JP4816539B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for retaining a terminal fitting by a retainer.

Patent Document 1 discloses a connector in which a terminal fitting is prevented from being removed by a retainer. In this connector, the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity formed in the housing from the rear, the retainer is inserted into the housing space opened on the outer surface of the housing, and the retainer is locked to the terminal fitting. The movement in the (sampling direction) is regulated.
The retainer has a main body that is locked to the terminal fitting in the form of a block, and side walls that are formed on the left and right ends of the main body, and by locking a locking portion formed on the side wall to a receiving portion in the accommodation space. The housing can be selectively held at the temporary locking position and the final locking position. When the retainer is held at the temporary locking position, the terminal fitting can be inserted into the cavity, and when the retainer is moved to the full locking position, the main body is locked to the terminal fitting so that the terminal fitting is It is secured.
JP 2002-75508 A

In the connector described above, a locking portion is formed at both front and rear side edges of the side wall, and both the front and rear locking portions are locked to the receiving portion, and the inclination of the retainer in the front-rear direction is suppressed. For this reason, the longitudinal length of the side wall is made longer than that of the main body. For this reason, the front end of the side wall projects forward from the main body.
However, when the hood portion of the mating connector is externally fitted with the retainer in the temporary locking position, the front end portion of the plate-like side wall abuts the hood portion before the wide body. . At this time, if the outer fitting of the hood portion is forcibly advanced, the side wall may be damaged.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and in a connector in which the retainer projects the front end portion of the side wall forward from the main body, the side wall is caused by interference with the hood portion of the mating connector. It aims at preventing that the front-end part of this is damaged.

As means for achieving the above object, in the invention of claim 1, a terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity formed in the housing from the rear, and an accommodation space for accommodating the retainer is formed in the housing. said retainer is protruded from the rear to the terminal fitting by name blocky a body having a lockable retaining portion, wherein are formed on the left and right ends of the main body forward from the front end surface of said body And a locking portion provided on the side wall is locked to the receiving portion of the housing, so that the temporary locking position and the temporary locking position with respect to the housing In the state where the retainer is held in the temporary locking position, the main body can be partially held from the outer surface of the housing. Outside The front end surface of the side wall to the front end surface of said body are arranged in flush with as well as projecting and the insertion into the cavity of the terminal fitting is permitted, the retainer in the locking position In the pushed-in state, the front wall of the side wall is formed by the retainer in the connector configured to prevent the terminal metal from being detached by the retaining part of the main body being engaged with the terminal metal. It is characterized in that it is in a form that does not protrude outward from the outer surface of the housing when in the temporary locking position.

  The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the front wall of the side wall is notched in a step shape with respect to the outer surface of the main body.

<Invention of Claim 1>
The front wall protruding forward from the main body of the side wall is configured to be housed inside the housing when the retainer is in the temporary locking position, so that the other side is in a state where the retainer is in the temporary locking position. When the hood portion of the connector is externally fitted, the side wall does not hit the hood portion. Therefore, damage to the side wall due to interference with the hood portion of the mating connector is prevented.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the front wall of the side wall has a stepped shape with respect to the outer surface of the main body, the retainer can be detached from the housing by hooking a jig on the stepped portion.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The female connector (the connector of the present invention) includes a female housing 11 made of a synthetic resin having a block shape (a housing which is a constituent element of the present invention), a retainer 30 and a female terminal fitting 14 (the constituent elements of the present invention). Terminal fitting).

  A plurality of cavities 12 are formed side by side in the female housing 11. Each cavity 12 has a form penetrating the female housing 11 in the front-rear direction, and a lance 13 is integrally formed in each cavity 12 so as to extend forward in a cantilever manner along the bottom wall. Yes. The female terminal fitting 14 has a well-known configuration in which a wire crimping portion 16 extends rearward from the rear end of the rectangular tube portion 15, and an elastic contact piece (not shown) is provided in the rectangular tube portion 15. An electric wire 17 is fixed to the crimping portion 16. The female terminal fitting 14 is inserted into the cavity 12 from the rear, and is held out by locking the lance 13 at the normal insertion position. The electric wire 17 connected to the female terminal fitting 14 is led out to the rear of the female housing 11.

  A housing space 18 that opens to the lower surface of the female housing 11 is formed. The accommodating space 18 is for accommodating the retainer 30, and includes a communicating space 19 that communicates with a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the cavity 12, and a pair of locking spaces 20 that communicate with both left and right ends of the communicating space 19. Composed. In the opening edge on the front side of the communication space 19, an escape portion 21 having a shape in which a central portion in the left-right direction is cut out in a tapered shape is formed. The locking space 20 has a slit shape elongated in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each locking space 20 has a first receiving portion 22 </ b> F protruding from its front edge wall (in the present invention). A receiving portion which is a constituent requirement) and a second receiving portion 22R which protrudes from the rear edge wall (a receiving portion which is a constituent feature of the present invention) are formed.

  The retainer 30 is made of a synthetic resin, and is formed by integrally forming a main body 31 having a long block shape in the left-right direction and a pair of side walls 34 formed at both left and right ends of the main body 31. The upper surface of the main body 31 is formed so as to correspond to each cavity 12 and can be locked from the rear with respect to the rear end edge of the rectangular tube portion 15 of the female terminal fitting 14 as shown in FIGS. A plurality of retaining portions 32 are formed. Further, the main body 31 is formed with a front end edge portion of the lower surface thereof partially cut out, and a recess 33 corresponding to the escape portion 21 is formed.

  The side wall 34 is formed with a vertically long front wall 35 </ b> F projecting forward from the front end surface of the main body 31 and a vertically long rear wall 35 </ b> R projecting rearward from the rear end surface of the main body 31. A substantially upper half region of the front wall 35F is a first locking portion 36F that is cantilevered upward and can be elastically bent in the front-rear direction. The first locking portion 36F A first claw piece 37F that protrudes forward is formed at the upper end portion of the. The substantially upper half region of the rear wall 35R is a form that extends upward in a cantilevered manner and is a second locking portion 36R that can be elastically bent in the front-rear direction. A second claw piece 37R protruding rearward is formed at the upper end portion.

  The front wall 35F is formed with a notch 38 whose lower end edge is retracted (notched) in a step shape upward with respect to the lower surface of the main body 31. When viewed from the side, the front wall 35F is formed. The lower end surface (lower end edge) of 35F and the lower surface of the main body 31 are connected in steps. The dimensional difference between the position of the lower end surface of the front wall 35F in the vertical direction and the position of the lower surface of the main body 31 is that the main body 31 protrudes from the lower surface of the female housing 11 with the retainer 30 in the temporary locking position. The dimensions correspond to the dimensions. Further, the rear end surface of the notch 38 of the front wall 35 </ b> F is continuous with the front end surface of the main body 31. In other words, when viewed from the side, the lower end surface of the front wall 35F and the rear end surface of the notch 38 form a right angle, and the rear end surface of the notch 38 and the lower surface of the main body 31 form a right angle.

  The retainer 30 is assembled to the female housing 11 so that the main body 31 enters the communication space 19 from below and the side wall 34 enters the locking space 20. When the assembly is advanced, the second claw piece 37R passes through the second receiving part 22R while the second locking part 36R is elastically bent forward, and the second claw piece 37R is above the second receiving part 22R. The first claw pieces 37F of the first locking portion 36F come into contact with the first receiving portion 22F from below when locked from above. Due to the locking between the first locking portion 36F and the first receiving portion 22F and the locking between the second locking portion 36R and the second receiving portion 22R, the retainer 30 causes the lower end portion of the main body 31 to be connected to the female side housing 11. It is held at a temporary locking position protruding downward (outward) from the lower surface. At this time, since the entire front wall 35 </ b> F is accommodated inside the accommodation space 18, it does not protrude downward from the female housing 11.

  Further, when the retainer 30 in the temporary locking position is further pushed into the female housing 11, the first claw piece 37F passes through the first receiving portion 22F while the first locking portion 36F is elastically bent backward. Then, the first claw piece 37F is locked from above with respect to the first receiving portion 22F. Due to the locking between the first claw piece 37F and the first receiving portion 22F, the retainer 30 is held at the final locking position where it is pushed deeper into the female housing 11 than the temporary locking position. In the state where the retainer 30 is in the final locking position, the lower surface of the main body 31 is positioned at the same level as the lower surface of the female housing 11, and the front wall 35F housed in the housing space 18 is further It is pushed into the back.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
When attaching the female terminal fitting 14 to the female housing 11, first, the retainer 30 is held in the temporary locking position, and the female terminal fitting 14 is inserted into the cavity 12 from the rear. At this time, since the retaining portion 32 of the main body 31 is in a position retracted downward from the cavity 12 (insertion path of the female terminal fitting 14), the insertion operation of the female terminal fitting 14 is performed without any trouble. After all the female terminal fittings 14 are inserted, the retainer 30 is pushed into the final locking position. Then, the retaining portion 32 of the main body 31 is locked to the female terminal fitting 14, and the female terminal fitting 14 is securely pulled out by the locking action of the retainer 30 and the locking action of the lance 13. Retained.

  After the retainer 30 is moved to the final locking position, the female connector 10 is fitted with the male connector 40. At this time, the hood portion 41 of the male connector 40 is externally fitted to the female housing 11, and the entire opening area of the accommodation space 18 (that is, the attachment area of the retainer 30) on the lower surface of the female housing 11 is the hood portion. 41 will be covered. Here, the retainer 30 is pushed into the main locking position, and the main body 31 and the side wall 34 are accommodated in the accommodating space 18 over the entirety thereof, so that the retainer 30 does not interfere with the hood portion 41. Absent.

  Now, after the female terminal fitting 14 is inserted, when the female connector 10 and the male connector 40 are fitted without moving the retainer 30 to the final locking position, the female housing 11 Since the protruding end (front end) of the hood portion 41 abuts against the lower end portion of the retainer 30 protruding from the lower surface (see FIG. 1), further fitting operation is restricted, and the retainer 30 is controlled by this fitting restriction. It can be seen that it remains in the temporary locking position.

  At this time, only the main body 31 and the rear wall 35 </ b> R protrude from the lower surface of the female housing 11 in the retainer 30, and the front wall 35 </ b> F positioned in front of the main body 31 protrudes from the female housing 11. Not. Therefore, the front end of the hood portion 41 strikes only the lower end portion of the main body 31 of the retainer 30, and the hood portion 41 strikes against the front wall 35 </ b> F protruding forward from the main body 31 in a plate shape. Absent. Therefore, there is no possibility that the front wall 35F is damaged by the hood portion 41. At this time, both the left and right end portions of the hood portion 41 are fitted into the cutout portions 38 of the retainer 30. In addition, since the region where the hood portion 41 abuts in the main body 31 is long and continuous in the left-right direction (that is, the direction perpendicular to the contact direction of the hood portion 41), the main body 31 is connected to the hood portion 41. There is no risk of damage due to interference.

  Further, when the retainer 30 in the final locking position is returned to the temporary locking position, a jig (not shown) inserted into the escape portion 21 is hooked on the recess 33 and the main body 31 is moved downward by the action of the lever. While the jig is hooked at the center position in the left-right direction, the retaining position of the retainer 30 with respect to the female housing 11 is at the left and right ends of the main body 31, and the jig Therefore, there is a concern that the unlocking of the first locking portion 36F of the retainer 30 and the first receiving portion 22F of the female housing 11 is not smoothly performed.

  In this respect, in the present embodiment, the front wall 35F of the side wall 34 is notched in a stepped manner with respect to the outer surface of the main body 31, so that a jig can be hooked on the stepped portion. Thus, since the jig can be hooked at a position close to the locking position between the first locking portion 36F and the first receiving portion 22F, the locking between the first locking portion 36F and the first receiving portion 22F. The state can be reliably released, and as a result, the retainer 30 at the final locking position can be reliably moved to the temporary locking position.

<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 above embodiment, the front wall of the side wall is cut in a stepped shape with respect to the outer surface of the main body. However, according to the present invention, the front wall may be cut in a smooth arc shape. .
(2) In the above embodiment, the lower surface of the front wall of the side wall is flush with the outer surface of the housing while the retainer is in the temporary locking position. However, according to the present invention, the lower surface of the front wall is You may make it locate in an inner side rather than the outer surface of a housing .

Sectional drawing which shows a mode that the retainer is fitting with the hood part in Embodiment 1 in the temporary locking position. Bottom view showing the state of mating with the hood Sectional view showing the retainer in the temporary locking position Sectional view showing the retainer in the fully locked position Sectional drawing showing the latching means holding a retainer in a temporary latching position Sectional view showing locking means for holding the retainer in the full locking position Side view of retainer Retainer bottom view

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Female connector (connector)
11 ... Female housing (housing)
12 ... Cavity 14 ... Female terminal fitting (terminal fitting)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 18 ... Storage space 22F ... 1st receiving part 22R ... 2nd receiving part 30 ... Retainer 31 ... Main body 34 ... Side wall 35F ... Front part wall 36F ... 1st latching | locking part 36R ... 2nd latching | locking part

Claims (2)

A terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity formed in the housing from the back,
A housing space for housing the retainer is formed in the housing,
Said retainer is protruded from the rear to the terminal fitting by name blocky a body having a lockable retaining portion, wherein are formed on the left and right ends of the main body forward from the front end surface of said body And a locking portion provided on the side wall is locked to the receiving portion of the housing, so that the temporary locking position and the temporary locking position with respect to the housing It can be selectively held at the main locking position deeply housed in the housing space,
In a state where the retainer is held at the partial locking position, the front end surface of the side wall to the front end surface of the main body together with a part protrudes outward from an outer surface of the housing is a surface of the body one And the terminal fitting is allowed to be inserted into the cavity,
In the state where the retainer is pushed into the main locking position, the connector is configured to prevent the terminal fitting from being retained by the retaining portion of the main body being engaged with the terminal fitting.
The connector is characterized in that the front wall of the side wall is configured not to protrude outward from the outer surface of the housing when the retainer is in a temporary locking position.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the front wall of the side wall is formed in a stepped shape with respect to the outer surface of the main body.

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