JP4962787B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pair of connectors that can be fitted to each other.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a connector that is locked in a normal fitting state by engagement between a lock arm provided on one connector and a lock protrusion provided on the other connector (for example, Patent Document 1). ). The distal end portion of the lock arm is an engagement portion that can be engaged with the lock protrusion, and during the fitting of both connectors, the engagement portion rides on the lock protrusion and the lock arm is elastically deformed. Then, when both connectors reach a proper fitting state, the engagement portion gets over the lock protrusion, the lock arm is elastically restored, and the engagement portion engages with the lock protrusion, so that both connectors are normal. Locked to the mated state.
JP 2005-183342 A

In the connector as described above, a predetermined clearance is secured between the engagement arm and the lock protrusion so that the lock arm does not interfere when the lock arm is elastically restored. For this reason, when the connector receives vibration or the like, there is a concern that rattling occurs between the lock protrusion and the engagement portion, and abnormal noise is generated or the terminals slide and wear. In particular, when the connector is used in an environment of high temperature and high vibration, there is a possibility that the clearance between the locking protrusion and the engaging portion may be enlarged due to deformation due to creep, and this is to prevent rattling. Countermeasures are desired.
This invention is completed based on the above situations, Comprising: It aims at providing the connector which can prevent rattling.

The present invention is a pair of connectors in which the first connector is fitted into the fitting portion of the second connector to be in a proper fitting state, and the first connector is provided with a spring having a pair of elastically displaceable legs. The first connector and the second connector are locked in a proper fitting state, and the spring is connected to the first connector and the second connector before the first connector and the second connector are fitted together . A pair of wall portions extending in the circumferential direction are provided before and after the mounting portion is mounted on a mounting portion of one of the housings of the connector, and the first connector and the second connector are fitted to the spring. Before and after mating, it is accommodated between the pair of wall portions without projecting outward from the pair of wall portions. , The passage portion through which the engaged portion provided in the other housing of the first connector and the second connector can pass is formed, and the leg portion is a communication portion that communicates the passage passage and the mounting portion. And the engaged portion is in contact with the leg portion when the pair of connectors are fitted, and the leg portion is elastically displaced to advance the passage path. The rear surface of the engaged portion is disposed at a position facing the communication portion when the pair of connectors reach a normal fitting state, and elastic recovery of the leg portion is performed. The engagement surface is inclined so as to generate a force that pushes the other housing forward by receiving force, and the fitting portion of the second connector has the fitting portion toward the back side of the fitting portion. And a taper surface having an inclination in a direction to narrow the width dimension of the first A portion of the connector that contacts the tapered surface of the second connector is formed with an inclined surface along the inclination of the tapered surface, and the leg portion is engaged with the engaged member when the pair of connectors are properly fitted. By contacting the mating surfaces, the pair of connectors are locked and the other housing is pushed forward, and at a position that secures a clearance that allows the other housing to move forward, It is characterized in that it comes into contact with the inclined surface.

  According to such a configuration, when the pair of connectors reach the proper fitting state, the first connector comes into contact with the tapered surface of the second connector with the clearance secured in the front, and the leg that has elastically returned. When the portion presses the engaged surface, the housing on the side provided with the engaged surface is pressed forward in the fitting direction. Therefore, even if the connector is deformed due to creep or the like, the housing is moved forward by the elastic restoring force of the leg portion, and the first connector and the second connector are held in contact with each other. can do.

Moreover, since both the connectors are in surface contact, it is possible to prevent rattling firmly.
In addition, since the spring is mounted between the wall portions, rattling between the second connector and the spring can be reduced.

  The spring is displaceable between an entry position where the leg portion protrudes toward the passageway side and a retracted position where the leg portion is retracted from the passageway side, and the communication portion or the leg portion includes the A guide portion that is inclined with respect to the displacement direction of the spring may be provided. As a result, the spring can be displaced smoothly.

The mounting portion may be those which we provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second connector.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the connector which can prevent rattling can be provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The connector in this embodiment includes a male connector 10 (corresponding to a first connector of the present invention) and a female connector 20 (corresponding to a second connector of the present invention) that can be fitted to each other. Hereinafter, in each component member, the fitting surface side of both connectors 10 and 20 will be referred to as the front, and the upper side in FIG.

  The male connector 10 includes a male housing 11 and a male terminal 12 held by the male housing 11. The male housing 11 is made of synthetic resin, and includes a front hood portion 13 that is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape that is slightly longer in the width direction and opens forward, and a rear hood portion 14 that opens rearward. As for the thickness dimension (inside / outside dimension) of the front side hood part 13, the substantially first half part is made smaller than the substantially second half part. Engagement protrusions 16 (corresponding to the engaged portion of the present invention) are provided on both the left and right side surfaces of the male housing 11 respectively. The engagement protrusion 16 will be described in detail later.

  Three male terminals 12 are provided in parallel in the width direction, and each of the male terminals 12 penetrates and holds the back wall 15 (the wall between the front hood portion 13 and the rear hood portion 14) of the male housing 11 in the front-rear direction. Has been. The front part and the rear part of the three male terminals 12 protrude forward and backward in the front hood part 13 and the rear hood part 14, respectively.

The female connector 20 includes a female housing 21 made of synthetic resin that can be fitted to the male housing 11. The female housing 21 includes a terminal accommodating portion 23 that can accommodate the female terminal 22 and an outer cylinder portion 24 that surrounds the outer peripheral side of the terminal accommodating portion 23.
The terminal accommodating portion 23 has a prismatic shape with a slightly longer cross section in the width direction that can be fitted into the front hood portion 13 of the male housing 11, and a female terminal 22 can be inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 23 from behind 3 Two cavities 25 are formed side by side.

  The outer cylinder part 24 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape as a whole from the rear end to the front end of the terminal accommodating part 23, and the rear end of the outer cylindrical part 24 and the rear end of the terminal accommodating part 23 are connected by the connecting part 26. ing. And the space | interval which can insert the front side hood part 13 of the male housing 11 is provided between the outer cylinder part 24 and the terminal accommodating part 23, and the part between this outer cylinder part 24 and the terminal accommodating part 23 is left. The male connector 10 has a fitting portion 27 into which the male connector 10 is fitted. On the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 23 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder portion 24 constituting the fitting portion 27, stop ribs 49 are provided at a plurality of locations to prevent rattling with the front hood portion 13. (See FIG. 6). Note that an opening 24 </ b> A for assembling a retainer 48 for preventing the female terminal 22 from coming off is opened on the lower surface of the outer cylinder portion 24.

  A seal ring 28 is fitted on the rear end position of the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 23. The seal ring 28 is sandwiched between the front hood portion 13 and the terminal accommodating portion 23, thereby sealing between the housings 11 and 12.

  A pair of finger hooks 29 are provided at the rear end of the female housing 21 so as to project left and right from the left and right sides. When the connectors 10 and 20 are detached, the female housing 21 can be pulled out by hooking the fingertips on the both finger rest portions 29.

  A pair of rising walls 31 extending in the front-rear direction are provided on the upper surface of the outer cylinder portion 24 at a predetermined interval in the width direction. The pair of rising walls 31 are configured to continuously extend from the rear end of the female housing 21 to a position closer to the front end.

  A first positioning wall 32 extending in the circumferential direction along the both side surfaces of the outer cylinder portion 24 from the front ends of the pair of rising walls 31 is provided on both side surfaces of the outer cylinder portion 24. A second positioning wall 33 is provided in front of the first positioning wall 32. The second positioning wall 33 has a wall shape extending in the circumferential direction across the upper surface and both side surfaces of the outer cylindrical portion 24. The second positioning wall 33 and the first positioning wall 32 are substantially parallel to each other, and an interval substantially equal to the width dimension (diameter) of the spring 50 in the front-rear direction is provided therebetween. In addition, this 1st positioning wall 32 and the 2nd positioning wall 33 correspond to a pair of wall part of this invention.

  A front concave portion 34 is formed in the second positioning wall 33 at a substantially central portion in the width direction at a portion along the upper surface of the outer cylinder portion 24. The front recess 34 has a shape in which the recess depth gradually increases from both ends in the width direction toward the center, and the depth dimension of the center is the wall thickness dimension of the second positioning wall 33 (the width dimension in the front-rear direction). ) Is about half of that.

  A portion of the outer cylinder portion 24 between the first positioning wall 32 and the second positioning wall 33 is a mounting portion 35 to which the spring 50 is mounted. That is, the female housing 21 corresponds to one housing of the present invention, and the male housing 11 corresponds to the other housing. The mounting portion 35 includes a portion formed by denting the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 24 inward, and a first positioning wall 32 and a second positioning wall 33.

  And the passage 36 which the engagement protrusion 16 of the male housing 11 can pass through is formed in the both right and left side walls of the outer cylinder part 24. As shown in FIG. The passage 36 is in the form of a groove that opens to the inside (on the side of the terminal accommodating portion 23) and extends rearward from the front end of the outer cylinder portion 24, and communicates with the mounting portion 35.

  The upper surface 37A and the lower surface 37B of the communication portion 37 where the mounting portion 35 and the passage path 36 communicate with each other are inclined so as to approach each other from the outer side (the mounting portion 35 side), and the vertical direction of the communication portion 37 on the inner side The dimensions are substantially the same as the vertical dimensions of the engaging protrusions 16 (see FIG. 5).

  The spring 50 has a substantially U-shape that is opened downward as a whole, and includes a pair of leg portions 51 that can be elastically displaced in opposite directions, and an upper side portion 52 that connects upper ends of the leg portions 51. ing. When in a natural state, the pair of leg portions 51 hangs from both ends of the upper side portion 52 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper side portion 52.

  The lower ends of the pair of leg portions 51 are bent inwardly (in a direction approaching each other) in a substantially mountain shape, and this bent portion is an engagement projecting to the passage path 36 via the communication portion 37. Part 53. The engaging portion 53 includes an upper inclined side 53A and a lower inclined side 53B that approach each other toward the inner end, and has a shape in which the width dimension in the vertical direction decreases toward the inner side as a whole. The upper inclined side 53A and the lower inclined side 53B form an inclination substantially equal to the inclination of the upper surface 37A and the lower surface 37B of the communication portion 37. Note that the protruding end portion of the engaging portion 53 (the connecting portion between the upper inclined side 53A and the lower inclined side 53B) is rounded.

  The spring 50 is mounted so as to be displaceable between an approach position (see FIG. 5) where the engaging portion 53 protrudes from the passage path 36 and a retracted position (see FIG. 6) where the engaging portion 53 retracts from the passage path 36. Has been. When the spring 50 is in the entry position, the engaging portion 53 protruding to the passage path 36 is pushed by the engagement protrusion 16 passing through the passage path 36, whereby the leg portion 51 is elastically bent outward. When both the connectors 10 and 20 reach the proper fitting state, the leg portion 51 is elastically restored, the engaging portion 53 engages with the engaged surface 16B of the engaging protrusion 16, and the male housing 11 is detached. Lock impossible.

  The spring 50 reaches the retracted position by being displaced upward (in the direction away from the female housing 21) from the entry position. When the spring 50 reaches the retracted position, the engaging portion 53 is retracted from the passage path 36 and the lock is released. The engaging portion 53 retracted from the passage 36 is located outside the upper surface 37A of the communicating portion 37, and the upper surface 37A of the communicating portion 37 and the upper inclined side 53A of the engaging portion 53 are guided by the present invention. Corresponds to the division.

  A rear recess 38 is formed in a portion of the upper surface of the outer cylinder portion 24 between the rising walls 31 so as to be recessed from the substantially center position in the front-rear direction to the rear edge of the female housing 21 (see FIG. 7). The recess size of the rear recess 38 is gradually made deeper toward the rear.

  A lock release arm 39 is provided inside the pair of rising walls 31 in the outer cylinder portion 24. The unlocking arm 39 is configured to extend in the front-rear direction (the fitting direction with the male housing 11), and can be tilted in a seesaw shape by being connected to the compatible upwall 31 by a pair of connecting rotation shafts 41 provided in the width direction. Has been.

  A front end portion (one end) of the unlocking arm 39 is disposed below the spring 50, and is a pushing portion 42 that pushes the spring 50 upward (in a direction away from the female housing 21) when the unlocking arm 39 tilts. . A front wall portion 43 that rises upward is provided at the front end of the unlocking arm 39, and the pushing wall portion 42 is depressed downward by the front wall portion 43, that is, when the spring 50 is pushed up, the spring 50 is pressed against it. It has a concave shape on the side to be The front wall portion 43 enters the front recess 34 of the second positioning wall 33, and the rear surface of the front wall portion 43 and the rear surface of the second positioning wall 33 (the surface facing the first positioning wall 32) are substantially planes. It is said to be one. In addition, the front wall part 43 has comprised the substantially mountain shape in which the width direction dimension becomes small little by little toward an upper end.

  A hook portion 44 that protrudes rearward is provided at the upper end of the front wall portion 43. The projecting dimension of the hook part 44 from the front wall part 43 is substantially the same as the dimension (radius) of approximately half the front-rear width of the spring 50. The hook portion 44 is disposed above the upper side portion 52 of the spring 50, and an interval substantially equal to the vertical width dimension (diameter) of the spring 50 is provided between the hook portion 44 and the pushing portion 42. The upper side portion 52 is sandwiched between the hook portion 44 and the pushing portion 42 in a state where there is almost no gap therebetween. The hook portion 44 is provided at a position corresponding to the center portion in the width direction of the spring 50 (the center portion between the pair of leg portions 51).

  Then, almost the entire spring 50 is sandwiched between the first positioning wall 32, the front wall portion 43, and the second positioning wall 33 with almost no gap in the front-rear direction. In addition, the height dimension of the 1st positioning wall 32 and the 2nd positioning wall 33 is set so that the spring 50 may be in the state pinched | interposed into these over the range which displaces between an approach position and a retracted position.

  At the rear end portion (the other end) of the lock release arm 39, there is provided a lock release operation portion 45 that pushes the pushing portion 42 when pressed. The lower surface of the unlocking operation unit 45 is inclined toward the rear end (reducing the thickness of the unlocking operation unit 45). The inclination of the lower surface of the unlocking operation unit 45 and the rear recess 38 of the female housing 21 ensure a sufficient amount of elastic displacement below the unlocking operation unit 45 while suppressing the height of the female housing 21. .

  When the unlocking arm 39 is in the natural state, the spring 50 is held in the entering position, and the female housing 21 is in a state where the locking with the male housing 11 is possible, and the state of the unlocking arm 39 at this time can be locked. Called. When the unlocking operation part 45 is pressed and the unlocking arm 39 tilts, the pushing part 42 pushes the spring 50 upward, and the spring 50 is displaced to the retracted position, that is, with the male housing 11. The state of the lock release arm 39 is referred to as a lock release state.

  Now, the fitting portion 27 of the female connector 20 is inclined toward the rear side (back side) so as to narrow the width direction dimension of the fitting portion 27 (inclination toward the terminal accommodating portion 23). A tapered surface 46 is formed. The tapered surface 46 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder portion 24 (surface facing the terminal accommodating portion 23). The tapered surface 46 is closer to the front end of the seal ring 28 that is externally fitted to the terminal accommodating portion 23 from the position immediately in front of the connecting portion 26 in the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 27, specifically, the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 24. It is formed in a range corresponding to the position. The taper surface 46 is formed over substantially the entire circumference of the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 24 (specifically, the upper, lower, left and right edges excluding the four corners), and the vertical and horizontal width dimensions of the fitting portion 27 are narrowed. . And the width dimension (space | interval of the taper surface 46 and the terminal accommodating part 23) of the back part of the fitting part 27 is set to a dimension smaller than the thickness dimension of the front end of the front side hood part 13 of the male housing 11. Yes. Thereby, when both the connectors 10 and 20 reach a regular fitting state, the front hood 13 comes into contact with the tapered surface 46 before the front end of the front hood 13 reaches the back end of the fitting 27, A clearance is secured in front of the front hood portion 13 (front in the fitting direction with respect to the female connector 20).

  In addition, an inclined surface 17 that follows the inclination of the tapered surface 46 is formed at the front end portion of the front hood portion 13 (the portion that contacts the tapered surface 46 of the female housing 21). The inclined surface 17 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the front hood portion 13 over substantially the entire periphery. The inclined surface 17 is inclined so as to be inclined outward from the front end of the front hood portion 13, and the inclined surface 17 causes the front end portion of the front hood portion 13 to be gradually thinned toward the front end. Yes. A portion corresponding to the inclined surface 17 in the inner peripheral surface of the front hood portion 13 is a portion that is in close contact with the seal ring 28.

  The engagement protrusion 16 of the male connector 10 is disposed at a substantially central position in the front-rear direction of the male housing 11, and a height position thereof is a substantially central position in the vertical direction of the male housing 11. The front surface of the engagement protrusion 16 is a climbing surface 16A that is gently inclined from the front to the rear so that the spring 50 can easily climb, while the rear surface is engaged with the spring 50. A possible engaged surface 16B is provided.

  When the engaged surface 16B receives the elastic restoring force of the leg portion 51 (force in the direction from the outside to the inside of the front hood portion 13), the engaged surface 16B moves forward (front in the fitting direction with the female housing 21). The inclination which produces the force which pushes to, in other words, the inclination which the protrusion dimension from the front side hood part 13 becomes small toward back is comprised. The slope of the engaged surface 16B is a slope that is more steep than the slope of the riding surface 16A and is smaller than the width dimension of the spring 50 in the front-rear direction, and is inclined by the protrusion dimension of the engagement protrusion 16. Yes. The engaged surface 16B is set to be disposed at a position facing the communication portion 37 when both the connectors 10 and 20 reach a normal fitting state. Specifically, in a properly fitted state of both the connectors 10 and 20, the front edge position of the engaged surface 16 </ b> B coincides with the front edge position of the communicating portion 37, and the entire engaged surface 16 </ b> B is interposed via the communicating portion 37. It will be in the state which faced the external space of the outer cylinder part 24. FIG. In addition, by providing the taper surface 46 and setting the clearance in front of the front hood portion 13, the position of the engaged surface 16B in the front-rear direction can be easily set. For example, when the front end of the front hood portion is in contact with the back end of the fitting portion, the positions of both housings in the front-rear direction are thereby determined. However, in this embodiment, since a clearance is provided in front of the front hood portion 13, if there is some error, the error can be absorbed by pushing the front hood portion 13 forward. is there.

  Next, the operation | work which locks the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 to a regular fitting state is demonstrated. The unlock arm 39 is always set to a lockable state, and the spring 50 is always set to the entry position.

  First, the female housing 21 is grasped with a finger and gradually pushed into the male connector 10 side while the passage 36 of the female housing 21 is aligned with the engaging protrusion 16 of the male housing 11. Then, the engaging protrusion 16 advances along the passage path 36 and its riding surface 16A comes into contact with the engaging portion 53 of the spring 50. As the engaging protrusion 16 advances, the engaging portion 53 of the spring 50 engages. The legs 51 are elastically displaced in the expanding direction with respect to the protrusions 16. At this time, since the hook portion 44 of the unlocking arm 39 is disposed on the upper side of the spring 50, it is possible to prevent the spring 50 from floating upward when the leg portion 51 is elastically displaced.

  Then, the front end portion of the front hood portion 13 of the male housing 11 is inserted into the back side of the fitting portion 27 while pressing the seal ring 28, and when both the connectors 10 and 20 reach a normal fitting state, The inclined surface 17 of the front hood portion 13 abuts on the tapered surface 46 and further advancement is restricted. Further, the protruding end surface of the engaging protrusion 16 (the surface between the riding surface 16A and the engaged surface 16B) passes forward of the spring 50, the leg portion 51 is elastically restored, and is arranged facing the communication portion 37. The leg 51 is in elastic contact with the engaged surface 16B, and the housings 11 and 21 are locked so as not to be separated. At this time, the engaging portion 53 of the leg portion 51 is pressed to a position closer to the front side of the engaged surface 16B. When the connectors 10 and 20 are properly fitted, the internal spaces of the housings 11 and 21 are sealed by the seal ring 28 and the wire rubber plug 47, and the male and female terminals 12 and 22 are properly connected. Conductive connection is established.

  As described above, when the pair of connectors 10 and 20 reach the normal fitting state, the inclined surface 17 of the male connector 10 and the tapered surface 46 of the female connector 20 are in a state where a clearance is secured in front of the male connector 10. Are brought into contact with each other, and the engagement protrusion 16 is pressed forward by the elastic force of the leg portion 51, so that the connectors 10 and 20 are brought into close contact with each other. Therefore, when the male connector 10 or the female connector 20 is deformed by creep or the like (when the outer cylinder portion 24 is deformed in the direction of opening outward), the male housing 11 is pushed forward by the elastic restoring force of the leg portion 51. As a result, the connector advances by the amount of deformation, and the connectors 10 and 20 are held in close contact with each other. Therefore, even when the connectors 10 and 20 of the present embodiment are used in an environment of high temperature and high vibration, the backlash of both the connectors 10 and 20 can be prevented, so that the terminals 12 and 22 can be slightly slid. Wear can be prevented.

  Further, since the inclined surface 17 and the taper surface 46 are in contact with each other, the connectors 10 and 20 are in close contact with each other, so that it is possible to prevent rattling firmly. In addition, the front hood portion 13 is pressed against the outer cylinder portion 24 by the elastic force of the seal ring 28 sandwiched between the front hood portion 13 and the terminal accommodating portion 23. Thereby, the taper surface 46 and the inclined surface 17 are held in a state in which they are more firmly adhered over the entire circumference.

  Further, the spring 50 is mounted between the first and second positioning walls 32 and 33 to restrict the displacement in the front-rear direction, and the displacement in the vertical direction is restricted by the hook portion 44 and the pushing portion 42. Therefore, rattling between the spring 50 and the female housing 21 can be prevented.

  Next, both the connectors 10 and 20 locked in the normal fitting state are detached. First, a fingertip is applied to the unlocking arm 39 in a lockable state, and the unlocking operation unit 45 is pressed downward. Then, the lock release arm 39 tilts and the pushing portion 42 pushes the spring 50 upward. As the spring 50 is pushed up, the upper inclined side 53A of the engaging portion 53 is guided outward along the upper surface 37A of the communicating portion 37, and the leg portion 51 is elastically expanded and deformed. At this time, since the upper inclined side 53A and the upper surface 37A of the communication portion 37 are inclined, it is difficult to be caught when the leg portion 51 is elastically deformed, and the spring 50 can be displaced smoothly. When the unlocking arm 39 reaches the unlocked state, the engaging portion 53 is located at the upper end of the upper surface 37A of the communicating portion 37 and is retracted from the passage path 36, and the engaging protrusion 16 can be moved backward. That is, the lock is released. As described above, by pressing the lock release operation unit 45, the spring 50 is displaced from the entry position to the retracted position, and the lock is released. Therefore, it is not necessary to directly operate the spring 50 with a fingertip. Is good. Then, after releasing the lock, a finger is hooked on the finger hooking portion 29 of the female housing 21 so as to sandwich both sides of the female housing 21, and the connectors 10 and 20 are detached by pulling backward.

  When the finger that has pressed the unlocking operation portion 45 is released after the detachment operation of the connectors 10 and 20 is finished, the unlocking arm 39 naturally returns to the lockable state, and the engagement of the leg portion 51 is performed. The portion 53 is pressed against the upper surface 37A of the communication portion 37 by an elastic restoring force. Then, the engaging portion 53 is drawn into the passage 36 due to the inclination of the upper surface 37A of the communicating portion 37, and the spring 50 is displaced from the retracted position to the entering position accordingly. Therefore, the spring 50 is automatically set to the entry position simply by releasing the fingertip from the unlocking operation unit 45. Therefore, when re-fitting after the connectors 10 and 20 are separated, the spring 50 is moved to the entry position. This eliminates the need for resetting the connector 10 and 20 and eliminates the labor involved in fitting / removing the connectors 10 and 20.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the pair of connectors 10 and 20 reach a normal fitting state, the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are in a state where a clearance is secured in front of the male connector 10. The male connector 10 is pushed forward (in the fitting direction with the female connector 20) when the taper surface 46 comes into contact and the elastically restored leg 51 presses the engaged surface 16B. Therefore, even if the connectors 10 and 20 are deformed by creep or the like, the male housing 11 is pushed forward by the elastic force of the leg portion 51 and moves forward, and the male connector 10 and the tapered surface 46 of the female connector 20 are in contact with each other. Since it is hold | maintained in the state which carried out, the backlash of both the connectors 10 and 20 can be prevented.

<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-described embodiment, the spring 50 is mounted on the female connector 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the spring may be mounted on the male connector side so that the spring can be engaged with the female connector side. . At this time, the engaged portion is provided on the female connector side, the passage is provided on the male connector side, for example, a spring is attached to the rear end portion of the male housing, and the engaged portion is provided inside the outer cylindrical portion of the female housing. When the two connectors are fitted, the spring leg contacts the engaged part and elastically displaces inward, and when both connectors reach the proper mating state, the leg elastically returns to the outside. And you may make it engage with the to-be-engaged surface of an to-be-engaged part.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the spring 50 reaches the retracted position by being displaced upward from the entry position, but is retracted by being displaced downward (in the approaching direction to the female housing) from the entry position. It may reach the position.

( 3 ) In the above embodiment, the upper surface 37A of the communication portion 37 and the upper inclined side 53A of the engaging portion 53 are both inclined, but only one of them may be inclined.

A longitudinal sectional view showing a normal fitting state of the connector of the present embodiment External perspective view of female connector Cross sectional view Plan sectional view showing the proper mating state of both connectors Cross section Cross-sectional view of female connector showing unlocked state Longitudinal sectional view showing the state where both connectors are separated

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Male connector (first connector)
11 ... Male housing (the other housing)
16 ... engaging protrusion (engaged part)
16B ... engaged surface 17 ... inclined surface 20 ... female connector (second connector)
21 ... Female housing (one housing)
27 ... fitting part 32 ... 1st positioning wall (a pair of wall part)
33 ... 2nd positioning wall (a pair of wall part)
35 ... Mounting part 36 ... Passing path 37 ... Communication part 37A ... Upper surface of the communication part (guidance part)
46 ... Tapered surface 50 ... Spring 51 ... Leg part 53 ... Engagement part 53A ... Upper inclined side (guide part)

Claims (3)

The first connector is a pair of connectors that are fitted into the fitting portion of the second connector and become a normal fitting state,
The first connector and the second connector are locked in a proper fitting state by a spring having a pair of elastically displaceable legs,
Before the first connector and the second connector are fitted to each other, the spring is mounted on the mounting portion of either the first connector or the second connector,
A pair of wall portions extending in the circumferential direction are provided before and after sandwiching the mounting portion,
The spring is housed between the first connector and the second connector before and after being fitted without protruding outward from the pair of wall portions,
The one housing is formed with a passage path through which an engaged portion provided in the other housing of the first connector and the second connector can pass when the pair of connectors is fitted.
The leg portion is configured to protrude to the passage passage side through a communication portion that communicates the passage passage and the mounting portion, and the engaged portion is configured to be attached to the leg when the pair of connectors are fitted. It is assumed that the passage is advanced while contacting the part and elastically displacing the leg part,
The rear surface of the engaged portion is disposed at a position facing the communication portion when the pair of connectors reach a normal fitting state, and receives the elastic restoring force of the leg portion, The engaged surface is inclined to generate a force to push the other housing forward,
The fitting portion of the second connector is formed with a tapered surface that is inclined toward the back side of the fitting portion so as to narrow the width dimension of the fitting portion. In the portion that contacts the tapered surface of the second connector, an inclined surface is formed along the inclination of the tapered surface,
In the normal fitting state of the pair of connectors, the leg portion contacts the engaged surface, whereby the pair of connectors are locked and the other housing is pushed forward. The connector, wherein the taper surface and the inclined surface are in contact with each other at a position that secures a clearance that allows the housing to move forward. The spring is displaceable between an approach position where the leg portion protrudes toward the passageway side and a retracted position where the leg portion retracts from the passageway side,
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the communication portion or the leg portion is provided with a guide portion that is inclined with respect to a displacement direction of the spring. The mounting portion, the connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that are found provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second connector.

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