JP5986919B2 - Connector mating structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector fitting structure used in, for example, an automotive airbag system.

  For example, a connector used in an automobile airbag system or the like has a female housing that fits into a mating connector on the equipment side, and in a state in which the connecting portion of the female housing is fitted and connected to the housing of the mating connector, A mechanism for locking these housings to each other is provided (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  By the way, in the above connector, if the connection work is stopped before the housings are locked, the housings are in a semi-fitted state and are incompletely connected.

  In order to prevent such a fitting failure such as a half-fitting of the female housing to the housing of the mating connector, as shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the center in the width direction at the upper part of the connecting portion 2 of the female housing 1 is used. The slider 5 biased toward the mating connector 4 side is provided in the female housing 1 by the coil spring 3 disposed on the female connector 1, and when the female housing 1 is in a half-fitted state with respect to the mating connector 4, There is a connector 6 in which the housing 1 is pushed back (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2012-22846 A JP 2012-59368 A

  By the way, in said connector 6, it is possible to use a leaf | plate spring instead of the coil spring 3. FIG. Unlike the coil spring 3, the bent leaf spring has a bent portion that swells outward from both ends of the leaf spring. For this reason, the female housing 1 must have an accommodating space for accommodating the leaf spring so that the bent portion of the bent and bent leaf spring does not contact. However, if this accommodation space is ensured, the width dimension of the female housing 1 becomes bulky and increases in size, and the counterpart connector 4 to which the female housing 1 is connected also increases in size.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the situation mentioned above, The objective is to provide the fitting structure of the connector which can achieve size reduction.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the connector fitting structure according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1).
(1) A fitting structure between the auxiliary device side connector and the harness side connector,
The auxiliary connector is
A holder for accommodating the harness-side connector and having a pin extending along the fitting direction of the harness-side connector;
Have
The harness side connector is
A terminal,
A housing fitted with the holder and provided with a connecting portion for holding the terminal;
A slider that is held by the connecting portion so as to be movable along a fitting direction of the connecting portion with respect to the holder;
Two leaf springs disposed along the fitting direction of the connection portion with respect to the holder, provided on both sides of the connection portion and sandwiched between the connection portion and the slider;
Have
The slider has a receiving piece that abuts on the leaf spring in order to sandwich the leaf spring with the housing, and a side wall that is connected to the receiving piece,
The side wall is formed with an opening through which a part of the leaf spring is bent so as to approach the side wall when the slider moves to the rear side in the fitting direction of the connection portion with respect to the holder. about.

  In the connector fitting structure having the above configuration (1), when the slider is slid rearward in the fitting direction against the urging force of the leaf spring, the leaf spring is bent so that the middle portion thereof is largely bent. The bent portion enters the opening. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a problem that the leaf spring interferes with surrounding parts and the deformation is hindered. In addition, since the opening is formed to avoid interference with the bent portion of the leaf spring, the width dimension of the slider can be made as small as possible, thereby reducing the size of the auxiliary connector and harness connector. Can be planned.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the fitting structure of the connector which can achieve size reduction can be provided.

  The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through a mode for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an auxiliary device side connector and a harness side connector. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the auxiliary device side connector and the harness side connector. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the auxiliary device side connector. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the harness-side connector. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a fitting state between the auxiliary device side connector and the harness side connector, and FIGS. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views, respectively. FIG. 6 is a front view of the auxiliary device side connector. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a harness-side connector provided with a slider having no opening. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a spring accommodating space portion in a harness-side connector provided with a slider having no opening. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an auxiliary device side connector and a harness side connector for explaining a conventional example. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a harness side connector for explaining a conventional example. FIG. 11 is a front view of the auxiliary device side connector. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the accessory-side connector and the harness-side connector showing a situation where they are fitted in an inclined state.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 is a perspective view of an auxiliary device side connector and a harness side connector, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the auxiliary device side connector and the harness side connector, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the auxiliary device side connector, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the side connector, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a fitting state of the auxiliary device side connector and the harness side connector, and FIGS. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views and FIG. These are front views of an auxiliary device side connector.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector fitting structure according to the present embodiment is a fitting structure of the auxiliary device side connector 10 and the harness side connector 11.

  The auxiliary device side connector 10 is, for example, a socket in an electrical connector of an in-vehicle airbag system, and the harness side connector 11 is a plug in the electrical connector of the airbag system. The harness side connector 11 is fitted and connected to the auxiliary device side connector 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the auxiliary device side connector 10 includes a pin 12, a holder 13, a shunt ring 14, and a short terminal 15.

  The holder 13 is molded from a synthetic resin. The holder 13 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape having a peripheral wall portion 21 formed in a cylindrical shape and a bottom portion 22 provided on one side of the peripheral wall portion 21, and the fitting side of the harness side connector 11 is connected to the holder 13. It is an opening 23. A groove 24 is formed on the inner peripheral surface in the vicinity of the opening 23 in the peripheral wall 21 of the holder 13. The holder 13 has two pins 12 fixed to the bottom portion 22 with a space therebetween, and these pins 12 extend toward the opening 23 side. The pin 12 is made of a conductive metal material and is connected to a circuit on the auxiliary device side.

  The shunt ring 14 is molded from a synthetic resin. The shunt ring 14 has a cylindrical peripheral wall 31 and is fitted into the holder 13 from the opening 23 side. And this shunt ring 14 is accommodated in the holder 13 so that the inside of the surrounding wall part 31 may surround the pin 12 by being attached to the holder 13. The shunt ring 14 has a plurality of locking claws 32 protruding radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 31, and these locking claws 32 fit the shunt ring 14 into the holder 13. When inserted, it engages with the groove 24 of the holder 13. As a result, the shunt ring 14 is fixed in the holder 13. In addition, two fitting locks 33 are formed on both sides of the shunt ring 14. These fitting locks 33 are arranged at positions sandwiching the pin 12, and are connected to the end portion on the front side in the fitting direction of the harness side connector 11 and extend rearward in the fitting direction. These fitting locks 33 have claw portions 34 projecting toward the pin 12 side at the tip portions thereof.

  The short terminal 15 is made of a conductive metal material, and is formed in a U shape in a side view. The short terminal 15 is mounted in the shunt ring 14. When the shunt ring 14 is mounted on the holder 13, the short terminal 15 is pressed against and contacts the two pins 12. As a result, the pins 12 are electrically connected to each other by the short terminal 15, so that the circuit on the auxiliary device side is short-circuited. Thus, the circuit on the auxiliary device side is brought into a short-circuited state, so that the malfunction of the auxiliary device is prevented and safety is ensured.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the harness-side connector 11 includes a terminal 41, a ferrite core 42, a housing 43, a slider 44, and a leaf spring 45.

  The terminal 41 is made of a conductive metal material, and is formed in an L shape in side view. These terminals 41 have a connection terminal portion 51 and an electric wire connection portion 52, and an electric wire 53 of a wire harness is connected to the electric wire connection portion 52. A ferrite core 42 is attached to the electric wire 53 of the wire harness. The ferrite core 42 is a part in which a metal oxide ferromagnet is formed in a block shape, and the electric wire is inserted into the insertion hole 42a as a noise countermeasure part for preventing noise current from flowing into the electric wire 53 due to various electromagnetic waves from the outside. It is attached to the electric wire 53 by passing 53.

  The connection terminal portion 51 of the terminal 41 is formed in a box shape having an open front end, and the pin 12 is inserted from the front end side. The connection terminal portion 51 is provided with a contact protrusion 55 and a pressing piece 56 inside, and the pin 12 is inserted between the contact protrusion 55 and the pressing piece 56. As a result, the pin 12 is sandwiched between the contact protrusion 55 and the pressing piece 56, so that the pin 12 and the terminal 41 are conductively connected.

  The housing 43 is formed from a synthetic resin, and has a connection portion 61 that protrudes to the fitting side to the auxiliary device side connector 10. The housing 43 is open on the back side, and the terminal 41 to which the electric wire 53 is connected and the ferrite core 42 attached to the electric wire 53 are accommodated from the open back side. A cover 62 is attached to the housing 43 so as to cover the opened back surface, and the terminal 41 and the ferrite core 42 are accommodated and held in the housing 43 by attaching the cover 62.

  Two cavities 63 are formed in the connection portion 61 of the housing 43, and the connection terminal portions 51 of the terminals 41 are accommodated in these cavities 63. Further, two insertion holes 64 communicating with the cavity 63 are formed at the distal end of the connection portion 61, and the pin 12 is inserted from these insertion holes 64.

  Lock beaks 65 that slightly protrude laterally are formed on both side portions at the tip of the connecting portion 61. The distance between the side surfaces of these lock beaks 65 is larger than the distance between the claw portions 34 of the fitting lock 33 of the shunt ring 14. Further, the lock beak 65 is formed with a tapered guide surface 66 that is gradually inclined toward the center toward the front in the fitting direction to the auxiliary device side connector 10 on the side surface at the tip. Further, locking holes 67 are formed on both side surfaces of the connecting portion 61 on the rear side in the fitting direction from the lock beak 65 to the auxiliary device side connector 10.

  The slider 44 is formed from a synthetic resin, and has an upper surface plate portion 71 and two slide portions 72. The slider 44 is attached to the connecting portion 61 of the housing 43 and is movable along the fitting direction with respect to the auxiliary device side connector 10. The slider 44 is attached to the connection portion 61 of the housing 43, so that the slide portions 72 on both sides are disposed on both sides of the connection portion 61.

  A receiving piece 73 is formed on the slide portion 72 in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction. A space portion on the rear side in the fitting direction with respect to the auxiliary device side connector 10 with respect to the receiving piece 73 in the slide portion 72 is a spring accommodating space 74 in which the leaf spring 45 is accommodated. Further, the slide portion 72 is formed with a squeeze-preventing piece 75 having a U-shape in front view extending from the receiving piece 73 toward the front side in the fitting direction to the auxiliary connector 10. The interval between the inner surfaces 75 a of the anti-saw pieces 75 facing each other is slightly wider than the interval between the outer surfaces 33 a of the fitting locks 33 of the shunt ring 14.

  Each slide portion 72 of the slider 44 has a side wall 76 connected to the receiving piece 73, and an opening 77 communicating with the spring accommodating space 74 is formed in the side wall 76. Further, each slide portion 72 of the slider 44 is formed with an operation projection 78 projecting outward at an end on the rear side in the fitting direction to the auxiliary connector 10. The slider 44 can be moved by gripping.

  The leaf spring 45 is formed from a metal material having elasticity such as spring steel, and is accommodated in the spring accommodating space 74 of the slider 44. One end of each of the leaf springs 45 is fixed to the receiving piece 73 of the slider 44, and the other end is fixed to a flange portion 43 a formed in the housing 43. Thereby, the slider 44 is urged | biased with respect to the housing 43 with respect to the fitting side connector 10 front direction. Each leaf spring 45 is slightly curved so as to bulge toward the opening 77 formed in each slide portion 72 of the slider 44. Thus, when the slider 44 is pressed against the urging force of the leaf spring 45 toward the rear side in the fitting direction, the leaf spring 45 is bent toward the opening 77 by bending its intermediate portion.

  Next, the case where the harness side connector 11 is fitted and connected to the auxiliary device side connector 10 will be described.

  In order to fit the harness side connector 11 to the auxiliary device side connector 10, the connection portion 61 of the harness side connector 11 is inserted into the opening portion 23 of the auxiliary device side connector 10.

  If it does in this way, as shown in Drawing 5 (a), pin 12 of auxiliary equipment side connector 10 will be inserted in insertion hole 64. As a result, the pin 12 enters between the contact protrusion 55 and the pressing piece 56 of the connection terminal portion 51 of the terminal 41, and the pin 12 is sandwiched between the contact protrusion 55 and the pressing piece 56, so that the pin 12 and the terminal 41 Are electrically connected.

  Further, the claw portion 34 of the fitting lock 33 of the shunt ring 14 contacts and slides on the guide surface 66 formed on the lock beak 65 of the connection portion 61. Thereby, the fitting lock 33 is pushed out to the side by the guide surface 66, and the claw portion 34 rides on and contacts the side surface of the lock beak 65.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the leaf springs 45 that urge the slider 44 forward in the fitting direction are disposed on both sides of the connecting portion 61, and the anti-saw pieces 75 are provided on both sides of the slider 44. . Therefore, when the connection portion 61 of the harness side connector 11 is inclined with respect to the auxiliary device side connector 10, the one scouring prevention piece 75 comes into contact with the one fitting lock 33 and is inclined. The mating is prevented. Further, since the slider 44 is urged forward in the fitting direction by the leaf springs 45 on both sides, the posture of the harness-side connector 11 inserted at an inclination is corrected by the urging force of the leaf spring 45. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, by providing leaf springs 45 with small occupying spaces as elastic members for biasing the slider 44 on both sides of the slider 44, the housing opening A ( The height dimension H is significantly reduced while suppressing the width dimension W of the mesh portion in FIG. 6 as much as possible. Therefore, the insertion of the connecting portion 61 in the tilted state is suppressed as much as possible.

  When the connecting portion 61 of the harness side connector 11 is further inserted into the opening 23 of the auxiliary device side connector 10, the pin 12 of the auxiliary device side connector 10 is further inserted into the insertion hole 64 as shown in FIG. It is. Then, the squeezing prevention piece 75 of the slide portion 72 of the slider 44 comes into contact with the fitting lock 33 pushed out to the side. Accordingly, the slider 44 moves backward in the fitting direction against the urging force of the leaf spring 45. At this time, the leaf spring 45 is deformed so that the middle portion thereof is bent and bent greatly, and the bent portion enters the opening 77. Therefore, the leaf spring 45 does not interfere with the surrounding parts to prevent deformation.

  When the connecting portion 61 of the harness side connector 11 is further inserted into the opening 23 of the auxiliary device side connector 10, the pin 12 of the auxiliary device side connector 10 is further inserted into the insertion hole 64 as shown in FIG. It is. When the lock beak 65 exceeds the front side in the fitting direction of the claw portion 34 of the fitting lock 33, the claw portion 34 enters the locking hole 67 on the rear side in the fitting direction of the lock beak 65. Thereby, the connection part 61 of the housing 43 is reliably latched by the fitting lock 33, and the auxiliary device side connector 10 and the harness side connector 11 are reliably connected.

  Further, the fitting lock 33 that has been elastically deformed outward by the lock beak 65 is restored and displaced inward, and the tip of the fitting lock 33 enters the inside of the anti-rare piece 75 of the slider 44. Then, the slider 44 is moved forward in the fitting direction by the urging force of the leaf spring 45, and the galling prevention piece 75 is disposed outside the fitting lock 33. Thereby, the displacement to the outer side of the fitting lock 33 is prevented by the squeezing prevention piece 75, and the latching state of the connection part 61 of the housing 43 by the fitting lock 33 is maintained.

  As described above, when the harness side connector 11 is fitted to the auxiliary device side connector 10, the resin portion of the connecting portion 61 enters between the pin 12 and the short terminal 15, so that the short terminal 15 is pinned. 12, the conduction state between the pins 12 is released, and the short circuit state of the circuit on the auxiliary device side is released. Thereby, for example, in the circuit on the auxiliary device side, it can be confirmed that the harness-side connector 11 is properly fitted to the auxiliary device-side connector 10 by turning off the warning light.

  In the above-described fitting process, the fitting operation was stopped in a half-fitted state (the state shown in FIG. 5B) in which fitting between the auxiliary device side connector 10 and the harness side connector 11 was incomplete. In this case, the connection portion 61 of the harness side connector 11 is pushed out from the auxiliary device side connector 10 by the reaction force of the slider 44 urged forward in the fitting direction by the leaf spring 45. Therefore, poor fitting such as half fitting between the auxiliary device side connector 10 and the harness side connector 11 is prevented.

  Moreover, when the connection part 61 of the harness side connector 11 is pushed out from the auxiliary device side connector 10, the short terminal 15 contacts the pin 12 and the circuit on the auxiliary device side is short-circuited. Therefore, it is possible to confirm that the harness side connector 11 is not properly fitted to the auxiliary device side connector 10 by turning on the warning lamp provided in the auxiliary device side circuit.

  When the harness side connector 11 fitted to the auxiliary device side connector 10 is removed from the auxiliary device side connector 10 and the connected state is released, the operation projection 78 of the slider 44 is held and the biasing force of the leaf spring 45 is held. Against this, the slider 44 is moved to the rear side in the fitting direction to the auxiliary device side connector 10. If it does in this way, the restriction | limiting of the movement to the outer side of the fitting lock 33 by the swarf prevention piece 75 of the slider 44 will be cancelled | released. In this state, the harness side connector 11 is separated from the auxiliary device side connector 10. Then, the fitting lock 33 is elastically deformed outward, the claw portion 34 is pulled out from the locking hole 67, and the locked state between the fitting lock 33 and the lock beak 65 is released. Thereby, the connection part 61 of the harness side connector 11 is extracted from the auxiliary device side connector 10, and the connection state of the auxiliary device side connector 10 and the harness side connector 11 is cancelled | released.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the anti-collision piece 75 is provided on the slider 44. As a result, even if the connecting portion 61 of the harness side connector 11 is inserted into the auxiliary device side connector 10 in an inclined state, the swarf prevention piece 75 is brought into contact with the fitting lock 33, so that the inclination is inclined. It is possible to prevent the fitting in the state. Further, since the leaf springs 45 for urging the slider 44 forward in the fitting direction are arranged on both sides of the connecting portion 61, the slider 44 is urged forward in the fitting direction by the leaf springs 45 on both sides. The posture of the harness-side connector 11 inserted at an inclination can be corrected by the urging force of the leaf spring 45. In addition, by providing leaf springs 45 with small occupying spaces as elastic members for urging the slider 44 on both sides of the slider 44, the width dimension W of the accommodation opening A of the connection portion 61 in the auxiliary connector 10 is suppressed as much as possible. In addition, the height dimension H is greatly reduced, and therefore the insertion of the connecting portion 61 in an inclined state can be suppressed as much as possible.

  As a result, deformation such as bending of the pin 12 caused by the harness-side connector 11 being tilted and forcibly fitted to the auxiliary device-side connector 10 can be prevented, and conduction caused by the deformation of the pin 12 can be prevented. Defects and poor fitting can be reliably prevented.

  Further, when the slider 44 is slid rearward in the fitting direction against the urging force of the leaf spring 45, the leaf spring 45 bends so that the middle portion thereof is largely bent, and the bent portion is formed in the opening 77. Get in. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a problem that the leaf spring 45 interferes with surrounding parts and the deformation is hindered.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 7, when the leaf spring 45 is bent and bent in the harness-side connector 11 provided with the slider 44 in which the opening portion 77 is not provided in the slide portion 72, as shown in FIG. A large spring accommodating space 74 must be secured so that the bent portion does not contact, the width of the harness side connector 11 becomes bulky, and the auxiliary side connector 10 to which the harness side connector 11 is connected is also enlarged. It will increase in size.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the opening 77 is formed to avoid interference with the bent portion of the leaf spring 45, the width of the slider 44 can be made as small as possible, and the auxiliary device side The connector 10 and the harness side connector 11 can be reduced in size.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A deformation | transformation, improvement, etc. are possible suitably. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, arrangement location, and the like of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and are not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

10 Auxiliary device side connector 11 Harness side connector 12 Pin 13 Holder 14 Shunt ring 33 Fitting lock 41 Terminal 43 Housing 44 Slider 45 Leaf spring 61 Connection portion 65 Lock beak 73 Receiving piece 75 Rust prevention piece 76 Side wall 77 Opening portion

Claims (1)

A fitting structure between the auxiliary device side connector and the harness side connector,
The auxiliary connector is
A holder for accommodating the harness-side connector and having a pin extending along the fitting direction of the harness-side connector;
Have
The harness side connector is
A terminal,
A housing fitted with the holder and provided with a connecting portion for holding the terminal;
A slider that is held by the connecting portion so as to be movable along a fitting direction of the connecting portion with respect to the holder;
Two leaf springs provided on both sides of the connecting portion and sandwiched between the connecting portion and the slider and arranged along a fitting direction of the connecting portion with respect to the holder;
Have
The slider has a receiving piece that abuts on the leaf spring in order to sandwich the leaf spring with the housing, and a side wall that is connected to the receiving piece,
The side wall is formed with an opening through which a part of the leaf spring that is bent so as to approach the side wall as the slider moves toward the rear side in the fitting direction of the connection portion with respect to the holder. ,
A connector fitting structure characterized by that.

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