JP4592359B2 - Connector and connector continuity inspection method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector used for connection of an electric wire and the like and a continuity inspection method for the connector.

  In a vehicle as a moving body, a wire harness is routed to supply electric power from a power source such as a battery to electronic devices such as various lamps and various motors to be mounted. The wire harness includes a plurality of electric wires and connectors attached to end portions of these electric wires.

  The electric wire is a so-called covered electric wire provided with a conductive core wire and an insulating covering portion. The connector includes a conductive terminal fitting and a connector housing as an insulating insulator. The terminal fitting is formed by bending a conductive sheet metal, and is attached to the end of the electric wire to be electrically and mechanically connected to the core wire of the electric wire.

  The connector housing is made of an insulating synthetic resin and is formed in a box shape. The connector housing is provided with a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers. The terminal accommodating chamber is a space that penetrates the connector housing. The terminal accommodating chamber accommodates terminal fittings.

  The connector, that is, the wire harness having the above-described configuration is assembled as follows. A terminal fitting is attached to the end of the electric wire, and the terminal fitting is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber. The wire harness described above is routed in the automobile by fitting the assembled connector to the connector of the electronic device described above. And a wire harness supplies the signal and electric power which are required for the electronic device mentioned above.

  The aforementioned wire harness or connector is subjected to continuity inspection after assembly. At this time, the continuity test has been performed by fitting the connector to the jig of the inspection device having the same shape as the connector of the electronic device without fitting the connector to the connector of the electronic device. For this reason, it is currently desired to conduct a continuity test on the connector while the connector housing of the connector of the electronic device and the connector housing are fitted.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector and a connector continuity inspection method that enable continuity inspection while the connector housings are fitted together.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, a connector according to the present invention according to claim 1 is a female comprising a female connector housing and a first terminal fitting attached to the female connector housing. Male connector comprising a male connector, a male connector housing that can be fitted into the female connector housing, and a second terminal fitting that is accommodated in a terminal accommodating chamber of the male connector housing. In the connector in which the first terminal fitting and the second terminal fitting are connected to each other when the female connector housing and the male connector housing are fitted together, the male connector The housing is provided with a through hole that communicates the inside and the outside of each of the terminal accommodating chambers, and the female connector housing and the male connector housing The connector but in contact with the second terminal fitting through pins for continuity testing inside said first terminal metal fitting and said second terminal fittings connected and the through hole in the half-fitting state The through hole is exposed to perform a continuity test, and the through hole is covered with the female connector housing when the female connector housing and the male connector housing are completely fitted. The through hole is provided at a position overlapping the rear end of the second terminal fitting .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a female connector connector including a female connector housing, a first terminal fitting attached to the female connector housing, and the female connector. A male connector housing that can be fitted into the connector housing, and a male connector that includes a second terminal fitting housed in a terminal housing chamber of the male connector housing. When the connector housing and the male connector housing are fitted, in the connector continuity inspection method in which the first terminal fitting and the second terminal fitting are connected to each other, the male connector housing includes: A through hole is provided to communicate the inside and the outside of each terminal accommodating chamber, and the female connector housing and the male connector housing are half-fitted The first terminal fitting and the second terminal fitting and is connected vital the through hole is exposed to a connector outside the housing of the female in the state, and the female connector housing and the male-type connector housing So that the through hole is covered with the female connector housing when fully fitted, the through hole is provided at a position overlapping the rear end of the second terminal fitting, and the female connector housing and the male Half-fitting the connector housing, inserting a pin for continuity inspection into the terminal accommodating chamber through the through hole, contacting the second terminal fitting, and performing continuity inspection on the connector. It is a feature.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector continuity testing method according to the second aspect of the present invention, wherein the female connector housing and the male connector housing are half-fitted. The use of a restricting jig that restricts the connector housings from being completely fitted together is characterized by the following.

  According to the connector of the present invention described in claim 1, the through-hole communicating with the terminal accommodating chamber provided in the male connector housing is exposed in a state where the connector housings are half-fitted. For this reason, in a state in which the connector housings are half-fitted, a pin for continuity inspection can be inserted through the through hole, and the pin can be brought into contact with the second terminal fitting in the terminal accommodating chamber.

  According to the connector of the present invention as set forth in claim 2, the pin for continuity inspection is passed through the through hole communicating with the terminal accommodating chamber provided in the male connector housing in a state where the connector housings are half-fitted. insert. For this reason, this pin can be reliably made to contact with the 2nd terminal metal fitting in a terminal storage chamber.

  According to the connector of the present invention described in claim 3, the restricting jig restricts the connector housings from being completely fitted together. For this reason, the through hole communicating with the terminal accommodating chamber provided in the male connector housing can be reliably exposed.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the state where the connector housings are half-fitted, the continuity test pin is inserted through the through hole, and the pin is inserted into the second terminal in the terminal accommodating chamber. Can be brought into contact with the bracket. For this reason, it is possible to perform a continuity test on the male connector without separating the connector housings while the connector housings are half-fitted. Further, when the connector housings are completely fitted together, the through hole is covered with the female connector housing, so that foreign matters such as dust and dust can be prevented from entering the terminal accommodating chamber through the through hole.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, a pin for continuity inspection is inserted through a through hole communicating with a terminal accommodating chamber provided in the male connector housing in a state where the connector housings are half-fitted. For this reason, this pin can be reliably made to contact with the 2nd terminal metal fitting in a terminal storage chamber. Therefore, it is possible to reliably conduct the continuity test on the male connector without separating the connector housings while the connector housings are half-fitted.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the restricting jig restricts the connector housings from being completely fitted together, so that the through hole can be exposed reliably. Therefore, when the connector housings are half-fitted, the continuity test pins can be reliably inserted into the through holes without separating the connector housings, and the continuity test can be reliably performed on the male connector. it can.

  A connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the connector 1 includes a female connector (hereinafter simply referred to as a female connector) 2 and a male connector (hereinafter simply referred to as a male connector) 3.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the female connector 2 includes a female connector housing (hereinafter simply referred to as a female housing) 4 and a plurality of terminal fittings 5. The female housing 4 is made of an insulating synthetic resin and has a bottomed cylindrical shape. The female housing 4 is attached to a printed wiring board (not shown). Further, on the inner surface of the female housing 4, a locking projection (not shown) for fitting with the male connector 3 is provided.

  The terminal fitting 5 is made of a conductive metal and is formed in a rod shape. The terminal fitting 5 is bent at the center so as to form a square shape when viewed from the side. One end of the terminal fitting 5 is located in the female housing 4, and the other end is electrically and mechanically connected to the conductor pattern of the printed wiring board. The terminal fitting 5 is the first terminal fitting described in this specification.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the male connector 3 includes a cover 6, a plate-shaped housing 7, and a press contact terminal 8 as a second terminal fitting. In the following, arrow X in FIG. 1 is the width direction, arrow Y orthogonal to arrow X and parallel to the surface of the printed wiring board (not shown) is the longitudinal direction, and arrow Z orthogonal to both arrows X and Y is the thickness direction. To do.

  The cover 6 is made of an insulating synthetic resin and is formed in a plate shape, that is, a flat plate shape as shown in FIG. A lock member 9 that fits with the female connector 2 is attached to the cover 6. The cover 6 is provided with a locking portion 10 for locking with the plate-shaped housing 7.

  A pair of plate-like housings 7 are provided in the illustrated example. The plate-like housing 7 is made of an insulating synthetic resin and is formed in a plate-like shape, ie, a flat plate shape as shown in FIG. The plate-shaped housing 7 includes a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 15 for accommodating the press contact terminals 8, and locking portions 11 for fixing the plate-shaped housings 7 to each other and the cover 6.

  The cover 6 and the plate-shaped housing 7 are overlapped in parallel with each other, and the engaging portions 10 and 11 are engaged with each other, so that they are combined as shown in FIGS. In the combined state, the cover 6 and the plate-shaped housing 7 constitute a male connector housing 12 (hereinafter simply referred to as a male housing) that fits into the female housing 4. In FIG. 2, the lock member 9 is omitted.

  Further, the amount of protrusion of the terminal fitting 5 of the female connector 2 from the bottom surface 13 (shown in FIG. 5) of the female housing 4, the position of the elastic spring piece 22 to be described later of the press contact terminal 8 of the male connector 3, etc. The terminal fitting 5 and the press contact terminal 8 are values that can be electrically connected in a state in which the terminals 4 and 12 are half-fitted.

  Further, the male connector 3 includes a plurality of through holes 14 as shown in FIG. The through hole 14 is provided in the cover 6 and one of the plate-like housings 7 located on the lower side in FIG. Of course, the through hole 14 penetrates the cover 6 and the plate-shaped housing 7. The through holes 14 provided in both the cover 6 and the one plate-like housing 7 are arranged along the direction in which the terminal accommodating chambers 15 are arranged.

  The through holes 14 provided in the cover 6 respectively correspond to the terminal accommodating chambers 15 of the other plate-like housing 7 provided above in FIG. Of course, each of the through holes 14 provided in the one plate-like housing 7 corresponds to each terminal accommodating chamber 15 of the one plate-like housing 7. The through-hole 14 and the terminal accommodating chamber 15 correspond to each other as a single body. For this reason, the through-hole 14 communicates the inside of the terminal accommodating chamber 15 and the outside of the male connector 3. Further, these through holes 14 are disposed at positions facing the press contact terminals 8 in the terminal accommodating chamber 15.

  The through hole 14 is provided at the end of the male connector 3 in the longitudinal direction Y on the side away from the female connector 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the through-hole 14 is configured such that the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 described above are half-fitted (not fully fitted), and the terminal fitting 5 and the press contact terminal 8 are electrically connected to each other. In a state of being connected, the female connector 2 is not covered by the female housing 4 but is exposed to the outside of the female housing 4. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the through hole 14 is arranged at a position where the female connector 2 is covered with the female housing 4 when the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 are completely fitted.

  The press contact terminal 8 is made of a conductive sheet metal or the like. As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 to 6, the press contact terminal 8 integrally includes an electrical contact portion 18, an electric wire connection portion 19, and a pair of locking spring pieces 20. The electrical contact portion 18 includes a rectangular tubular portion 21 and an elastic spring piece 22.

  One end portion of the terminal fitting 5 enters the cylindrical portion 21. The elastic spring piece 22 presses one end portion of the terminal fitting 5 that has entered the cylindrical portion 21 toward the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 21. The electrical contact portion 18 is such that the elastic spring piece 22 presses one end of the terminal fitting 5 that has entered the cylindrical portion 21 toward the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 21, so that the terminal fitting 5 of the female connector 2, that is, a printed wiring board. Electrically and mechanically connected to the conductor pattern.

  The electric wire connecting portion 19 is electrically and mechanically connected to the electric wire 25. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the electric wire 25 is a so-called covered electric wire including a conductive core wire 26 and an insulating covering portion 27 that covers the core wire 26.

  The electric wire connecting portion 19 includes a plurality (a pair in the illustrated example) of press contact blades 23. The press contact blade 23 is formed in a plate shape and is erected. The press contact blade 23 is provided with a slit 24. The slit 24 cuts out the press contact blade 23. The slit 24 is provided at the center in the width direction X of the press contact blade 23. In the press contact blade 23, the electric wire 25 is press-fitted into the slit 24, and the inner edge of the slit 24 cuts the covering portion 27 to contact the core wire 26. The press contact blade 23, that is, the electric wire connecting portion 19 is in press contact with the electric wire 25 and is electrically and mechanically connected to the electric wire 25.

  The locking spring piece 20 is erected from the center in the longitudinal direction Y of the press contact terminal 8 and from both ends in the width direction X of the press contact terminal 8. The locking spring piece 20 is locked to the inner surface of the terminal accommodating chamber 15. The press contact terminal 8 is attached to the plate-shaped housing 7 by the locking spring piece 20 being locked to the inner surface of the terminal accommodating chamber 15.

  The male connector 3 configured as described above accommodates the press contact terminal 8 in the terminal accommodating chamber 15 of each plate-like housing 7 and presses the electric wire 25 to the press contact terminal 8. Then, the cover 6 and the two plate-like housings 7 are overlapped and fixed to each other by the locking portions 10 and 11. Thus, the male connector 3 is assembled.

  The male connector 3 having the above-described configuration is subjected to a continuity test as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 7, a plate-shaped restricting jig 17 is positioned between the bottom surface 13 of the female housing 4 and the front end surface 16 of the male housing 12, and the female connector 2 and the male connector 3 are half-fitted. Match. The thickness of the plate-shaped regulating jig 17 is such that the housings 4 and 12 are half-fitted and the terminal fitting 5 and the press contact terminal 8 are electrically connected to each other. For this reason, when the housings 4 and 12 are semi-fitted between the housings 4 and 12, the regulation jig 17 regulates that the housings 4 and 12 approach each other and are completely fitted.

  When the housings 4 and 12 are half-fitted, the terminal fitting 5 and the press contact terminal 8 are connected to each other, and the through hole 14 is exposed outside the female housing 4. Then, a continuity test pin 28 (shown in FIG. 7) of the continuity test apparatus is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 15 through the through hole 14. Then, the continuity test pin 28 contacts the press contact terminal 8 in the terminal accommodating chamber 15. The continuity test device performs a continuity test, grasps the electrical connection status between the press contact terminals 8, and determines the quality of the male connector 3. Thus, the continuity test is performed on the male connector 3.

  According to the present embodiment, the through-hole 14 communicating with the terminal accommodating chamber 15 provided in the male housing 12 is exposed in a state where the housings 4 and 12 are half-fitted. For this reason, with the housings 4 and 12 being in a semi-fitted state, the pin 28 for continuity inspection can be inserted through the through hole 14 and the pin 28 can be brought into contact with the press contact terminal 8 in the terminal accommodating chamber 15. . For this reason, the continuity test can be performed on the male connector 3 without separating the housings 4 and 12 in a state where the housings 4 and 12 are half-fitted. Further, when the housings 4 and 12 are completely fitted together, the through hole 14 is covered with the female housing 4, so that foreign matters such as dust and dust can be prevented from entering the terminal accommodating chamber 15 through the through hole 14.

  Further, the restricting jig 17 restricts the housings 4 and 12 from being completely fitted together. For this reason, the through hole 14 communicating with the terminal accommodating chamber 15 provided in the male housing 12 can be reliably exposed. Therefore, the continuity test pin 28 can be reliably inserted into the through-hole 14 without separating the housings 4 and 12 while the housings 4 and 12 are half-fitted, and the continuity test is performed on the male connector 3. Can be applied reliably.

  In the embodiment described above, the regulating jig 17 is formed in a plate shape and is positioned between the front end surface 16 of the male housing 12 and the bottom surface 13 of the female housing 4. However, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 8, the restriction jig 17 is formed in a frame shape, for example, and the proximal end portion 29 of the male housing 12 near the electric wire 25 and the distal end portion of the female housing 4 near the male housing 12. You may position between 30. Furthermore, in the present invention, the restriction jig 17 is not necessarily provided.

  In the above-described embodiment, the press contact terminal 8 that press-contacts the electric wire 25 is shown as the second terminal fitting. However, in the present invention, a so-called crimp terminal including a plurality of crimping pieces for crimping the electric wires 25 may be used as the second terminal fitting. In the above-described embodiment, the male housing 12 includes the cover 6 and the pair of plate-like housings 7. However, in the present invention, the male housing 12 may be constituted by a box-shaped integral part.

  In addition, embodiment mentioned above only showed the typical form of this invention, and this invention is not limited to embodiment. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the connector concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the male connector of the connector shown by FIG. FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the male connector shown in FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing which follows the IV-IV line | wire in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which made the male connector and female connector of the connector shown by FIG. 1 half-fitted. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the male connector and the female connector are completely fitted. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which inserted the pin for a conduction | electrical_connection inspection into the through-hole of the male connector kept half-fitted using the control jig | tool of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which inserted the pin for a continuity test | inspection into the through-hole of the male connector kept half-fitted using the modification of the control jig | tool shown by FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Connector 2 Female connector (Female connector)
3 Male connector (male connector)
4 Female housing (female connector housing)
5 Terminal fitting (first terminal fitting)
8 Pressure contact terminal (second terminal fitting)
12 Male housing (Male connector housing)
14 Through-hole 15 Terminal receiving chamber 17 Restriction jig 28 Pin for continuity test

Claims (3)

A female connector comprising a female connector housing and a first terminal fitting attached to the female connector housing;
A male connector housing comprising a male connector housing that can be fitted into the female connector housing, and a second terminal fitting housed in a terminal housing chamber of the male connector housing; When the female connector housing and the male connector housing are fitted, the first terminal fitting and the second terminal fitting are connected to each other.
The male connector housing is provided with a through hole that communicates the inside and the outside of each terminal accommodating chamber,
The first terminal fitting and the second terminal fitting are connected in a state where the female connector housing and the male connector housing are half-fitted, and a continuity test pin is provided inside the through hole. The through hole is exposed to contact the second terminal fitting through the connector to conduct a continuity test, and
When the female connector housing and the male connector housing are completely fitted, the through hole is covered with the female connector housing.
The connector, wherein the through hole is provided at a position overlapping a rear end of the second terminal fitting . A female connector provided with a female connector housing and a first terminal fitting attached to the female connector housing; a male connector housing that can be fitted into the female connector housing; A male connector having a second terminal fitting housed in a terminal housing chamber of the male connector housing, and when the female connector housing and the male connector housing are fitted, In the continuity inspection method of the connector in which the first terminal fitting and the second terminal fitting are connected to each other,
The male connector housing is provided with a through hole that communicates the inside and the outside of each terminal accommodating chamber,
The first terminal fitting and the second terminal fitting are connected in a state where the female connector housing and the male connector housing are half-fitted, and the through hole is outside the female connector housing. And when the female connector housing and the male connector housing are completely fitted, the through hole is covered with the female connector housing so that the through hole is covered with the second terminal. Provided at a position overlapping the rear end of the bracket,
Half-fitting the female connector housing and the male connector housing, inserting a pin for continuity inspection into the terminal accommodating chamber through the through hole, and contacting the second terminal fitting, A continuity test method for a connector, wherein the continuity test is performed on the connector.   3. A restricting jig for restricting a complete fitting between the female connector housing and the male connector housing when the female connector housing and the male connector housing are half-fitted. Connector continuity testing method.

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