JP5397124B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional connector. This includes a housing that can be fitted into the mating housing, and a detection member that is mounted on the housing so as to be movable between a standby position and a detection position. The detection member is held at the standby position by being locked to the housing before the normal fitting of both housings, and is released to the detection position by releasing the locked state with the housing after the normal fitting of both housings. Movement is allowed. Therefore, it is possible to detect whether or not both housings are in the normal fitting state based on whether the detection member can be moved to the detection position.

JP2008-146907

  By the way, in the case of the above-mentioned conventional connector, even if both housings have not reached the normal fitting state, by firmly pressing the detection member toward the detection position, the locked state between the detection member and the housing is released, The detection member could be brought to the detection position. For this reason, even if it is recognized that the detection member is at the detection position, both housings may still be in a semi-fitted state, and the reliability of the detection function may be impaired.

  This invention is completed based on the above situations, Comprising: It aims at improving the reliability of the detection function by a detection member.

As means for achieving the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a housing that can be fitted into a mating housing, and a detection member that is mounted on the housing so as to be movable between a standby position and a detection position. A connector that allows the detection member to be held in the standby position before normal fitting of both housings, and allows the detection member to move to the detection position during normal fitting of both housings, The detection member is locked to the housing in the standby position, and is released from the locked state with the housing by fitting the two housings to allow the detection member to move to the detection position. a detection unit, this first detection unit provided separately, when the two housings are in a half fitted state, when the detection member is moved toward the detection position, the Howe halfway the movement Having characterized in that a second detection unit which interferes with the ring or the mating housing to restrict movement to the detection position of the detection member.

  The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the second detection part is formed in a pair on both sides of the first detection part.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the housing has a fitting cylinder portion into which the mating housing can be fitted, and the second detection portion moves the detection member. It is characterized in that it interferes with the edge of the fitting tube part on the way.

<Invention of Claim 1>
When the two housings are properly fitted together, the locked state between the first detection portion and the housing is released, thereby allowing the detection member to move to the detection position.
On the other hand, when both the housings are in the half-fitted state before being properly fitted, if the detection member is pressed strongly, the locked state between the first detection unit and the housing is accidentally released, and the detection member May inadvertently reach the detection position. However, according to the present invention, when both housings are in the half-fitted state, the second detection is performed during the movement of the detection member to the detection position even if the locking state between the first detection unit and the housing is released. Since the portion interferes with the housing or the counterpart housing and restricts the movement of the detection member to the detection position, the detection member does not accidentally reach the detection position. As a result, the reliability of the detection function by the detection member is improved.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the second detection unit is formed in pairs on both sides of the first detection unit, the second detection unit can be prevented from being broken due to interference with the housing or the counterpart housing, and the detection member can be detected. Inadvertent movement to a position can be reliably controlled.

<Invention of Claim 3>
Since the second detection part interferes with the edge of the fitting cylinder part during the movement of the detection member, unlike the case where it interferes with the mating housing, the detection member from the standby position until it interferes with the edge part of the fitting cylinder part This makes it easy to determine that the detection member has not reached the detection position.

In the connector of Embodiment 1 of this invention, both housings are normally fitted and it is sectional drawing which shows the state to which the movement to the detection position of the detection member was accept | permitted. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which moved the detection member to the detection position. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which both housings were in the half-fitted state, and the detection member was kept in the standby position. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which both housings were in the half-fitted state, and the 2nd detection part interfered with the edge part of the fitting cylinder part in the movement process to the detection position of a detection member. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which moved the detection member to the detection position. It is sectional drawing of the housing in which the detection member was kept in the standby position. It is a top view of the housing where the detection member was kept in the standby position. It is a top view of the housing before mounting | wearing a detection member. It is a front view of the housing before mounting | wearing a detection member. It is a top view of a detection member. It is a side view of a detection member. It is a front view of a detection member.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector according to the first embodiment includes a housing 10 that can be fitted into a mating housing 90, a detection member 70 that is attached to the housing 10, and a terminal fitting 60 that is accommodated in the housing 10. In the following description, in the front-rear direction, the mutual fitting surface side of both housings 10 and 90 is the front.

  The mating housing 90 is made of synthetic resin, and has a substantially rectangular tube-shaped hood portion 91 opened forward as shown in FIG. In the hood portion 91, tabs 101 of a plurality of mating terminal fittings 100 are arranged so as to protrude, and each tab 101 is mounted on the back wall of the hood portion 91. A lock protrusion 92 is formed at a position near the opening edge on the upper surface of the hood portion 91. In addition, a regulation projection 93 is formed at a position behind the lock projection 92 on the upper surface of the hood 91. The restriction protrusion 93 is taller and wider than the lock protrusion 92.

  The housing 10 is also made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 9, a substantially rectangular block-shaped housing body 11, a substantially rectangular tube-shaped fitting cylinder portion 12 surrounding the housing body 11, It has the connection part 13 which connects between the fitting cylinder part 12 and the housing main body 11. FIG. A plurality of cavities 14 are formed in the housing body 11 in the front-rear direction. A terminal fitting 60 is inserted and accommodated in each cavity 14 from the rear.

  The terminal fitting 60 is integrally formed by bending a conductive metal plate, etc., and receives the tab 101 to be connected to the main body 61 and is connected to the terminal portion of the electric wire 200 behind the main body 61. And a barrel portion 62. The electric wire 200 is drawn backward from the rear surface of the housing 10.

  A lance 15 that locks the main body 61 of the terminal fitting 60 from the rear is formed on the inner wall of each cavity 14 so as to be able to bend, and the lance 15 prevents the terminal fitting 60 from coming off backward. A front member 16 is mounted on the front surface of the housing body 11, and the terminal fitting 60 is stopped against the front member 16 by the terminal fitting 60 being abutted against the front member 16. In addition, a retainer insertion hole 17 communicating with each cavity 14 is formed in the side surface of the housing body 11. A retainer (not shown) is inserted into the retainer insertion hole 17, so that each terminal fitting 60 is inserted into the cavity 14. Double-prevented.

  A step 18 is formed at a position in front of the connecting portion 13 on the outer peripheral surface of the housing body 11. The front part through the step 18 is arranged one step lower than the rear part, and a seal ring 19 is fitted therein. The seal ring 19 is disposed between the rear end of the front member 16 and the step 18 in a state where movement in the front-rear direction is restricted. The seal ring 19 is elastically compressed between the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 91 and the outer peripheral surface of the housing main body 11 when both the housings 10 and 90 are properly fitted, whereby the seal between the two housings 10 and 90 is sealed. To play a role.

  A lock arm 20 is formed at the center of the upper surface of the housing body 11 in the width direction. The lock arm 20 includes a pair of left and right legs 21 that rise from the upper surface of the housing body 11, a bendable arm body 22 that extends in the front-rear direction from the upper end of both legs 21, and a width direction that connects the front ends of both arm bodies 22 And a lock body 23. The inner space of the lock main body 23 and both arm main bodies 22 is formed as a lock groove 24, and when the two housings 10 and 90 are properly fitted, the lock protrusion 92 is fitted here, and the lock protrusion 92 is located behind the lock main body 23. As a result, both the housings 10 and 90 are held in the separation restricted state.

  At the rear end portions of both arm bodies 22, an operation portion 25 that is pressed when the lock arm 20 is released is formed one step higher. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a pair of left and right projecting pieces 26 are formed to project from both outer surfaces of both arm bodies 22. An encircling portion 27 that surrounds the periphery of the lock arm 20 is formed to bulge out at the center in the width direction of the upper wall of the fitting cylinder portion 12. A housing space 28 of the detection member 70 is formed between the surrounding portion 27 and the lock arm 20 so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction. A pair of left and right engagement grooves 29 that can engage with the detection member 70 are formed on the inner surfaces of both sides of the surrounding portion 27 so as to extend in the front-rear direction, and the detection member 70 can be prevented from being pulled out while the both engagement grooves 29 are being extended. A pair of right and left retaining portions 30 are formed in a stepped shape.

  A substantially rectangular window portion 31 is formed in a substantially rear half portion of the upper wall of the surrounding portion 27, and both the arm main bodies 22 are visible through the window portion 31. The front end edge of the window portion 31 has a shape extending linearly in the width direction, and is a receiving portion 32 with which a second detection portion 72 (described later) of the detection member 70 can interfere.

  Next, the detection member 70 will be described. The detection member 70 is also made of synthetic resin and has a flat plate shape as a whole, and moves between a standby position and a detection position ahead of the standby position with respect to the housing 10. It is possible. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the detection member 70 includes a first detection portion 71 that is elongated in the front-rear direction, and a pair of left and right portions that extend in parallel with the first detection portion 71 on both sides of the first detection portion 71. The second detector 72, and the rear connector 73 in the width direction that connects the rear ends of the first detector 71 and the second detector 72 are provided. Both the first detector 71 and the second detector 72 can be bent and deformed. A bridge portion 74 that connects both the second detection portions 72 in the front-rear direction center is formed across the first detection portion 71. Both the second detection units 72 can be interlocked with each other by the bridge unit 74 and have increased rigidity.

  The first detection unit 71 is disposed at the center in the width direction of the lock arm 20 and between the left and right operation units 25. An advance restricting portion 75 is formed at the front end of the first detecting portion 71 by bending downward. The forward restricting portion 75 fits into the lock groove 24 of the lock arm 20 at the standby position, and locks the lock main body 23 from the rear, thereby controlling the movement of the detection member 70 to the detection position.

A pair of left and right guide pieces 78 project from the outer surfaces of both sides of the second detection units 72. Both guide pieces 78 slide in both engaging grooves 29 of the housing 10 in the process of movement of the detection member 70, thereby playing a role of guiding the movement of the detection member 70. Further, the rear ends of both guide pieces 78 are a pair of left and right reverse restricting portions 76 along the width direction, and both the reverse restricting portions 76 are locked to the rear ends of both engaging grooves 29 from the front, so that the standby position is reached. The detection member 70 at the detection position is prevented from slipping backward, and the both reverse regulating portions 76 are locked from the front by the both prevention portions 30 formed in the middle of the both engagement grooves 29. The back is prevented from coming off.

  The front end portions of both the second detection portions 72 are narrower than the base end portion and the first detection portion 71, and have a shape that is easily deformed. The front end portions of both the second detection units 72 are disposed on both outer sides of both arm main bodies 22 and are pushed up from below by both projecting pieces 26 when the lock arm 20 is bent and deformed. A pair of left and right contact portions 77 capable of interfering with the receiving portion 32 are bent upward at the front ends of the second detection portions 72. Both abutting portions 77 have a shape projecting obliquely upward and forward with respect to the main body portion of the second detection portion 72, and are disposed at the same position as the forward restricting portion 75 or slightly behind the forward restricting portion 75 in the front-rear direction. Has been. The two abutting portions 77 are always disposed so as to be retracted below the window portion 31, but as the front end portions of the second detecting portions 72 are pressed by the projecting pieces 26 and are deformed by bending. And enter into the window 31.

Next, the effect of the connector of this embodiment is demonstrated.
The detection member 70 is inserted into the housing space 28 of the housing 10 from the rear. When the detection member 70 is properly attached, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, both the backward restricting portions 76 lock the rear ends of the engaging grooves 29, and the forward restricting portion 75 is connected to the lock main body 23. By locking the rear end, the detection member 70 is held in the movement restricted state at the standby position. At this time, the first detector 71 and the second detector 72 are visible through the window 31. Further, at the standby position, the rear end of the rear connecting portion 73 of the detection member 70 is disposed so as to protrude rearward from the rear end of the housing 10.

  Subsequently, the housing 10 is directly opposed to the counterpart housing 90, and the two housings 10 and 90 are fitted to each other in this state. When the two housings 10 and 90 are properly fitted, as shown in FIG. 1, the lock arm 20 elastically locks the lock projection 92, and both the housings 10 and 90 are locked in the fitted state. Both terminal fittings 60 and 100 are conductively connected at a normal depth. At this time, the lock protrusion 92 fits in the lock groove 24 of the lock arm 20, and the forward restricting portion 75 is pushed by the lock protrusion 92 and comes out of the lock groove 24. As a result, the locked state between the forward restricting portion 75 and the lock main body 23 is released, and the detection member 70 is allowed to be pushed forward (detection position).

  When the detection member 70 is pushed into the detection position from the above state, the first detection unit 71 slides on the upper surface of the lock body 23 while being bent and deformed. When the detection member 70 reaches the detection position in this manner, both the backward restricting portions 76 lock the both retaining portions 30, and the forward restricting portion 75 comes into contact with the restricting protrusion 93 as shown in FIG. The detection member 70 is held in the movement restricted state at the detection position. Further, since the forward restricting portion 75 is placed on the upper surface of the lock body 23, an inadvertent bending operation of the lock arm 20 is prevented.

  On the other hand, when both the housings 10 and 90 do not reach the normal fitting position and remain in the half-fitting position, the lock projection 92 does not fit into the lock groove 24, and the forward restricting portion 75 and the lock main body 23 The locked state is maintained. For this reason, the movement of the detection member 70 to the detection position is restricted, so that it can be known that the housings 10 and 90 are in the half-fitted state. That is, it is possible to detect the fitting state of both housings 10 and 90 depending on whether or not the detection member 70 can be moved to the detection position.

  On the other hand, when the detection member 70 is forcibly pushed forward even though both the housings 10 and 90 remain in the half-fitting position, the locking state between the lock protrusion 92 and the lock main body 23 is accidentally caused. In some cases, the movement of the detection member 70 to the detection position is permitted after being released. However, in the case of this embodiment, when both the housings 10 and 90 are in the half-fitted state, the lock projection 92 pushes up the lock body 23 from below as shown in FIG. As both the projecting pieces 26 are deformed and push up the front end portions of the second detecting portions 72 from below, the both abutting portions 77 rise to a position where they enter the window portion 31, and as shown in FIG. In the middle of the movement of the detection member 70 to the detection position (initial movement), both contact portions 77 interfere with the receiving portion 32 of the fitting cylinder portion 12, and the forward movement of the detection member 70 is restricted. Will be.

  Therefore, when both the housings 10 and 90 are in the half-fitted state, even if the movement of the detection member 70 to the detection position is allowed, both the second detection units 72 interfere with the receiving unit 32, thereby detecting The member 70 does not reach the detection position. As a result, the reliability of the detection function by the detection member 70 is significantly improved as compared with the conventional case.

  In addition, since the second detection unit 72 is formed in pairs on both sides of the first detection unit 71, the second detection unit 72 can be prevented from being broken due to interference with the receiving unit 32. Inadvertent movement of the detection member 70 to the detection position can be reliably controlled.

  Furthermore, since the second detector 72 interferes with the receiving portion 32 that forms the edge of the fitting tube portion 12 during the movement of the detection member 70, unlike the case where it interferes with the mating housing 90, the second detector 72 is moved from the standby position. The amount of movement of the detection member 70 until it interferes with the receiving portion 32 is constant, and it is easy to determine that the detection member 70 has not reached the detection 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) The second detection unit may be configured to interfere with the mating housing instead of the receiving unit when both housings are in the half-fitted state and the detection member is allowed to move to the detection position. .
(2) Even if the second detector is configured to interfere with a portion of the housing other than the receiving portion when both housings are in a half-fitted state and the detection member is allowed to move to the detection position. Good.
(3) The shape and arrangement of the first detector and the second detector are arbitrary.
(4) The 1st detection part and the 2nd detection part may be a form interlock | cooperated with movable parts other than the lock arm in a housing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Housing 12 ... Fitting cylinder part 20 ... Lock arm 32 ... Receiving part 70 ... Detection member 71 ... 1st detection part 72 ... 2nd detection part 77 ... Contact part 90 ... Counterpart housing

Claims (3)

A housing that can be fitted into the mating housing;
A detection member that is mounted on the housing so as to be movable between a standby position and a detection position, and the detection member is held at the standby position before the two housings are properly fitted. A connector that is allowed to move to the detection position of the detection member at a time,
The detection member is
A first detection unit that is locked to the housing at the standby position, and that releases the locked state with the housing by fitting both housings, and allows the detection member to move to the detection position;
Provided separately from the first detection unit, when both the housings are in a half-fitted state, if the detection member is moved toward the detection position, it interferes with the housing or the counterpart housing during the movement. And a second detection unit that restricts movement of the detection member to the detection position.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the second detection unit is formed in a pair on both sides of the first detection unit.   The housing has a fitting cylinder part into which the mating housing can be fitted, and the second detection part interferes with an edge part of the fitting cylinder part during the movement of the detection member. The connector according to claim 1 or 2.

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