On the other hand, a substantially lower half of the spring housing portion 23 is cut out over a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the spring housing portion 23. That is, the substantially lower half of the spring 50 is located in the entry space of the hood front portion 11A of the hood portion 11 and the spring 50 is exposed. In addition, when the connector housings 1 and 10 are being fitted together, as shown in FIG. 10, when the tip of the hood front portion 11 </ b> A of the hood portion 11 passes through the seal ring 30 and then comes into contact with the pressing portion 60, The spring 50 can be compressed by entering the spring accommodating portion 23 (see FIG. 11).

The present embodiment has the above-described structure, and the operation thereof will be described subsequently.
First, when the female connector housing 10 is inserted into the male connector housing 1 in order to fit both the connector housings 1, 10, the front end of the lock arm 24 comes into contact with the guide surface 13 A of the locking projection 13. Then, it rides on the sliding contact surface 13B. On the other hand, the front end of the hood front portion 11 </ b> A of the hood portion 11 starts to contact the pressing portion 60. At this time, since the main stopper portion 41 and the sub stopper portion 37 of the slider 20 are respectively engaged with the lock arm 24, the slider 20 and the lock arm 24 are in an integrated state. , 10 as the fitting progresses, both springs 50, 50 can be pushed in and stored. During the mating, the timing of contact between the male and female terminal fittings is reached. At this time, the spring 50 is compressed to some extent, so that the mating operation may be interrupted at this time. In this case, the male connector housing 1 is pushed out from the female connector housing 10 by the spring force. This prevents the male and female terminal fittings from being left in an incomplete conductive state.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the connector housings 1 and 10 are properly fitted, the stopper piece 38 starts to return in a state of being integrated with the lock arm 24, but the main stopper portion 41 is locked in the middle. The protrusion 13 receives a push-up action and is forcibly displaced in a direction to release the locking state of the main stopper portion 41 and the locking hole 32. Thus, when the locking state of the main stopper portion 41 and the locking hole 32 is released, the lock arm 24 is separated from the stopper piece 38 and returned as it is, and is locked to the locking projection 13, thereby holding both connectors. The housings 1 and 10 are locked in the normal fitting state (see FIG. 4). On the other hand, immediately after the lock arm 24 and the stopper piece 38 start to return, the spring 50 is compressed to the maximum between the front end of the hood front portion 11A and the rear surface of the spring accommodating portion 23 as shown in FIG. It is in a stored state. Thus, when the connector housings 1 and 10 reach the normal fitting state, the locked state between the main stopper portion 41 and the locking hole 32 is released, and the slider 20 is retracted all at once. With this, the operator knows that both connector housings 1 and 10 have reached the normal fitting state.

  When the slider 20 moves from the forward movement position to the backward movement position by the reaction force of the spring 50, as shown in FIG. 5, the sub stopper portion 37 located at the front end of the slider 20 moves to the upper surface of the front end of the lock arm 24, and locks. The bending deformation of the arm 24 is restricted. Thus, when the slider 20 reaches the retracted position, the stopper piece 38 is elastically restored, the main stopper portion 41 is accommodated in the escape hole 33, and the projection 42 is locked to the abutting portion 43. Backward movement is restricted. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, the spring 50 returns to the state before the fitting of the connector housings 1 and 10 is started.

  Next, the case where both connector housings 1 and 10 are detached will be described. In performing the separation, first, the operation unit 39 is pushed to push the slider 20 toward the forward movement position. At this time, the spring housing part 23 is pushed in until the front end of the spring accommodating part 23 comes into contact with the advance restriction surface 21 in the arch part 17. Since the lower surface of the front surface of the main stopper portion 41 is formed with a tapered surface, and the front surface of the escape hole 33 facing this surface is also a tapered surface, the main stopper portion 41 can be smoothly run. When the slider 20 reaches the forward movement position, the stopper piece 38 is bent and deformed as shown in FIG. 4 again, and the main stopper portion 41 rides on the locking projection 13. At the same time, on the lower surface side of the operation portion 39, both rear contact portions 36, 36 ride on the lock arm 24. The operation unit 39 is pushed down while the slider 20 is pushed into the forward position. Then, since the rear end side of the lock arm 24 is pushed down by the contact portion 36, the front end side of the lock arm 24 is lifted in reverse, and the engagement with the engagement protrusion 13 is released. Thereby, the male connector housing 1 is pushed out from the female connector housing 10 with a spring force, and both the connector housings 1 and 10 are in the detached state.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following operational effects can be exhibited.
(1) Ensuring the slider retraction restriction While the spring 50 is stored in the course of fitting, the surfaces of the main stopper portion 41 and the locking hole 32 of the lock arm 24 that are separated from each other, that is, the retraction direction of the slider 20 Therefore, even if a spring force is applied, the slider 20 is structured such that a component force is not generated in the direction in which the latch is released. Therefore, there is no possibility that the locking state of both the connector housings 1 and 10 is released and the slider 20 moves rearward during the fitting of the two connector housings 1 and 10. In addition, while both have strengthened the locking state, the main stopper portion 41 is forcibly displaced as the locking projection 13 is pushed up in the direction to release the locking state of both, so that both The locked state can be released.
(2) Low profile of the connector Since the opening portion 19 is provided on the upper surface of the arch portion 17 and the lock arm 24 and the stopper piece 38 are bent and deformed outwardly through the opening portion 19, the lock arm 24 is formed in the housing portion. In addition, as compared with a structure in which the stopper piece 38 is bent and deformed, the overall height of the connector can be further reduced. In addition, since the locked state by the lock arm 24 becomes easier to visually recognize, it is possible to further increase the guarantee of proper fitting.
(3) Preventing the slider from coming off As a result of providing the opening 19 to reduce the height of the connector, there is a concern that the slider 20 may come off from the female connector housing 10. Since the protrusions 42 and 42 are provided and the pair of abutting portions 43 and 43 that can be engaged with the protrusions 42 and 42 are provided on both side wall surfaces, the slider 20 can be structured not to easily come off the female connector housing 10.
(4) Reinforcement of the lock function Since the auxiliary stopper portion 37 disposed at the front end of the slider 20 regulates the bending deformation of the lock arm 24 when both the connector housings 1 and 10 are in the normal fitting state, the lock arm The lock function by 24 can be further strengthened. In addition to the above function, the sub stopper portion 37 has the function (1) enhanced. That is, since the sub-stopper portion 37 can be locked to the front end of the lock arm 24 as the lock arm 24 rides on the locking protrusion 13 during the fitting of the connector housings 1 and 10, the slider The rearward movement restriction of 20 is strengthened.
(5) Preventing the slider from being forgotten to return The lock arm 24 cannot be released unless the slider 20 is returned to the forward position when both the connector housings 1 and 10 are detached. If the operation unit 39 is pushed in without the slider 20 being returned, the auxiliary stopper portion 37 is positioned on the upper surface of the front end of the lock arm 24 and cannot be bent and deformed. It cannot be released.

<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 first embodiment, the main stopper portion is responsible for both the retraction restriction of the slider and the disengagement from the lock arm by the push-up. However, a location that receives the push-up may be set separately from the main stopper portion. .

  (2) Although the spring is used as a compression spring in the first embodiment, it may be used as a tension spring.

Sectional drawing which shows the state before the fitting start of both connector housings Sectional drawing which shows the state in the middle of the front of a lock arm riding on a latching protrusion in the middle of the fitting Sectional drawing which shows the state which the front end of the lock arm got on the latching protrusion in the middle of the fitting Sectional drawing which shows the state which the stopper piece received the pushing-up action by the latching protrusion in the regular fitting, the latched state with the lock arm was released, and the lock arm was restored Sectional drawing which shows the state in the middle of the slider moving from a forward position to a backward position in the regular fitting Sectional drawing which shows the state which the slider moved to the retreat position in the regular fitting Sectional drawing which shows the state which pressed the operation part in the removal process of both connector housings Sectional drawing which shows the state which removed both connector housings Partially cutaway plan view showing the state before the mating of both connector housings Partially broken plan view showing a state in which pushing of the spring is started during the fitting Partially cutaway plan view showing a state where the pushing of the spring is completed in the normal fitting Partially broken plan view showing a state in which the slider is pushed out to the retracted position by the reaction force of the spring in the normal fitting Exploded perspective view of female connector Front view showing a state in which the slider is assembled to the female connector housing Back view The plan view Top view of female connector housing Top view of slider Bottom view Front view Back view

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Male connector housing 10 ... Female connector housing 13 ... Locking protrusion 17 ... Arch part (the inside is an accommodating part)
19 ... opening (opening)
20 ... Slider 22 ... Groove 24 ... Lock arm 37 ... Sub stopper 38 ... Stopper piece (stopper)
42 ... protrusion 50 ... spring

Claims (4)

Among the two connector housings that can be fitted to each other, one connector housing is provided with a locking projection,
The other connector housing is bent and deformed so as to ride on the locking projections during the fitting of the two connector housings, and when the two connector housings are properly fitted, they are moved over the locking projections and returned. A lock arm that locks both the connector housings in a properly fitted state,
A slider that is movable along the fitting and detaching directions of the two connector housings and that is disposed on the side of the bending direction with respect to the lock arm;
A spring that is interposed between the slider and the one connector housing, and that can expand and contract along a fitting direction of the two connector housings;
In the middle of the fitting, the slider is locked by the stopper portion provided on the slider to the lock arm in a bent state to restrict its movement, so that the spring is moved by the one connector housing. When it is pushed in and can accumulate energy, and when the regular fitting is reached, the locking arm is restored and the locking of the stopper portion and the locking arm is released, so that the restoring force of the spring A fitting detection connector that makes it possible to recognize that the normal fitting has been reached by moving the slider,
During the fitting, the stopper surfaces of the stopper portion and the lock arm meet with each other in a state where almost no component force is generated in the bending direction in the lock arm, and in the regular fitting, the locking protrusion from the slider. A receiving portion that protrudes toward the lock is disposed on the bending direction side of the lock arm, and the receiving portion receives a push-up action by the locking projection to release the locking between the stopper portion and the lock arm. A fitting detection connector characterized by forcibly displacing the slider in a direction. The other connector housing is provided with a receiving portion for the lock arm and the slider, and an opening for relief is provided in the receiving portion on the displacement direction side of the slider, through which the bending deformation of the lock arm and the displacement of the slider are provided. The fitting detection connector according to claim 1, wherein: One of the slider and the other connector housing is provided with a protrusion, and the other is provided with a groove that can be locked to the protrusion, thereby restricting the displacement of the slider and The fitting detection connector according to claim 2, wherein the connector is allowed to move. In the middle of the fitting, the slider engages with the lock arm as the lock arm rides on the engaging projection, restricts the movement of the slider together with the stopper portion, and performs the normal fitting. When the lock arm is returned, a sub-stopper portion for releasing the locking to the lock arm is formed. The sub-stopper portion reaches the regular fitting, and then the lock arm is moved along with the movement of the slider. The fitting detection connector according to claim 1, wherein the deformation of the lock arm is restricted by being disposed in the bending space.

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