JP4665816B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

Conventionally, as a general structure of a connector provided with a lock arm, there is one described in Patent Document 1 below. This has a cantilever shape protruding rearward and has a bendable lock arm, and an operation portion for performing a release operation is provided at the rear end of the lock arm. A pair of side walls for protection from external impacts are raised upward at positions adjacent to the operation unit in the width direction, and the upper ends of both side walls are connected to each other at a slightly rear position above the operation unit. Thus, a protective wall is formed.
JP 2001-257034 A

  However, in this case, depending on the connector installation situation, it may be difficult to perform the release operation from above. In such a case, insert the finger into the inner space of the protective wall from the back to perform the release operation. become. Therefore, if the protective wall is provided using the side wall adjacent to the operation unit, there is a problem that a sufficient space for inserting a finger from the rear cannot be secured, and the release operation from the rear becomes difficult. In addition, since this is effective for planar contact because the protective wall is provided at a slightly rear position above the operation unit, it is disadvantageous for local contact, There is a possibility that the locked state is erroneously released due to an external force applied. The present invention has been completed based on the above situation, and an object thereof is to facilitate a release operation from the rear while restricting an erroneous operation due to local contact.

As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that either one of a pair of housings that can be fitted to each other is provided with a lock arm, and the lock arm is fitted to both the housings. It has a cantilever shape that protrudes rearward along the mating direction, and the rear end side can be bent in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of the two housings, and is arranged in the other housing when the two housings are normally fitted. It has a locking part that locks with the locked part and holds both the housings in a locked state, and the locking part is displaced in the bending direction by a release operation part arranged behind the locking part. The locked state can be released, and a pair of protective walls are provided along the front-rear direction on both sides sandwiching the lock arm in the width direction. An outer wall is provided A connector for the rear end of the unlocking portion is the from the rear end of the protection walls is set at a position rearwardly projecting, covering the unlocking portion while facing the deflection direction and the unlocking portion In the position, a cover wall is provided by laying between the two outer walls, and is disposed behind the two protective walls. Of the outer peripheral surface of the one housing, the surface on which the lock arm is disposed and the both outer walls The operation space for the release operation composed of the inner surface of the cover and the inner surface of the cover wall is characterized in that it is configured to be opened rearward.

The invention of claim 2 is the one described in claim 1, the rear end of the unlocking portion is where that is a retracted position forward of the opening edge constituting the rear end opening of the front Symbol operational space Has characteristics.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the outer wall is disposed near the outer surface of the one housing and is provided along the front-rear direction, and the covering of the outer wall is the cover. The front portion of the wall is a guide projection, and the other housing has a guide receiving portion for receiving the guide projection and fitting and guiding the two housings when the two housings are fitted. It is characterized by where it is provided.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein a guide surface having a gradient that expands rearward is formed inside the opening edge. Has characteristics.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the other housing is more than the cover wall of the one housing when the both housings are in a properly fitted state. A hood portion that allows a front portion to be fitted therein, and a gap that exposes the operation space to the outside is formed between a front end of the hood portion and the cover wall. One of the covering walls is characterized in that a restricting portion that closes the gap and restricts the intrusion of foreign matter is formed to protrude.

<Invention of Claim 1>
According to the first aspect of the present invention, if a cover wall is provided so as to cover the release operation portion in order to avoid erroneous operation in the locked state due to local contact, the release operation from the rear becomes difficult. However, since the cover wall is provided by laying between both outer walls arranged outside the protective wall, it is possible to widen the rear end opening of the operation space, and misoperation due to local contact It is possible to easily perform the release operation from the rear while restricting.

<Invention of Claim 2>
According to the invention of claim 2, since the rear end position of the release operation portion is located behind the rear end of the protective wall and forward of the opening edge of the rear end opening of the operation space, the finger is placed in the operation space. It is easier to perform the release operation without being disturbed by the protective wall when entering.

<Invention of Claim 3>
According to the invention of claim 3, the outer wall is arranged near the outer surface of one of the housings, and the front part of the outer wall is the guide protrusion from the covering wall, so that the operation space can be widened in the width direction. At the same time, it is possible to effectively prevent twisting when the two housings are fitted, and further, it is possible to effectively use the space by providing the guide protrusions using the outer wall.

<Invention of Claim 4>
According to the invention of claim 4, since the guide surface having a slope that expands toward the rear is formed, the rear end opening of the operation space is widened so that the finger can be easily put into the operation space and released more. Easy to operate.

<Invention of Claim 5>
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the restricting portion that restricts the intrusion of the foreign matter by closing the gap formed between the tip of the hood portion and the covering wall is formed, the foreign matter enters the operation space from the gap Thus, the release operation is restricted.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 1 in this embodiment is a male housing (corresponding to the other housing in the present invention) 10 and a female housing (corresponding to one housing in the present invention) that can be fitted to each other. 20. In the following description, the front-rear direction is based on the mating direction of both housings 10 and 20 in FIG. 1, and the width direction is based on the left-right direction in FIG. 4 shows the cavity 32, the cavities 32 and the female terminal fittings are omitted in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 for the sake of simplicity.

  The male housing 10 is made of synthetic resin and has a hood portion 11 that opens forward. On the upper inner peripheral surface of the opening edge portion 11A of the hood portion 11, a locked portion 12 is formed to protrude inward. The locked portion 12 is disposed at a position corresponding to a locking portion 23 (described later) when the housings 10 and 20 are fitted to each other at the substantially center in the width direction of the hood portion 11. The front surface of the locked portion 12 is a tapered inclined surface 12A having a gentle gradient from the front end surface of the hood portion 11 toward the rear, and is horizontally slidably contacted from the rear end of the inclined surface 12A toward the rear. A surface 12B is formed, and a locked surface 12C is formed which has an overhanging gradient from the rear end of the sliding contact surface 12B toward the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 11.

  The female housing 20 is made of synthetic resin and has a main body portion 21 having a substantially rectangular block shape. Three cavities 32 shown in the figure are formed through the body portion 21 along the front-rear direction. A female terminal fitting (not shown) can be inserted into the cavity 32 from behind. The female terminal fitting is connected to a male terminal fitting (not shown) disposed in the male housing 10 so as to be electrically conductive when both housings 10 and 20 are properly fitted. A hook 21A that protrudes downward is formed at the lower edge of the rear end of the main body 21 so that it can be easily operated by touching the fingers when the housings 10 and 20 are released. Has been.

  A lock arm 22 is disposed along the front-rear direction at the approximate center in the width direction on the upper surface of the main body 21. The lock arm 22 is formed as a base end portion 22A that protrudes upward from the front end of the upper surface of the main body portion 21 and a pair of cantilever portions that protrude rearward from the base end portion 22A and the rear end side thereof can be bent. Arm portions 22B and 22B. Between both arm parts 22B and 22B, the connection part 22C which connects the substantially lower halves in the height direction of the arm part 22B is provided, and the rear end upper surface of the arm part 22B is located behind the connection part 22C. The release operation part 24 which makes plate shape is connected.

  A locking portion 23 is formed to protrude upward at the approximate center in the front-rear direction of the connecting portion 22C. The locking portion 23 can be locked with the locked portion 12 when the housings 10 and 20 are properly fitted to hold the housings 10 and 20 in a locked state. The front surface of the engaging portion 23 is an arc-shaped abutting surface 23A that gradually forms a gradual slope toward the rear, and a slope that is slightly overhanging from the rear end of the abutting surface 23A toward the connecting portion 22C. A locking surface 23B is formed. Incidentally, the lower surface side of the arm portion 22B is cut out in a taper shape from the rear end portion of the connecting portion 22C to the rear end portion of the release operation portion 24, and the lock arm 22 is in the process of fitting the two housings 10 and 20. Interference between the arm portion 22B and the upper surface of the main body portion 21 when it is in a fully bent state is avoided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of protective walls 25, 25 are arranged on both sides of the lock arm 22 in the width direction. The protective wall 25 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the main body portion 21, has substantially the same height as the arm portion 22 </ b> B, and is formed along the front-rear direction. Thus, the lock arm 22 can be prevented from being damaged by receiving an impact from both sides in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the front end of the protective wall 25 is set to be substantially the same position as the front end of the lock arm 22 and substantially flush with the front surface of the main body 21. Further, the rear end 24A of the release operation part 24 is set at a position protruding rearward from the rear end 25A of the protective wall 25, so that the protective wall 25 is not obstructed when putting a finger from the rear. The release operation is made easier.

  A pair of outer walls 26, 26 are arranged on the outer sides in the width direction of both protective walls 25, 25. The outer wall 26 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the main body portion 21, is disposed on the outer edge portion on the upper surface, and is formed along the front-rear direction. Although the front end of the outer wall 26 is positioned slightly rearward of the front surface of the main body portion 21, the rear end of the outer wall 26 extends to a position that is substantially flush with the rear surface of the main body portion 21.

  A front portion of the outer wall 26 from the cover wall 27 described below is a guide protrusion 26A. 26 A of guide protrusions are received by the guide receiving part which is not shown arrange | positioned at the male housing 10 with fitting of both the housings 10 and 20, and are adapted to carry out fitting guidance of both housings. Further, as described above, since the guide protrusion 26A is disposed on the outer edge of the upper surface of the main body 21, it is possible to effectively prevent twisting when the housings 10 and 20 are fitted. Has been. Furthermore, the inner side surface of the outer wall 26 is formed inwardly in the cover wall 27 and is connected to the rear end 25A of the protective wall 25 so that a foreign object enters from the front and the like, thereby causing an erroneous operation. It is possible to regulate what is done. In addition, on the front surface of the above-described widened portion, a lightening 31 opening forward is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a cover wall 27 is disposed at an upper position that covers the release operation unit 24. The covering wall 27 is formed by forming a pair of portions where the aforementioned widened portion of the outer wall 26 and the rear end 25A of the protective wall 25 connected to the outer wall 26 are raised upward on both sides in the width direction. These are formed by erection between the upper ends. The lower surface of the cover wall 27 is disposed at a position facing the upper surface of the release operation unit 24 along the bending direction of the lock arm 22. The front end of the cover wall 27 is set at substantially the same position as the front end of the release operation unit 24 when the lock arm 22 is in the return posture. The rear end of the covering wall 27 is substantially the same position as the rear surface of the main body 21, and the rear end 24 </ b> A of the release operation portion 24 constitutes the rear end of the covering wall 27 (the rear end opening of the operation space 28 described below). The opening edge 28B) is retracted forward. In the front end surface of the covering wall 27, two portions of the lightening 30 shown in the figure are formed to open forward at a predetermined interval in the width direction.

  The space formed by the lower surface (inner surface) of the cover wall 27, the inner surfaces of the outer walls 26 and 26, and the upper surface of the main body 21 (the surface on which the lock arm 22 is arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 21) is operated. It is a space 28. The operation space 28 is formed to open rearward, and a release operation can be performed by inserting a finger through the opening. The inner surface of the operation space 28 is set to be slightly higher than the upper surface of the hood portion 11 of the male housing 10 when both the housings 10 and 20 are properly fitted. Further, the front end of the cover wall 27 and the front end of the hood portion 11 are set to be substantially the same position in the front-rear direction during normal fitting. In short, the front portion of the female housing 20 relative to the cover wall 27 can be fitted into the hood portion 11 during normal fitting. Further, at the front end of the inner surface of the cover wall 27, a restricting portion 29 is formed so as to protrude downward and close a gap formed between the tip of the hood portion 11 and the cover wall 27 and restrict entry of foreign matter. 22 erroneous operations can be more reliably regulated. In addition, a tapered guide surface 28A having a slope that widens rearward is formed on both sides in the width direction of the opening edge portion 28B in the rear end opening of the operation space 28, so that the rear of the operation space 28 is formed. The end opening can be widened, and the finger can be easily put into the operation space 28 from behind, so that the release operation can be performed more easily.

The present embodiment has the above-described structure, and the operation thereof will be described subsequently.
First, the fitting operation of both housings 10 and 20 will be described. When the female housing 20 is pushed toward the male housing 10, the guide protrusion 26A is received by the guide receiving portion, whereby the housings 10 and 20 are prevented from being twisted and a smooth fitting operation is performed. Thus, when the female housing 20 is pushed in, the abutment surface 23A of the locking portion 23 comes into contact with the inclined surface 12A of the locked portion 12, and rides on the sliding contact surface 12B while bending the lock arm 22 downward. . If the pushing operation is continued as it is and the housings 10 and 20 reach the normal fitting state, the locking portion 23 gets over the locked portion 12 and the lock arm 22 is restored to engage the locking surface 23B. The fitting operation is completed when the stop surface 12C is engaged and the housings 10 and 20 are held in a locked state. When both housings 10 and 20 are in a properly fitted state, a restricting portion 29 that closes the gap between the tip of the hood portion 11 and the cover wall 27 is provided. It is restricted that a locked state is erroneously released due to a foreign object invading and locally contacting the release operation unit 24.

  Next, the separation operation of both housings 10 and 20 will be described. The two housings 10 and 20 are detached by putting a finger into the operation space 28 from behind and pushing down the release operation unit 24. At this time, the cover wall 27 constituting a part of the operation space 28 is formed by laying between the outer walls 26, 26 arranged on the outer edge of the main body portion 21 at a position higher than the release operation portion 24. Therefore, a larger operation space 28 is ensured while restricting erroneous operation due to local contact. Further, since a guide surface 28A is formed inside the opening edge portion 28B in the rear end opening of the operation space 28, a larger operation space 28 is secured in the rear end opening of the operation space 28. Thus, when a finger is put into the operation space 28 from behind and the release operation portion 24 is pushed down, the locked state of the locking surface 23B and the locked surface 12C is released, and the female housing 20 is pulled away from the male housing 10 as it is. Thus, the detachment operation of both the housings 10 and 20 is completed.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the cover wall 27 is provided so as to cover the release operation unit 24 in order to avoid erroneous operation in the locked state due to local contact, the release operation from the rear is performed. Although it may be difficult, since the covering wall 27 is provided by laying between the outer walls 26 and 26 arranged outside the protective wall 25, it is possible to widen the opening of the operation space 28. It is possible to easily perform the release operation from the rear while restricting an erroneous operation due to local contact. Further, since the rear end position of the release operation portion 24 is set behind the rear end of the protective wall 25 and in front of the opening edge portion of the rear end opening of the operation space 28, the finger is put into the operation space 28. It becomes easier to perform the release operation without being obstructed by the protective wall 25. Furthermore, since the outer wall 26 is disposed on the outer edge of the upper surface of the main body 21 and the front portion of the outer wall 26 is the guide protrusion 26A with respect to the cover wall 27, the operation space 28 is widened in the width direction. In addition, it is possible to effectively prevent twisting when the two housings 10 and 20 are fitted together, and further, by using the outer wall 26 to provide the guide projection 26A, it is possible to effectively use the space. become. In addition, since the guide surface 28A having a gradient that expands toward the rear is formed, the opening of the operation space 28 can be further widened, and the release operation can be performed more easily. In addition to this, since a restricting portion 29 is formed which closes the gap formed between the tip of the hood portion 11 and the covering wall 27 and restricts the intrusion of the foreign matter, foreign matter enters the operation space 28 from the gap. It is regulated that the release operation is performed by intrusion and local contact.

<Reference technology>
Next, a reference technique related to the present invention will be disclosed. 6 to 10 show an embodiment according to the present reference technology. The connector 2 in the present embodiment is configured such that the release operation can be performed from both the upper side and the rear side by partially changing the structure of the connector 1 of the first embodiment. Description is omitted. As shown in FIG. 6, the connector 2 includes a male housing 10 and a female housing 40 that can be fitted to each other. Although the cavity 32 is shown in FIG. 9, the cavity 32 and the female terminal fitting are omitted in FIGS. 6, 7 and 10 for simplification of the drawing.

  The female housing 40 includes a release operation portion 43 (43A is a release operation) in which the release operation portion 24 according to the first embodiment and a protrusion 42 that protrudes upward in the width direction are formed integrally in the upper half of the upper surface. The rear end of the portion 43 is shown.). Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the female housing 40 has a substantially U-shape opened forward by notching forward, leaving both side edges and rear edges in the width direction of the cover wall 27 in the first embodiment. An eggplant covering wall 41 is provided. Thereby, in addition to the operation space 28 opened to the rear, an operation space 44 opened upward is formed above the release operation unit 43, and a release operation is performed by inserting a finger from both the operation spaces 28 and 44. Is possible. Therefore, the release operation can be performed by appropriately selecting a direction in which the release operation is easy according to the installation state of the connector 2.

  The upper end of the projecting portion 42 is positioned slightly below the upper surface of the hood portion 11 when the housings 10 and 40 are properly fitted. In addition, on both side surfaces in the width direction constituting the operation space 44, a guiding surface 44 </ b> A having a gradient that expands upward is formed. For this reason, when performing the release operation through the operation space 44, the entrance surface 44A is provided, so that the front of the operation space 44 is widened so that a finger can be easily put into the operation space 44, and the protrusion 42 is provided. With this, it is not necessary to put the finger deeply, and the release operation can be easily performed.

<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 present embodiment, the lock arm 22 is illustrated as being bent and deformed in a direction orthogonal to the outer surface of the main body 21, but according to the present invention, the lock arm 22 is deformed relative to the outer surface of the main body 21. You may make it bend and deform in parallel (horizontal direction).

  (2) In the present embodiment, an example in which the entire surface of the release operation unit 24 is almost completely covered from above by the covering wall 27 is illustrated. However, according to the present invention, the entire surface is not necessarily covered. There may be a part exposed.

  (3) In the present embodiment, the outer wall 26 is illustrated as being disposed on the outer edge of the main body 21. However, according to the present invention, the outer wall 26 is disposed slightly inward. May be.

  (4) In the present embodiment, the front portion of the outer wall 26 relative to the cover wall 27 is used as the guide protrusion 26A. However, according to the present invention, the guide protrusion 26A is provided separately from the outer wall 26. You may do it.

  (5) In the present embodiment, the guide surface 28A is illustrated as being provided on both sides in the width direction among the opening edge portions 28B constituting the rear end opening of the operation space 28. However, according to the present invention, the guide surface 28A The surface 28A may be provided on the upper edge portion of the opening edge portion 28B, and the place where the surface 28A is provided is not limited.

  (6) In the present embodiment, the restricting portion 29 is illustrated as being provided to protrude downward from the inside of the front end of the wall 27, but according to the present invention, the restricting portion 29 is the opening edge of the hood portion 11. You may make it project from 11A.

  (7) In the present embodiment, the lock arm 22 is exemplified by the arm portion 22B protruding rearward from the base end portion 22A. However, according to the present invention, the lock arm 22 is cantilevered. For example, the base end portion 22A may be arranged near the center in the length direction of the arm portion 22B so that it can be bent in a seesaw shape with a release operation.

Sectional drawing which shows the normal fitting state of both the housings in Embodiment 1. Side sectional view of the female housing Top view of the female housing Front view of the female housing Rear view of the female housing Sectional view showing the normal fitting state of both housings in the reference technology Side sectional view of the female housing Top view of the female housing Front view of the female housing Rear view of the female housing

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Male housing (the other housing)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Hood part 12 ... Locked part 20 ... Female housing (one housing)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 22 ... Lock arm 23 ... Locking part 24 ... Release operation part 24A ... Rear end of release operation part 25 ... Protection wall 25A ... Rear end of protection wall 26 ... Outer wall 26A ... Guiding protrusion 27 ... Cover wall 28 ... Operation space 28A ... Invitation surface 28B ... Opening edge part constituting rear end opening of operation space 29 ... Restricting part

Claims (5)

Either one of the pair of housings that can be fitted to each other is provided with a lock arm,
The lock arm has a cantilever shape projecting rearward along the fitting direction of the two housings, and the rear end side can be bent in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of the two housings. When fitted, it has a latching portion that latches with the latched portion arranged in the other housing and holds both the housings in a locked state, and is provided by a release operation portion arranged behind the latching portion. The locked state can be released by displacing the locking portion in the bending direction.
On both sides sandwiching the lock arm in the width direction, a pair of protective walls are provided along the front-rear direction, and on the outer side in the width direction of both protective walls, a pair of outer walls are provided,
The rear end of the release operation part is set at a position protruding rearward from the rear ends of the two protective walls,
A cover wall is provided at a position covering the release operation unit while facing the release operation unit and the bending direction by laying between the outer walls.
For the release operation, which is arranged behind the two protective walls, and is composed of the outer peripheral surface of the one housing, the surface on which the lock arm is disposed, the inner side surfaces of the outer walls, and the inner surface of the cover wall. The connector is characterized in that the operation space is formed to open rearward. The release the rear end of the operating unit, a connector according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a position retracted forward of the opening edge constituting the rear end opening of the front Symbol operational space.   The outer wall is disposed near the outer side surface of the one housing and is provided along the front-rear direction. A front portion of the outer wall from the cover wall is a guide protrusion, and the other housing has 3. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a guide receiving portion that receives the guide protrusion and guides the fitting of the two housings with the fitting of the two housings.   4. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a lead-in surface having a slope that expands rearward is formed inside the opening edge. 5.   The other housing includes a hood portion that allows a front portion of the one housing to be fitted to the inside of the cover wall when the two housings are in a normal fitting state, and the front end of the hood portion and the cover In the case where a gap is formed between the wall and the operation space is exposed to the outside, either one of the hood portion or the cover wall is a restriction portion that blocks the gap and restricts the entry of foreign matter The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector protrudes from the connector.

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