JP4725500B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

Patent Document 1 discloses a connector that can detect whether or not both connector housings that can be fitted to and detached from each other are properly fitted. One of the two connector housings is assembled with a detection member capable of relative displacement in the fitting direction of the one connector housing from the standby position to the detection position. One connector housing is provided with a cantilevered lock arm that can be bent and deformed, and the other connector housing is a lock receiver that is elastically locked by the lock arm when both the connector housings are properly fitted. Is provided.
In the fitting process of the two connector housings, the detection member stands by at the standby position due to interference with the flexurally deforming lock arm, and when the two connector housings are properly fitted, the detection member and the lock arm are restored by the elastic return operation of the lock arm. Is disengaged, and accordingly, the pushing operation of the detection member to the detection position is allowed. Therefore, the fitting state of both connector housings can be detected by whether or not the detection member can be pushed into the detection position.

Here, when both the connector housings are properly fitted, the lock arm overcomes the lock receiving portion and elastically returns to hit the wall surface of the other connector housing elastically, thereby generating a clicking sound. A feeling of impact accompanying the fitting operation is transmitted to the operator's fingers, and so-called lock feeling is obtained.
JP 2004-63090 A

  In the case of the connector described above, it has been ensured that both connector housings are in a properly fitted state when the detection member is moved to the detection position. However, depending on the operator, the fitting operation of both connector housings may be advanced while pressing the detection member. Therefore, it is assumed that both connector housings are properly fitted when the lock feeling by the lock arm is obtained. Could end the work. Then, there is a possibility that the detection member has not yet reached the detection position, and there is a possibility that the fitting of the two connector housings will not be correctly executed.

  Moreover, even if some feeling is obtained from the detection member when the detection member reaches the detection position, if the fitting operation of both the connector housings is performed while pressing the detection member as described above, the lock arm Since the lock feeling and the feeling by the detection member can be felt in a continuous manner without interruption, there is a situation that it is difficult to feel the second feeling by the detection member independently. Therefore, similarly to the above, there is a possibility that the operation is finished at the stage where the lock feeling by the lock arm is obtained, and the operation of moving the detection member to the detection position is forgotten.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to prevent forgetting to move the detection member to the detection position.

As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that one connector housing of the pair of connector housings that can be fitted to and detached from each other is provided with a lock portion, and the other connector housing has both the above-mentioned connectors. A lock receiving portion that can be locked with the lock portion when the connector housing is properly fitted is provided, and the one connector housing has a detection for detecting the fitting state of the two connector housings. The detection member has a holding portion, and in the fitting process of the two connector housings, the holding portion comes into contact with a holding receiving portion provided in the other connector housing. The detection member is restricted from being pushed in and is held at the standby position. When the connector housing is properly fitted to the connector housing, the other connector housing can unlock the holding portion and the holding receiving portion and push the detection member into the detection position. The lock part and the lock receiving part are both kept in a non-collision state from the start of fitting of the two connector housings to after completion of fitting, while the detection member is There is a feature in a configuration having a collision surface that abuts against the collision receiving surface as it reaches the detection position.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the lock portion is bent and deformed toward the bending space in the fitting process of the two connector housings, and is elastic when the two connector housings are properly fitted. The lock receiving portion can be locked by returning, and the lock portion and the lock receiving portion have a semi-lock structure having an inclined surface that is inclined along the detaching direction of the two connector housings. Is characterized in that there is provided a restricting portion that restricts the bending operation of the lock portion in the direction of disengaging from the lock receiving portion by entering the bending space side by the movement operation to the detection position. .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the other connector housing has a latch receiver that can be latched to the detection member when the detection member reaches the detection position. A part is provided, and in the fitting process of the two connector housings, the detection member rides on the locking receiving part with a bending operation of the bending part of the detection member, and the collision surface is It is characterized in that it strikes against the collision receiving surface on the other connector housing side while being urged by the bending portion of the detection member that elastically returns at the detection position.

<Invention of Claim 1>
Since both the lock portion and the lock receiving portion are kept in a non-collision state from the start of fitting of both connector housings to after the completion of fitting, the lock feeling accompanying the fitting can be obtained from the lock portion and the lock receiving portion. There is no. On the other hand, since the detection member has a collision surface that abuts against the collision receiving surface as it reaches the detection position, an auditory and tactile feeling can be obtained with the collision. That is, if this one-time feeling is obtained, it can be determined that the detection member has reached the detection position, so that it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to move the detection member.

<Invention of Claim 2>
When the two connector housings are properly fitted, the lock portion and the lock receiving portion are engaged with each other in a semi-lock structure, so there is a concern that the fitting state of the two connector housings cannot be reliably maintained. Since the restricting portion is provided on the detection member and this restricting portion enters the bending space of the lock portion, the bending operation of the lock portion in the unlocking direction is restricted, and the fitting state of both connector housings is securely held. can do.

<Invention of Claim 3>
Since the collision surface is urged by the bending portion of the detection member that elastically returns at the detection position, it strikes the collision receiving surface of the other connector housing, so that a collision sound can be heard as it hits, and the detection member detects It can be detected audibly and clearly that the position has been reached. In addition, when the detection member reaches the detection position, the detection member and the engagement receiving portion are engaged, so that the detection member is provided with a lock function and the locking performance is enhanced.

<Embodiment 1>
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The connector of the present embodiment includes a female connector housing (which is one connector housing of the present invention, hereinafter abbreviated as female housing 10) and a male connector housing (the other connector housing of the present invention) that can be fitted to each other. A connector housing (hereinafter abbreviated as a male housing 60), and a detection member 80 is mounted on the female housing 10. In the following description, in the front-rear direction, the fitting surface side of both housings 10 and 60 is assumed to be the front, and the detection member 80 is assumed to follow the front-rear reference on the female housing 10 side.

  The male housing 60 is made of a synthetic resin, and includes a hood portion 61 having a rectangular tube shape as shown in FIG. On the back wall of the hood portion 61, male-side terminal fittings 62 are mounted in a plurality of rows in the width direction and a plurality of steps (specifically, three steps) in the height direction. A front end portion of the male terminal fitting 62 is disposed so as to protrude into the hood portion 61, and a rear end portion of the male terminal fitting 62 is bent downward and connected to the conductive path of the printed wiring board 100. A pair of left and right engaging pieces 63 and 64 are formed on the rear wall of the hood portion 61 so as to protrude forward in a cantilevered manner at an interval in the width direction above the mounting region of the male terminal fitting 62. Yes. Each of the engagement pieces 63 and 64 includes a release protrusion 63 that allows the detection member 80 to be moved by releasing a temporary holding state of the detection member 80 (a movement restriction state at a standby position described later), and the detection member 80. The locking projection piece 64 (corresponding to the locking receiving portion in the present invention) that can be locked in the detachment regulation state, and the locking projection piece 64 and the release projection piece 63 are joined in the width direction. They are arranged side by side. The release protrusion 63 is longer than the locking protrusion 64, and the distal end position thereof is positioned forward of the distal end position of the locking protrusion 64.

A release protrusion 65 bulges and is formed at the tip of the release protrusion 63, and a locking protrusion 66 bulges and is formed at the tip of the locking protrusion 64. The locking projection 66 has a protruding dimension larger than the release projection 65 (in the height direction). The front surface of the locking protrusion 66 and the front surface of the release protrusion 65 are both inclined upwards toward the rear, and the inclination angle of the front surface of the locking protrusion 66 is steeper than the front surface of the release protrusion 65. ing.
A lock receiving portion 67 projects from the front end portion of the upper wall inner surface of the hood portion 61. The lock receiving portion 67 has a mountain shape as a whole, and has a front surface and a rear surface that are inclined along the fitting / removing direction of the housings 10 and 60, respectively. The slopes of both slopes are almost the same.

The female housing 10 is made of a synthetic resin, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the female housing 10 has a block shape as a whole and can be fitted in the hood portion 61 on the other side. A cavity 12 into which the female terminal fitting 11 can be inserted is formed in the female housing 10. The cavities 12 are located at a position corresponding to the front end position of the male terminal fitting 62 and are arranged in a plurality of rows in the width direction and a plurality of steps in the height direction. A lance 15 for preventing the female terminal fitting 11 from coming off is formed on the inner wall of each cavity 12 so as to be deformable.
Further, a mounting hole 14 of a retainer 13 communicating with each cavity 12 is formed on the outer surface of the female housing 10 so that the retainer 13 is inserted into the mounting hole 14 so that the regular holes are formed in the respective cavities 12. The inserted female terminal fitting 11 is double-locked together with the lance 15. A plate-shaped front wall member 17 having an insertion port 16 of the male terminal fitting 62 opened is attached to the front surface of the female housing 10. The front wall member 17 closes the front space of the lance 15 and inserts the insertion port. 16, the insertion operation of the male terminal fitting 62 is guided. The female terminal fitting 11 inserted into the cavity 12 is a well-known configuration having a box portion 18 at the front and a barrel portion 19 at the rear, and is crimped and connected to the electric wire 20 via the barrel portion 19.

  A lock arm 21 (corresponding to the lock portion in the present invention) that can be bent and deformed is provided at the center in the width direction of the upper surface of the female housing 10. The lock arm 21 extends from the front end of the female housing 10 to the rear in a cantilever shape, and the base portion of the front end of the lock arm 21 functions as a stopper for the front wall member 17. The lock arm 21 includes an arm main body 22 that rises from the front end of the female housing 10 and extends in the front-rear direction, and an operation plate 23 that is one step higher at the rear end of the arm main body 22. On the upper surface of the female housing 10, a pair of left and right protective walls 24 are raised on both sides of the operation plate 23, and an inadvertent operation on the operation plate 23 is regulated by both protective walls 24.

  A groove 25 is formed in the center of the arm body 22 in the width direction, and a lock protrusion 26 is provided on the bottom surface of the groove 25 in the middle of the extension of the arm body 22. The lock protrusion 26 has a mountain shape as a whole, and has a front surface and a rear surface that are inclined along the fitting / removing direction of the housings 10 and 60, respectively. The inclination angles of both slopes are substantially the same, and are substantially the same as both inclination angles of the lock receiving portion 67 on the counterpart side, and are set to an inclination angle that is looser than 45 °. The lock protrusion 26 and the lock receiving portion 67 are generally similar. The lock projection 26 and the lock receiving portion 67 are configured to engage with each other in a so-called semi-lock structure with the inclined surfaces facing each other when the housings 10 and 60 are properly fitted.

  On the rear end surface of the female housing 10, a bending space 27 of the lock arm 21 is formed so as to open. Further, on both sides of the bending space 27, an assembly space 28 for the detection member 80 is opened as a pair on the left and right. Is formed. The assembly space 28 of the detection member 80 is configured to penetrate the female housing 10 in the front-rear direction, and the front end of the assembly space 28 is an insertion port 29 into which the mating engagement pieces 63 and 64 are inserted from the front. As shown in FIG. 2, the opening is made on the front surface of the female housing 10 (specifically, the base portion of the front end of the lock arm 21). In the female housing 10, a pair of left and right holding receivers 31 that hold the detection member 80 at a standby position (described later) are provided at the boundary between the bending space 27 and the assembly space 28. Projected to face. A pair of left and right guide grooves 32 that guide the movement of the detection member 80 are formed on both sides of the assembly space 28 so as to extend in the front-rear direction. At the opening edge of the guide groove 32 on the rear surface of the female housing 10, a leading tapered surface 33 is cut out.

  Next, the detection member 80 will be described. The detection member 80 is also made of synthetic resin, has a gate shape in plan view, and can be inserted into the assembly space 28 of the female housing 10 from the rear. The detection member 80 is assembled so as to be relatively movable between the standby position and the detection position with respect to the female housing 10, and is arranged in a state where the rear end protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the female housing 10 at the standby position ( In the detection position, the rear end portion is retracted and arranged so as to be substantially flush with the rear surface of the female housing 10 (see FIG. 4). The operator can recognize the movement state of the detection member 80 together with the lock feeling described later by visually observing the position of the detection member 80 (the amount of protrusion from the rear surface of the female housing 10).

  Here, the structure of the detection member 80 will be described in detail. The detection member 80 includes, as shown in FIGS. 5, 7, and 8, a connecting portion 81 that extends in the width direction, and a left and right that protrudes forward from both ends of the connecting portion 81. A pair of main body portions 82 is provided. The connecting portion 81 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape with the plate surface oriented in a substantially vertical direction, and its rear surface is when the housings 10 and 60 are fitted and when the detection member 80 is pushed into the detection position. The operation surface 82 can be pressed.

At the lower end of the connecting portion 81, a plate-like restricting portion 83 that protrudes forward while being joined to both the body portions 82 is provided. The restricting portion 83 is slightly thicker than the connecting portion 81 and has a substantially L-shaped cross section together with the connecting portion 81, and can enter the bending space 27 of the lock arm 21 when mounted on the female housing 10. It has become.
A substantially second half portion of the main body portion 82 is a base portion 84 having a rectangular flat plate shape with a high height, and a substantially front half portion of the main body portion 82 is a bending portion 85 having a substantially square bar shape with a height dimension smaller than that of the base portion 84. Is done. The bending portion 85 can be bent and deformed in the vertical direction (height direction) with the front end of the base portion 84 as a fulcrum. A pair of left and right guide portions 86 that can enter the guide groove 32 on the female housing 10 side are formed on both outer side surfaces of the base portion 84 so as to protrude in a substantially horizontal plate shape. The guide part 86 is in a lower region of the base part 84 and is arranged in a step different from the bending part 85.

  A locking claw 87 is formed projecting downward at the distal end of the bending portion 85. The locking claw 87 is opposed to the locking projection 66 on the other side after the bending operation by the bending portion 85 in the direction in which the detection member 80 is removed, and can be elastically locked to the locking projection 66. ing. The front surface of the locking claw 87 is a slope that recedes toward the front end side, while the rear surface of the locking claw 87 is a locking surface 88 that cuts substantially vertically, and the locking projection 66 that also cuts substantially vertically is engaged. The stop surface 69 is firmly locked with each other. The front end (lower end) of the locking claw 87 is a horizontally cut-out collision surface 91, and the portion of the upper end of the corresponding locking projection piece 64 near the locking projection 66 is a collision receiving surface. 68.

  And the holding | maintenance part 92 arrange | positioned along with the latching claw 87 and the joining state in the width direction is formed in the front-end | tip part of the bending part 85 so that it may protrude inward. The holding portion 92 has a substantially rectangular shape as viewed from the side, and has a front end and a rear end that are substantially vertical, and a lower end thereof is aligned with a lower end of the locking claw 87. When the holding portion 92 abuts the holding reception portion 31 and the front surfaces of each other substantially vertically, the movement of the detection member 80 from the standby position to the front (detection position side) can be restricted.

  Next, the effect of this embodiment is demonstrated. First, the female terminal fittings 11 are inserted into the cavities 12 of the female housing 10, and all the female terminal fittings 11 are locked with the lances 15 and the retainers 13 in a state of being prevented from being detached. The member 17 is attached. Then, the detection member 80 is assembled to the female housing 10 from the rear, the main body portion 82 of the detection member 80 is inserted into the assembly space 28, and the guide portion 86 of the detection member 80 is inserted into the guide groove 32. When the detection member 80 is pushed to the standby position, the holding portion 92 comes into contact with the holding receiving portion 31 and the pushing operation of the detection member 80 further forward is restricted. At this time, the restricting portion 83 of the detection member 80 is behind the bending space 27 of the lock arm 21 and is not intruded into the bending space 27, and the bending operation of the lock arm 21 is allowed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fitting operation of both housings 10, 60 is started from the state where the front surfaces of both housings 10, 60 are opposed to each other. At this time, the female housing 10 may be fitted into the hood portion 61 while pressing the operation surface of the detection member 80. Even in such a case, the holding portion 92 maintains a contact state with the holding receiving portion 31. This prevents the detection member 80 from inadvertently moving toward the detection position. The female housing 10 in the course of fitting is guided along the guide groove 32 in the front-rear direction.

  When the tip of the male terminal fitting 62 starts to enter the insertion port 16 of the front wall member 17, the lock projection 26 of the lock arm 21 interferes with the lock receiving portion 67 as shown in FIG. Then, the locking projection 26 and the lock receiving portion 67 slide the mutual inclined surfaces in a non-collision state while the arm main body 22 is bent. Thus, the lock projection 21 and the lock receiving portion 67 are in sliding contact with each other, so that the lock arm 21 is kept in a non-collision state from the start to the end of the fitting operation of the housings 10 and 60 from the start to the end. In other words, the operator does not obtain the lock feeling from the lock arm 21 side after the fitting process of both the housings 10 and 60 and the completion of the fitting.

  Further, in the process in which the female housing 10 is fitted into the hood portion 61, the engagement pieces 63 and 64 enter the assembly space 28 of the female housing 10 through the insertion port 29 and along the inner wall of the assembly space 28. It is inserted into the female housing 10. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the lock protrusion 26 wraps behind the lock receiving portion 67, and the lock protrusion 26 and the lock receiving portion 67 face each other in the direction in which the housings 10 and 60 are separated (semi-lock When the fitting operation proceeds to (position) (regular fitting position of both housings 10 and 60), the release protrusion 65 comes into sliding contact with the inclined surface of the locking claw 87, and the locking claw is accompanied by the bending operation of the bending portion 85. 87 rides on the release protrusion 65. Then, the holding portion 92 is also lifted upward and dissociated from the holding receiving portion 31, and the movement restricting state of the detection member 80 at the standby position is released, and at the same time, the movement operation of the detection member 80 to the fitting position is allowed. The During this time, if the pressed state of the detection member 80 against the operation surface is maintained, the detection member 80 is automatically moved from the standby position to the detection position in one motion.

  When both housings 10 and 60 are properly fitted, both male and female terminal fittings 11 and 62 are connected at a normal depth. Further, when the detection member 80 reaches the detection position, as shown in FIG. 5, the flexure 85 is elastically restored, and accordingly, the collision surface 91 of the locking claw 87 elastically impacts the collision receiving surface 68 of the locking protrusion 64. The detection claw 87 and the locking projection 66 are opposed to each other so that the locking surfaces 69 and 88 face each other and the detection member 80 is prevented from coming off. As a result, the connection portion 81 and the free end of the lock arm 21 are separated. The separation of the female housing 10 from the male housing 60 is restricted due to the interference. As the collision sound between the collision surface 91 of the detection member 80 and the collision receiving surface 68 is snapped, and a feeling of impact is transmitted to the operator's fingers, the worker can obtain such a lock feeling. Thus, it can be recognized that the detection member 80 has reached the detection position. Further, when the detection member 80 reaches the detection position, as shown in FIG. 4, the restricting portion 83 enters the bending space 27 of the lock arm 21 and the bending operation of the lock arm 21 is restricted. The detachment from the male housing 60 is more reliably regulated, and both the housings 10 and 60 are locked in the fitted state.

  On the other hand, when both the housings 10 and 60 are not yet in the proper fitting state and are held in the half-fitting position, the holding portion 92 is located away from the release projection 65 and is locked with the holding receiving portion 31. The state is maintained, and the pushing operation of the detection member 80 to the detection position is restricted. As a result, it can be seen that the two housings 10 and 60 are not properly fitted, so that the two housings 10 and 60 are deeply fitted again to reach the normal fitting position, and the detection member 80 is further moved to the detection position. Like that.

  Here, since both the lock arm 21 and the lock receiving portion 67 are kept in a non-collision state from the start of the fitting of the housings 10 and 60 to after the completion of the fitting, the lock arm 21 and the lock receiving portion 67 are fitted from the lock arm 21 and the lock receiving portion 67. You won't get the lock feeling that comes with. On the other hand, since the detection member 80 has the collision surface 91 that abuts against the collision receiving surface 68 as it reaches the detection position, an auditory and tactile feeling can be obtained with the collision. Therefore, if this one-time feeling is obtained, it can be determined that the detection member 80 has reached the detection position, so that it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to move the detection member 80.

  In addition, when the two housings 10 and 60 are properly fitted, the lock arm 21 and the lock receiving portion 67 engage with each other in a semi-lock structure, and thus there is a concern that the fitting state of both the housings 10 and 60 cannot be reliably maintained. However, according to the present embodiment, the detecting member 80 is provided with the restricting portion 83, and the restricting portion 83 enters the bending space 27 of the lock arm 21, so that the lock arm 21 is bent in the unlocking direction. The fitting state of both housings 10 and 60 can be reliably maintained.

  Further, the collision surface 91 of the detection member 80 abuts against the collision receiving surface 68 of the release protrusion 63 on the male housing 60 side while being urged by the bending portion 85 that elastically returns at the detection position. A sound is emitted, and it can be detected audibly and clearly that the detection member 80 has reached the detection position. Further, when the detection member 80 reaches the detection position, the detection member 80 and the locking receiving portion are locked, so that the detection member 80 has a function of locking both the housings 10 and 60. Lock performance is enhanced.

<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.
(1) In the said embodiment, although the detection member was the structure which combines the locking function of both housings, according to this invention, the locking function of both housings may be provided separately from the detection member.
(2) According to the present invention, contrary to the above embodiment, a movable lock arm may be provided on the male housing side, and an immovable lock receiving portion may be provided on the female housing side.
(3) According to the present invention, the detection member may be mounted on the male housing side.
(4) According to the present invention, the collision receiving surface may be provided on the connector housing side (the female housing side in the above embodiment) on which the detection member is mounted.

Sectional drawing which shows the state before making both housings fit in Embodiment 1. FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state in the middle of fitting both housings Sectional view showing the state where both housings are properly fitted Sectional drawing which shows the state which the detection member moved to the detection position, and the control part entered into the bending space of the lock arm Sectional drawing which shows the state to which a detection member is moved to a detection position and a latching claw and a latching protrusion mutually latch Rear view of female housing Top view of slider Front view of slider

Explanation of symbols

10: Female housing (one connector housing)
12 ... Cavity 21 ... Lock arm (lock part)
26 ... Lock projection 27 ... Deflection space 60 ... Male housing (the other connector housing)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 31 ... Holding receiving part 63 ... Release protrusion 64 ... Locking protrusion 66 ... Locking protrusion 68 ... Collision receiving surface 80 ... Detection member 81 ... Connection part 83 ... Restriction part 87 ... Locking claw 91 ... Collision surface

Claims (3)

One of the pair of connector housings that can be fitted to and detached from each other is provided with a lock portion, and the other connector housing can be locked with the lock portion when both the connector housings are properly fitted. A lock receiver is provided, and
The one connector housing is provided with a detection member for detecting the fitting state of the two connector housings, and the detection member has a holding portion. In the fitting process of the two connector housings, Although the holding member comes into contact with a holding receiving portion provided on the other connector housing, the detection member is configured to be held at the standby position by restricting the pushing operation.
When the other connector housing reaches a position where the other connector housing is properly fitted to the one connector housing, the other connector housing releases the latching between the holding portion and the holding receiving portion and performs the detection. A connector that can push a member into a detection position ,
While the lock portion and the lock receiving portion are both kept in a non-collision state from the start of fitting of the two connector housings to after completion of fitting,
The said detection member has a collision surface which abuts against a collision receiving surface, when reaching the said detection position, The connector characterized by the above-mentioned. The lock portion is bent and deformed toward the bending space side in the fitting process of the two connector housings, and when the two connector housings are properly fitted, the lock receiving portion can be elastically restored and the lock receiving portion can be locked, and The lock part and the lock receiving part have a semi-lock structure having a slope inclined along the detaching direction of the two connector housings,
The detection member is provided with a restricting portion that restricts a bending operation of the lock portion in a direction of disengaging from the lock receiving portion by entering the bending space side by an operation of moving to the detection position. The connector according to claim 1.   The other connector housing is provided with a latch receiving portion that can be latched to the detection member when the detection member reaches the detection position. In the fitting process of the two connector housings, the detection member is bent. The detection member rides on the locking receiving portion with a bending operation of the portion, and the collision surface is urged by the bending portion of the detection member that elastically returns at the detection position. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector abuts against the collision receiving surface on the other connector housing side.

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