JP5448633B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector having a function of preventing rattling during fitting.

  Conventionally, a spring for preventing rattling is provided in one connector housing, and when the connector is fitted, the spring exerts an elastic reaction force on the other connector housing, thereby preventing rattling between the two connector housings. A connector having an anti-stick function is known.

  14 to 16 show a conventional example of this type of connector described in Patent Document 1. FIG.

  In the connector illustrated in FIG. 14, when both connectors 910 and 960 are fitted to the male connector housing 911 of the male connector 910 and the female connector housing 961 of the female connector 960, they are engaged with each other so as to maintain the fitted state. A lock protrusion 912 and a lock arm 962 are provided. Further, a metal spring 980 having a U-shape with the top portion 985 facing inward is assembled on the inner surface of the hood portion of the female connector housing 961.

  When the male connector 910 and the female connector 960 are fitted, the male connector 910 and the female connector 960 are locked to each other by the engagement of the lock protrusion 912 and the lock arm 962, and the hood portion of the female connector housing 961 The spring 980 provided on the inner side surface of the male connector abuts against the outer side surface of the male connector housing 911 of the male connector 910 to exert an elastic reaction force, thereby preventing rattling between the female connector housing 961 and the male connector housing 911. It is like that.

  Further, in the connector illustrated in FIG. 15, the male connector housing 911 is further provided with a concave portion 915 on the outer surface, and when the male connector 910 and the female connector 960 are properly fitted, the top 985 of the spring 980 is By fitting into the recess 915, the fitting force between the connectors 910 and 960 can be increased.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 16, such a spring 980 is arranged on three surfaces of the female connector housing 961 except for the portion where the lock arm 962 is present, so that various kinds of springs 980 can be obtained. It is possible to prevent backlash in the direction.

JP 2004-186078 A

  By the way, in the conventional connector, since the spring 980 is disposed on the inlet side of the hood portion of the female connector housing 961, the force of the spring 980 acts as a sliding resistance from the initial stage when the connector is fitted. There has been a problem that the insertion force required for fitting is increased from the beginning.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 16, in addition to the spring 980 for preventing rattling in the left-right direction, when a spring 980 for preventing rattling in the vertical direction is provided at the lower portion of the connector, the arrow R when the connector is fitted is used. It is possible to prevent rattling in the rotation direction indicated by (the direction of rotation around the central axis along the connector fitting direction), but an extra spring 980 is disposed on the lower surface side of the connector. In addition, the number of parts increases, the structure becomes complicated, and there is a problem that a connector dimension (particularly a height dimension) is unnecessarily increased.

  In consideration of the above circumstances, the present invention can suppress an increase in initial insertion force at the time of connector fitting (initial insertion force that tends to increase the burden of the fitting operation), and various variations at the time of connector fitting. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector that can effectively prevent rattling in any direction and that can avoid an increase in extra dimensions with a simple configuration.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 locks the first connector housing and the second connector housing , which are fitted to each other, in a state in which both the connector housings are completely fitted, and the fitted state. Locking means is provided to maintain both the inner peripheral wall of the first connector housing and the outer peripheral wall of the second connector housing facing each other on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side when the connector is fitted. A spring and an engaging portion that are elastically engaged with each other as the connector housing is fitted are provided, and the spring and the engaging portion are provided at the final stage of fitting of the two connector housings locked by the locking means. The spring and the engaging portion are provided at positions where they are engaged with each other for the first time, and the spring and the engaging portion are connected to the engaging portion in a state where the spring is engaged with the engaging portion. The elastic reaction force is exerted in the three directions of the front-rear direction along the connector fitting direction, the left-right direction perpendicular to the connector fitting direction, and the up-down direction perpendicular to the connector fitting direction and perpendicular to the left-right direction. In the connector configured as described above, one and the other of the spring and the engaging portion are provided with a substantially circular convex portion and a concave portion that engage with each other, and the spring and the engaging portion are engaged with each other. When combined, the shoulder portion of the convex portion and the shoulder portion of the concave portion are in press contact with each other, whereby the spring exerts an elastic reaction force in the three directions with respect to the engaging portion.

  According to the invention of claim 1, since the spring and the engaging portion for preventing rattling are provided at positions where they are engaged with each other for the first time at the final stage of the fitting of the two connector housings, the fitting load is reduced. An increase in insertion force at the initial stage of connector fitting, which tends to be large, can be suppressed. In addition, since the spring and the engaging portion are configured to exert elastic reaction forces in the three directions of the connector housing in the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction in a state of being engaged with each other, Attaching can be effectively suppressed. In particular, the engagement between the spring and the engaging portion can prevent backlash in the vertical direction as well as in the left-right direction, so that backlash in the rotational direction around the central axis of the connector can be effectively prevented.

  For example, when a male / female connector for an automobile is locked, the play is about 0.5 mm in the fitting direction (front-rear direction) and about 0.1 mm in the left-right direction. However, according to the invention of claim 1, it can be eliminated.

  In addition, since the backlash in the three directions of front and rear, left and right, and top and bottom can be suppressed by engaging a pair of springs with the engaging portion, it is not necessary to incorporate an extra spring, and the number of parts and the structure can be reduced. Simplification can be achieved and unnecessary increase in connector dimensions can be avoided.

In particular, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the spring exerts an elastic reaction force in three directions on the engaging portion by pressing contact between the substantially circular convex portion and the shoulder portion of the concave portion which are engaged with each other. Therefore, rattling in all directions can be effectively prevented by providing a minimum number of pairs of springs and engaging portions.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the connector of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the spring used for the connector. It is a figure which shows the structure of the connector housing (1st connector housing) of the male connector which comprises the same connector, and is AA arrow sectional drawing of FIG. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the state at the time of the fitting of the connector. It is a BB arrow sectional view of Drawing 4. It is an enlarged view of the principal part of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the spring used for the connector of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the principal part which shows the state at the time of the fitting of the connector of the said 2nd Embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the connector of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the spring used for the connector. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the state at the time of the fitting of the connector. It is CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a top view which shows the example of the connector provided with the conventional rattling prevention function. It is a figure which shows the modification, (a) is a top view of a male connector, (b) is a top view which shows the fitting state of a male / female connector. It is a front view of the female connector for showing the example of the arrangement | positioning location of the rattling prevention spring in the conventional connector.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
1 is an exploded perspective view of the connector according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a spring used in the connector, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main part in FIG. 5.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connector of this embodiment includes a female connector 10 and a male connector 60 that is fitted to the female connector 10. The arrow X in FIG. 1 is the front-rear direction along the connector fitting direction, the arrow Y is the left-right direction orthogonal to the connector fitting direction, the arrow Z is orthogonal to the connector fitting direction (front-rear direction X), and the left-right direction Y An orthogonal vertical direction is shown.

  The female connector 10 has a terminal fitting 14 (see FIG. 5) housed and fixed inside a resin female connector housing (second connector housing) 10A having an annular peripheral wall 11 having an oblong cross section that is horizontally long in the left-right direction. It is.

  A lock protrusion 16 as one element of the locking means is provided on the outer peripheral upper portion of the annular peripheral wall 11, and a pair of parallel protrusions extending in the connector fitting direction (front-rear direction X) are provided on the left and right sides of the lock protrusion 16. Guide ribs 17 are provided.

  In addition, ribs 20 extending in the connector fitting direction project from the left and right side portions of the outer peripheral surface of the annular peripheral wall 11, and the front side of the front end of the rib 20 in the connector fitting direction is spaced apart. A short cylindrical engaging convex portion 22 </ b> A is provided as the joining portion 22.

  One male connector 60 is obtained by accommodating and fixing a terminal metal fitting (not shown) inside a resin male connector housing (first connector housing) 60A that is fitted to the female connector housing 10A.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the outermost peripheral portion of the male connector housing 60 </ b> A is provided with a hood portion 61 that covers the outer periphery of the annular peripheral wall 11 of the female connector housing 10 </ b> A when the connector is fitted. A columnar male connector main body 63 having a terminal accommodating chamber 64 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the inner peripheral side through an annular space 62 into which the annular peripheral wall 11 of the female connector housing 10A is inserted.

  A mating terminal insertion hole (not shown) is provided at the front end of the terminal accommodating chamber 64, and the rear end portion of the hood portion 61 in the connector fitting direction is integrated with the rear end portion of the male connector main portion 63.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the male connector 60 and the female connector 10 are completely fitted to the upper portion of the hood portion 61 of the male connector housing 60A, the two connector housings are engaged with the lock projections 16. A lock arm (locking means) 66 for locking 10A and 60A is provided. Note that the guide rib 17 can guide the fitting operation by sliding to the left and right sides of the lock arm 66 when the connector is fitted.

  Further, pocket portions 70 for accommodating and fixing springs 80, which will be described later, are provided at the rear portions of the left and right sides of the hood portion 61 of the male connector housing 60A in the connector fitting direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, slide grooves 76 that continue to the pocket portion 70 are provided on the inner periphery of both the left and right sides of the hood portion 61, and ribs on the female connector housing 10 </ b> A side are provided in the slide grooves 76. 20 is slidably fitted.

  Accordingly, the inner wall of the pocket portion 70 (the inner peripheral wall of the first connector housing) and the outer peripheral surface of the female connector housing 10A face each other on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side when the two connector housings 10A and 60A are fitted together. There is a relationship between the inner peripheral wall and the outer peripheral wall.

  Therefore, a rattle-preventing spring 80 that is elastically engaged with the engaging convex portion 22A is assembled to the inner wall surface of the pocket portion 70 as the connector housings 10A and 60A are fitted.

  The spring 80 is disposed at the rear portion of the male connector housing 60A in the connector fitting direction so as to be engaged with the engagement convex portion 22A for the first time at the end of fitting of the two connector housings 10A and 60A.

  The spring 80 is made of a metal leaf spring, and is fixedly attached to the inner walls of the left and right pocket portions 70 of the resin male connector housing 60A (the portion corresponding to the inner peripheral wall of the first connector housing).

  The configuration of the spring 80 will be described with reference to FIG. The spring 80 is obtained by pressing a sheet metal for a spring and has a substantially quadrangular shape in plan view, and a pair of strip-like plates located on the same plane on two opposite sides of the outer peripheral portion. It has leg portions 81, 81, and has a rectangular flat plate portion 82 set between the pair of leg portions 81, 81 so as to float by a predetermined height from the leg portion 81. The flat plate portion 82 is supported by the leg portion 81 via the inclined plate portion 86, and the bottom surface of the leg portion 81 is placed on a flat surface, and the flat plate portion 82 that is in a state of floating from the flat surface is directed downward from above. By applying an external force, a spring reaction force is mainly generated upward. In addition, a circular engagement recess 85 is formed in the center of the upper surface of the flat plate portion 82, into which the short cylindrical engagement protrusion 22A on the female connector housing 10A side is fitted when the connector is fitted.

  In addition, a notch 84 of an appropriate size is provided in the central region in the length direction of one leg 81 and the inclined plate portion 86, and the notch 84 projects obliquely from the edge of the flat plate portion 82. A locking hook 83 extending as a protruding piece is provided. The locking hook 83 protrudes obliquely outward, and the tip extends to a position beyond the bottom surface of the leg portion 81. Note that both ends of the leg portion 81 in the length direction protrude outward from the end portion of the flat plate portion 82.

  Further, the pocket portion 70 to which the spring 80 is attached is constituted by a slot-like spring insertion hole 71 into which the spring 80 can be inserted from the rear, as shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6. An engagement hook 83 of the spring 80 inserted from the rear engages with the inner wall surface 72 of the spring insertion hole 71 facing the outer periphery of the annular peripheral wall 11, whereby the spring 80 is prevented from coming off and locked. A stop recess 73 is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, a die-cutting hole 79 for forming the locking recess 73 is formed in the outer wall of the pocket portion 70.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, a slit 71A is formed along the inner wall surface 72 on the inner wall surface 72 side of the slot-like spring insertion hole 71, and a spring 71 is formed in the slit 71A. Both ends in the longitudinal direction of 80 leg portions 81 (portions protruding outward from the flat plate portion 82) are slid and inserted.

  When assembling the male connector 60, a terminal (not shown) is inserted and fixed inside the male connector housing 60A, and as shown by an arrow H in FIG. It is inserted into the spring insertion hole 71 constituting the pocket portion 70. When inserting, the both ends of the leg part 81 of the spring 80 in the longitudinal direction are positioned so as to enter the slit 71A of the spring insertion hole 71, and the leg with the locking hook 83 is inserted in the rear side. Then, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the locking hook 83 fits into the locking recess 73 with the bottom surface of the leg portion 81 being in close contact with the inner wall surface 72 of the spring insertion hole 71, thereby 80 is accommodated and fixed at a fixed position inside the pocket portion 70.

  Next, the operation will be described.

  When the male connector 60 is fitted to the female connector 10, the annular peripheral wall 11 of the female connector 10 enters the annular space 62 on the outer periphery of the male connector main portion 63 of the male connector housing 60A, and the hood portion 61 of the male connector 60 is the annular peripheral wall. 11 fits outside. Then, the engaging protrusion 22A and the rib 20 of the female connector housing 10A slide on the slide groove 76 of the male connector housing 60A, and the lock arm 66 is engaged with the lock protrusion 16 at the end of connector fitting. As shown in FIG. 5, the engaging projections 22A on the female connector housing 10A side are fitted into the engaging recesses 85 on the spring 80 on the male connector housing 60A side. In this fitting process, the spring 80 is bent so that the flat plate portion 82 approaches the leg portion 81 side.

  In the state where the circular engagement concave portion 85 and the short cylindrical engagement convex portion 22A are thus fitted, as shown in FIG. 6, the shoulder portion of the engagement convex portion 22A and the shoulder portion of the engagement concave portion 85 The spring 80 on the male connector housing 60A side is in three directions orthogonal to each other in the front-rear direction X, the left-right direction Y, and the up-down direction Z with respect to the engagement convex portion 22 on the female connector housing 10A side. Each exerts an elastic reaction force. Therefore, the play in almost all directions can be effectively suppressed. In particular, the engagement between the engagement concave portion 85 on the spring 80 side and the engagement convex portion 22A prevents the backlash in the vertical direction as well as in the left-right direction, so that the backlash in the rotational direction around the central axis of the connector is also prevented. Can be prevented.

  For example, the backlash when locking a male / female connector for automobiles is about 0.5 mm in the fitting direction (front-rear direction) and about 0.1 mm in the left-right direction. Although it causes fine sliding wear of the connector housings 10A and 60A and terminals, it can be eliminated.

  Moreover, the backlash in the three directions of front and rear, left and right, and top and bottom is suppressed by the engagement of one spring 80 and the engagement portion 22 (engagement convex portion 22A), as in the conventional example shown in FIG. It is not necessary to incorporate an extra spring on the lower surface side of the male connector 60, and only a minimum number of sets of the spring 80 and the engaging projection 22A need be provided. Therefore, the structure can be simplified, and an unnecessary increase in connector dimensions (particularly, the dimension in the height Z direction) can be avoided.

  Further, since the spring 80 and the engaging convex portion 22A for preventing rattling are provided at positions where they are engaged with each other for the first time at the end of the fitting of the two connector housings 60A and 10A, the fitting load is large. An increase in insertion force at the initial stage of connector fitting that tends to occur can be suppressed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since a metal spring is used for the spring 80, there is no sag of the spring due to heat or vibration like a resin spring, and long-term reliability can be maintained.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the pocket portion 70 is provided in the hood portion 61, and the spring 80 can be attached and fixed simply by being inserted into the pocket portion 70. Therefore, the spring 80 can be easily assembled to the male connector housing 60A. it can.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a spring used in the connector of the second embodiment, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a state when the connector of the second embodiment using the spring is fitted.

  In the first embodiment, the circular engaging concave portion 85 is provided in the flat plate portion 82 of the spring 80, and the short cylindrical engaging convex portion 22A is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the annular peripheral wall 11 of the female connector housing 10A opposed thereto. Although the case has been shown, the engaging concave portion and the engaging convex portion may be provided reversely as in the second embodiment.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the spring 180 in the connector of the present embodiment is provided with a circular engagement convex portion 185 instead of the engagement concave portion at the center portion of the flat plate portion 82. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a circular engagement that fits into the engagement convex portion 185 of the spring 180 as the engagement portion 122 near the front end of the left and right outer side surfaces of the annular peripheral wall 11 of the female connector housing 110 </ b> A of the female connector 110. A joint recess 122A is provided. Since the other points are completely the same as those of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  Also in this case, when both the connectors 110 and 60 are fitted, as shown in FIG. 8, the engagement concave portion 122A on the female connector housing 110A side is fitted on the engagement convex portion 185 of the spring 180 on the male connector housing 60A side. In the fitted state, the shoulder of the engagement recess 122A and the shoulder of the engagement projection 185 are in press contact with each other, so that the spring 180 on the male connector housing 60A side is front and rear with respect to the female connector housing 110A. Elastic reaction forces are exerted in three directions orthogonal to each other in the direction X, the left-right direction Y, and the up-down direction Z. Therefore, the play in almost all directions can be effectively suppressed. Since other operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.

<Third Embodiment>
9 is an exploded perspective view of the connector of the third embodiment, FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a spring used in the connector, FIG. 11 is an external perspective view showing a state when the connector is fitted, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG.

  The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the spring 280 on the male connector 260 side and in the configuration of the engaging portion 222 on the female connector 210 side. This will be specifically described below.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the connector of this embodiment includes a female connector 210 and a male connector 260 that is fitted to the female connector 210. 9, the arrow X is the front-rear direction along the connector fitting direction, the arrow Y is the left-right direction orthogonal to the connector fitting direction, the arrow Z is perpendicular to the connector fitting direction (front-rear direction X), and the left-right direction Y An orthogonal vertical direction is shown.

  The female connector 210 has a terminal fitting (not shown) housed and fixed inside a resin female connector housing (second connector housing) 210A having an annular peripheral wall 211 having a horizontally long oval cross section in the left-right direction. .

  Lock projections 16 as one element of the locking means are provided on the outer periphery of the annular peripheral wall 211, and a pair of parallel projections extending in the connector fitting direction (front-rear direction X) are provided on the left and right sides of the lock projections 16. Guide ribs 17 are provided.

  Further, ribs 220 extending in the connector fitting direction project from the left and right sides of the outer peripheral surface of the annular peripheral wall 211, and an engaging portion 222 is provided at the front end of the rib 220 in the connector fitting direction. . In this case, the engaging portion 222 includes an engaging concave portion 222A formed by cutting out a little before the front end of the rib 220, and an engaging convex portion 222B on the front side of the engaging concave portion 222A. The engaging convex portion 222B is configured by a portion on the rib 220 adjacent to the engaging concave portion 222A.

  One male connector 260 is obtained by housing and fixing a terminal fitting (not shown) inside a resin-made male connector housing (first connector housing) 260 </ b> A that fits into the female connector housing 210 </ b> A.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a hood portion 261 that covers the outer periphery of the annular peripheral wall 211 of the female connector housing 210A when the connector is fitted is provided on the outermost peripheral portion of the male connector housing 260A. A columnar male connector main body 263 having a terminal accommodating chamber 264 is provided on the side through an annular space 262 into which the annular peripheral wall 211 of the female connector housing 210A is inserted.

  A mating terminal insertion hole (not shown) is provided at the front end of the terminal accommodating chamber 264, and the rear end portion of the hood portion 261 in the connector fitting direction is integrated with the rear end portion of the male connector main portion 263.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the male connector 260 and the female connector 210 are completely fitted on the upper portion of the hood portion 261 of the male connector housing 260A, both the connector housings are engaged with each other by engaging with the lock protrusions 16. A lock arm (locking means) 66 for locking 210A and 260A is provided. Note that the guide rib 17 can guide the fitting operation by sliding to the left and right sides of the lock arm 66 when the connector is fitted.

  Further, pocket portions 270 for accommodating and fixing springs 280 described later are provided at the rear portions in the connector fitting direction on both the left and right sides of the hood portion 261 of the male connector housing 260A.

  As shown in FIG. 12, slide grooves 276 that continue to the pocket portion 270 are provided on the inner periphery of the left and right sides of the hood portion 261, and the rib 220 on the female connector housing 210 </ b> A side slides in the slide groove 276. It fits freely.

  Accordingly, the inner wall of the pocket portion 270 (the inner peripheral wall of the first connector housing) and the outer peripheral surface of the female connector housing 210A face each other on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side when the two connector housings 210A and 260A are fitted together. There is a relationship between the inner peripheral wall and the outer peripheral wall.

  Therefore, as the two connector housings 210A and 260A are fitted to the inner wall surface of the pocket portion 270, it is made of a metal plate for preventing rattling that elastically engages with the engaging concave portion 222A and the engaging convex portion 222B. A spring 280 is assembled.

  The spring 280 is disposed at the rear portion of the male connector housing 260A in the connector fitting direction so that the spring 280 is engaged with the engaging convex portion 222A for the first time at the end of fitting of the two connector housings 210A and 260A.

  The spring 280 is made of a metal leaf spring, and is fixedly attached to the inner walls of the left and right pocket portions 270 of the resin male connector housing 260A (the portion corresponding to the inner peripheral wall of the first connector housing).

  The configuration of the spring 280 will be described with reference to FIG. This spring 280 is obtained by pressing one spring sheet metal, and has four plate-like leg portions 281 and 284 located on the same plane at four corners. A pair of legs 284 and 284 on the front side when inserted into the pocket part 270 are formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the band plate, and a pair of curved convex parts is provided between the legs 284 at both ends. 287, 287 and an engaging recess 286 are provided. The engaging concave portion 286 is a portion that engages with the engaging convex portion 222B on the female connector housing 210A side, and is provided as a valley between the pair of curved convex portions 287 and 287.

  Further, a predetermined distance between the pair of leg portions 284 and 284 on the front side and the pair of leg portions 281 and 281 on the rear side when inserted into the pocket portion 270 is greater than that of the leg portions 281 and 284. A flat plate portion 282 having a T-shape in a plan view set in a state of being floated by a height is provided. A T-shaped horizontal bar portion 282 </ b> A of the flat plate portion 282 is connected to the two leg portions 281 through the inclined plate portion 288. Further, a locking hook 283 is projected as an oblique projecting piece on the outer edge of the T-shaped horizontal bar portion 282A of the flat plate portion 282. The locking hook 283 has a tip extending to a position beyond the bottom surface of the leg 281.

  Further, the tip of the T-shaped vertical bar portion 282B of the flat plate portion 282 is connected to the side edge of the engaging recess 286 via the inclined plate portion 289, and in the middle of the T-shaped vertical bar portion 282B of the flat plate portion 282. The engagement projection 285 that fits into the engagement recess 222A on the female connector housing 210A side when the connector is fitted is curved. As a result, the bottom surfaces of the legs 281 and 284 are placed on a flat surface, and an external force is applied downward to the flat plate portion 282 that is floating from the flat surface, thereby generating a spring reaction force mainly upward. It is supposed to be.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the pocket portion 270 to which the spring 280 is attached is configured by a slot-like spring insertion hole 271 into which the spring 280 can be inserted from the rear, and the spring insertion hole 271. The inner wall surface 272 opposite to the outer periphery of the annular peripheral wall 211 is provided with a locking recess 273 for retaining and locking the spring 280 by engaging with a locking hook 283 of the spring 280 inserted from the rear. ing. As shown in FIG. 9, a die-cutting hole 279 for forming the locking recess 273 is opened in the outer wall of the pocket portion 270.

  When assembling the male connector 260, a terminal (not shown) is inserted and fixed in the male connector housing 260A, and the spring 280 is formed from the rear to form the left and right pocket portions 270 of the male connector housing 260A. Insert into 271. When inserting, it is inserted with the direction with the locking hook 283 on the rear side. Then, the locking hook 283 fits into the locking recess 273 with the bottom surfaces of the legs 281 and 284 being in close contact with the inner wall surface 272 of the spring insertion hole 271, so that the spring 280 is placed inside the pocket portion 270. Housed and fixed in place.

  Next, the operation will be described.

  When the male connector 260 is fitted to the female connector 210, the annular peripheral wall 211 of the female connector 210 enters the annular space 262 on the outer periphery of the male connector main body 263 of the male connector housing 260A, and the hood portion 261 of the male connector 260 is the annular peripheral wall. Fits outside 211. Then, the rib 220 of the female connector housing 210A slides on the slide groove 276 of the male connector housing 260A, and at the end of connector fitting, the lock arm 66 engages with the lock protrusion 16 and both the connectors 210, 260 are engaged. As shown in FIG. 12, the engagement protrusion 285 of the spring 280 on the male connector housing 260A side is fitted into the engagement recess 222A on the female connector housing 210A side. In the fitting process, the spring 280 is bent so that the flat plate portion 282 approaches the leg portions 281 and 284 side. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the engaging convex portion 222 </ b> B made of a part of the rib 220 of the female connector housing 210 </ b> A is fitted into the engaging concave portion 286 between the curved convex portions 287 of the spring 280 on the male connector housing 260 </ b> A side. .

  In this way, the engagement convex portion 285 of the spring 280 fits into the engagement concave portion 222A on the female connector housing 210A side, and the engagement convex portion 222B on the female connector housing 210A side fits into the engagement concave portion 286 of the spring 280. The spring 280 on the male connector housing 260A side exerts an elastic reaction force on the female connector housing 210A in three directions orthogonal to each other in the front-rear direction X, the left-right direction Y, and the up-down direction Z. That is, the spring 280 exerts an elastic reaction force in the front-rear direction X and the left-right direction Y on the female connector housing 210A due to the former fitting. Further, due to the latter fitting, the spring 280 exerts elastic reaction forces in the left-right direction Y and the up-down direction Z on the female connector housing 210A. Therefore, the play in almost all directions can be effectively suppressed. In particular, the engagement between the engagement recess 286 on the spring 280 side and the engagement protrusion 222B on the female connector housing 210A side prevents vertical play, so that the play in the rotational direction around the central axis of the connector is prevented. Can be prevented.

  For example, the backlash when locking a male / female connector for automobiles is about 0.5 mm in the fitting direction (front-rear direction) and about 0.1 mm in the left-right direction. Although it causes fine sliding wear of the connector housings 210A and 260A and the terminals, it can be eliminated.

  In addition, the backlash in the three directions of front and rear, left and right, and top and bottom is suppressed by the engagement of one spring 280 and the engaging portion 222 (the engaging concave portion 222A and the engaging convex portion 222B). As in the example, it is not necessary to incorporate an extra spring on the lower surface side of the male connector 260, and only a minimum number of sets of the spring 280 and the engaging portion 222 (the engaging concave portion 222A and the engaging convex portion 222B) are provided. . Therefore, the structure can be simplified, and an unnecessary increase in connector dimensions (particularly, the dimension in the height Z direction) can be avoided.

  Further, the spring 280 and the engaging portion 222 (the engaging concave portion 222A and the engaging convex portion 222B) for preventing rattling are provided at positions where they are engaged with each other for the first time at the end of the fitting of the connector housings 260A and 210A. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in insertion force at the initial stage of connector fitting, which tends to increase the burden of fitting.

  In this embodiment, the spring 280 and the engaging portion 222 are provided with a plurality of sets of convex portions and concave portions so that the spring 280 exerts an elastic reaction force in three directions on the engaging portion 222. Even when the convex portion and the concave portion are not formed in a substantially circular shape as in the first and second embodiments, it is possible to effectively prevent backlash in all directions by providing a minimum number of pairs of the springs 280 and the engaging portions 222. be able to.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since a metal spring is used for the spring 280, there is no spring sag due to heat or vibration like a resin spring, and long-term reliability can be maintained.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the pocket portion 270 is provided in the hood portion 261, and the spring 280 can be attached and fixed simply by being inserted into the pocket portion 270. Therefore, the spring 280 can be easily assembled to the male connector housing 260A. it can.

  In the case of this embodiment as well, the relationship between the concave portion and the convex portion may be set reversely as described above.

  In the embodiment, the springs 80, 180, and 280 are provided on the male connector housings 60A and 260A side, and the engaging portions that are engaged with the springs 80, 180, and 280 are provided on the female connector housings 10A and 210A side. However, the spring and the engaging portion may be provided oppositely.

10A female connector housing (second connector housing)
16 Locking protrusion (locking means)
22 engaging portion 22A engaging convex portion 60A male connector housing (first connector housing)
66 Lock arm (locking means)
71 Spring insertion hole 80 Spring 85 Engaging recess 122 Engaging portion 122A Engaging projection 180 Spring 185 Engaging projection 210A Female connector housing (second connector housing)
222 engaging portion 222A engaging concave portion 222B engaging convex portion 260A male connector housing (first connector housing)
271 Spring insertion hole 280 Spring 285 Engaging projection 286 Engaging recess

Claims (1)

The first connector housing and the second connector housing that are fitted to each other are provided with locking means for locking the two connector housings in a fully fitted state and maintaining the fitted state,
As both the connector housings are fitted to one and the other of the inner peripheral wall of the first connector housing and the outer peripheral wall of the second connector housing, which face each other on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side when the connectors are fitted. Springs and engaging portions that are elastically engaged with each other,
The spring and the engaging portion are provided at positions where they are engaged with each other for the first time in the final stage of fitting of the two connector housings locked by the locking means,
And the said spring and an engaging part are orthogonal to the front-back direction along a connector fitting direction with respect to the said engaging part, and a connector fitting direction in the state which this spring engaged with the said engaging part. A connector configured to exert an elastic reaction force in each of three directions of a left-right direction and a vertical direction perpendicular to the connector fitting direction and perpendicular to the left-right direction ,
The one and the other of the spring and the engaging portion are provided with a substantially circular convex portion and a concave portion that engage with each other, and when the spring and the engaging portion are engaged, the shoulder portion of the convex portion And the shoulder portion of the recess are in press contact with each other, whereby the spring exerts an elastic reaction force in the three directions with respect to the engagement portion .

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