JP6513409B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector in which a lock portion for locking a fitting state between connector housings is present at an invisible position.

FIG. 13 shows a connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.
The connector 100 includes a first connector housing 110 having an arm locking portion 111 on the inner side, and a second connector housing 120 which is a mating counterpart of the first connector housing 110.

  The arm locking portion 111 of the first connector housing 110 is a stepped surface formed in a recessed shape in the subsequent stage of the protruding portion 112.

  The second connector housing 120 is provided with a lock arm 121 that engages with the arm locking portion 111 to lock the connector housings in a mutually fitted state when the fitting with the first connector housing 110 is completed.

  The lock arm 121 extends from the arm body 121a extending to the front end of the housing (the left end in FIG. 13) along the fitting direction of the connector housings (the direction of arrow X1 in FIG. 13) and the tip of the arm body 121a. And an engaging protrusion 121b protruding in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of the connector housings.

  During engagement of the connector housings with each other, the lock arm 121 rides on the protuberance 112 where the engagement protrusion 121 b is positioned on the front end side of the arm locking portion 111 due to the bending displacement of the arm body 121 a. Then, when the fitting between the connector housings is completed, the state in which the engaging protrusion 121b passes over the protruding portion 112 and the engaging protrusion 121b engages with the stepped arm engaging portion 111 by the elastic restoring force of the arm body 121a. become.

  When the lock arm 121 engages with the arm locking portion 111, the movement of the connector housings in the disengaging direction is restricted, whereby the fitted state of the connector housings is locked.

JP 2012-59368 A

  However, in the case of the connector 100 of Patent Document 1, the lock portion (engagement portion between the lock arm 121 and the arm locking portion 111) for locking the fitting state between the connector housings is hidden inside the first connector housing 110. As a result, there is a problem that the lock state can not be easily determined.

  Therefore, the object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and in the connector where the lock portion for locking the fitting state of the connector housings can not be visually recognized, the locked state of the connector housings can be visually checked An object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can be easily and reliably identified.

The above-mentioned object of the present invention is achieved by the following constitution.
(1) A first connector housing having an arm locking portion on the inner side,
A second connector housing provided with a lock arm that engages with the arm locking portion to lock the interengagement of the connector housings when the fitting with the first connector housing is completed;
A connector comprising
The first connector housing includes a substantially cylindrical hood portion accommodating the second connector housing, and a lock confirmation hole penetrating the hood portion along the fitting direction of the connector housings.
The second connector housing is positioned in the hood portion when the connector housings are in the middle of fitting, and in the state where the connector housings are completely fitted, the second connector housings are inserted through the lock confirmation holes and the outer surface of the first connector housing With exposed ribs ,
The lock arm is provided at a widthwise center of the top surface of the second connector housing.
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the rib is integrally formed on the lock arm .

(2) a first connector housing having an arm locking portion on the inner side,
A second connector housing provided with a lock arm that engages with the arm locking portion to lock the interengagement of the connector housings when the fitting with the first connector housing is completed;
A connector comprising
The first connector housing includes a substantially cylindrical hood portion accommodating the second connector housing, and a lock confirmation hole penetrating the hood portion along the fitting direction of the connector housings.
The second connector housing is positioned in the hood portion when the connector housings are in the middle of fitting, and in the state where the connector housings are completely fitted, the second connector housings are inserted through the lock confirmation holes and the outer surface of the first connector housing With exposed ribs,
The ribs, the front end surface of the lock arm, co characterized in that it is equipped with a shape that projects along the fitting direction of the connector housings connector.

(3) a first connector housing having an arm locking portion on the inner side,
A second connector housing provided with a lock arm that engages with the arm locking portion to lock the interengagement of the connector housings when the fitting with the first connector housing is completed;
A connector comprising
The first connector housing includes a substantially cylindrical hood portion accommodating the second connector housing, and a lock confirmation hole penetrating the hood portion along the fitting direction of the connector housings.
The second connector housing is positioned in the hood portion when the connector housings are in the middle of fitting, and in the state where the connector housings are completely fitted, the second connector housings are inserted through the lock confirmation holes and the outer surface of the first connector housing With exposed ribs,
Said rib, said protruding in the width direction of the second connector housing, co characterized by comprising a slidably rattling preventing projections in contact with the inner wall surface of the lock confirmation holes perpendicular to the width direction connector .

  (4) The connector according to (3), wherein the rattling projection is extended along the fitting direction of the connector housings.

  According to the configuration of the above (1), when the connector housings are in the process of being fitted to each other, the ribs provided on the second connector housing are located in the hood portion of the first connector housing, and from the outside I can not see it. However, when the fitting between the connector housings is properly completed, the ribs provided on the second connector housing project outward from the hood portion of the first connector housing and are exposed to the outside. Therefore, the lock state can be easily and reliably determined by confirming whether or not the rib is exposed by visual inspection.

  That is, the locked state can be easily and reliably determined by visual inspection, and it is possible to prevent oversight of a fitting failure between the connector housings.

  According to the configuration of the above (2), since the rib used to determine the locked state of the connector housings is integral with the lock arm 53, the rib can be efficiently arranged in a limited space, and the rib is provided. The complication of the structure of the second connector housing can be suppressed.

  According to the configuration of the above (3), when the fitting of the connector housings is completed, the rattling projection protruding from the rib passing through the lock confirmation hole abuts on the inner wall surface of the lock confirmation hole, It regulates relative movement in the width direction between the connector housings. That is, rattling projections provided on the ribs can suppress rattling in the width direction of the connector housings, and can suppress wear and the like of the terminal fitting due to rattling of the connector housings. .

  According to the configuration of the above (4), the rattling projection rattled projection extends along the fitting direction of the connector housings, and functions as a reinforcing material for restricting the bending displacement of the rib in the width direction of the connector housing. Do. That is, the backlashing projections improve the strength of the ribs. Therefore, even if connector housings are repeatedly engaged and disengaged from each other, breakage of the rib due to fatigue due to repeated loading can be suppressed, and the performance of the rib can be stably maintained over a long period of time.

  According to the connector according to the present invention, in the connector in which the lock portion for locking the fitting state of the connector housings can not be visually identified, the locking state of the connector housings can be easily and reliably determined by visual inspection. Can.

  The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the modes for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the attached drawings. .

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view on arrow A of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C of FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the left side of the second connector housing shown in FIG. 1 as viewed obliquely from the front. 6 is a perspective view of the right side of the second connector housing shown in FIG. 1 as viewed obliquely from the front. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the right side of the first connector housing shown in FIG. 1 as viewed obliquely from the front. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the left side of the first connector housing shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the left side of the second connector housing of the comparative example in which the ribs are removed from the second connector housing of one embodiment, as viewed from the oblique front. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the right side of the second connector housing of the comparative example shown in FIG. 9 as viewed obliquely from the front. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the left side of the first connector housing of the comparative example in which the lock confirmation hole is removed from the first connector housing of one embodiment, as viewed from the oblique front. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the left side of the first connector housing of the comparative example shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional connector.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a connector according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 8 show an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line C-C in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the left side of the second connector housing shown in FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the right side of the second connector housing shown in FIG. 1, viewed obliquely from the front, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the right side of the first connector housing shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the left side of the first connector housing shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 2 according to this embodiment includes a first connector housing 4 for housing and holding the male terminal fitting 3 and a second connector housing 5 which is a mating counterpart of the first connector housing 4. Have.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first connector housing 4 has a housing main body 41 for housing and holding the male terminal fitting 3 to which an electric wire (not shown) is connected, and a substantially cylindrical shape extending forward from the front end of the housing main body 41. A hood portion 42, an arm locking portion 43 (see FIG. 3) provided on the inner side of the hood portion 42, and a lock confirmation hole 44 (see FIG. 8) provided in the hood portion 42. ing.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, terminal housing holes 411 for housing the male terminal fittings 3 are provided in the upper and lower two stages in the housing main body 41. Each terminal accommodation hole 411 penetrates the housing main body 41 along the fitting direction of the connector housings (the arrow X2 direction in FIG. 3).
In the housing main body 41, as shown in FIG. 3, a terminal locking lance 414 is provided along the terminal accommodation hole 411. The terminal locking lance 414 engages with the male terminal fitting 3 inserted to a prescribed position in the terminal accommodation hole 411 to prevent the male terminal fitting 3 from coming off.

  The hood portion 42 is a substantially cylindrical structure that accommodates the second connector housing 5.

  The arm locking portion 43 is a recess with which a lock arm 53 of the second connector housing 5 described later engages when the fitting between the connector housings is completed. In the case of the present embodiment, the arm locking portion 43 is formed on the inner surface of the upper side wall portion 421 of the hood portion 42 so as to be recessed in the height direction of the first connector housing 4 (arrow Z2 direction in FIG. 3). Further, the arm locking portion 43 does not penetrate the upper side wall portion 421 and can not be viewed from the outside.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the lock confirmation hole 44 is formed on the inner surface of the upper side wall portion 421 in the shape of a groove extending along the fitting direction of the connector housings. In the present embodiment, the lock confirmation holes 44 are provided at two places spaced in the width direction of the first connector housing 4 (the direction of the arrow Y3 in FIG. 8). Further, the pair of lock confirmation holes 44 pass through along the fitting direction of the connector housings.

  The second connector housing 5 accommodates a female terminal fitting 6 to which an electric wire (not shown) to be fitted with the male terminal fitting 3 is connected and which is fitted to the hood portion 42; Lock arm 53 protruding from outer side surface 521, rib 54 passing through lock confirmation hole 44 of first connector housing 4 when connector housings are fitted to each other, rib 54, and rattle provided on rib 54 And a protrusion 55.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the housing main body 52 is provided with terminal accommodation holes 522 for holding the female terminal fittings 6 in upper and lower two stages. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a terminal locking lance 523 is provided along the terminal accommodation hole 522 in the housing main body 52. The terminal locking lance 523 engages with the female terminal fitting 6 when the female terminal fitting 6 is inserted to the specified position in the terminal accommodation hole 522 as shown in FIG. Stop it.

  The lock arm 53 projects from the front end side of the housing body 52 to an arm body 531 extending to the rear end side of the housing body 52 along the fitting direction of the connector housings, and the upper surface side of the arm body 531 It has an engaging projection 532 and an operating portion 533 integrally formed at the free end (left end in FIG. 3) of the arm body 531.

  When the fitting of the connector housings is completed, as shown in FIG. 3, the locking arms 53 engage with the arm locking portions 43 to engage the second connector housing 5 with the first connector housing as shown in FIG. Bond to 4.

  The engagement between the engagement protrusion 532 and the arm locking portion 43 restricts the movement of the connector housings in the disengaging direction, and locks the fitting state of the connector housings.

  When the operation portion 533 is pressed in the direction of the arrow Z4 in FIG. 3, the arm body 531 is bent and deformed to the side of the outer surface 521 of the housing body 52, and the bending deformation deforms the engagement protrusion 532 on the arm body 531 It is displaced in the direction away from the locking portion 43. That is, the operating portion 533 is a portion that applies an operating force when the lock arm 53 is bent and deformed in order to release the locked state between the connector housings.

  The rib 54 is integrally formed on the lock arm 53 in the case of this embodiment. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the ribs 54 are paired at positions corresponding to the arrangement of the lock confirmation holes 44 of the first connector housing 4 at the front end (right end in FIG. 3) of the arm body 531. It is equipped. Further, the pair of ribs 54 is provided in a shape projecting from the front end surface of the arm main body 531 in the fitting direction of the connector housings in the forward direction.

  The pair of ribs 54 pass through the lock confirmation holes 44 of the first connector housing 4 when the connector housings are engaged with each other. Further, the pair of ribs 54 is positioned in the lock confirmation hole 44 when the connector housings are in the middle of fitting. That is, when the connector housings are in the process of being fitted to each other, the pair of ribs 54 are located in the hood portion 42 and hidden inside the hood portion 42. Then, in a state in which the connector housings are completely fitted to each other, the pair of ribs 54 pass through the lock confirmation holes 44 of the hood portion 42 and are exposed on the outer surface of the first connector housing 4 as shown in FIG. .

  In other words, when the fitting of the connector housings is completed, as shown in FIG. 3, the tips of the pair of ribs 54 protrude to the outside of the hood portion 42 over the length L 1, and the first connector housing 4 The dimensions are set so as to be exposed to the outside of.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the backlash protrusion 55 mounted on the rib 54 protrudes outward from the outer surface 541 of the rib 54 in the width direction of the second connector housing 5 (direction of arrow Y4 in FIG. 6). It is a protuberance. The protrusion length of the rattling projection 55 in the width direction of the second connector housing 5 is set so as to overlap the inner wall surface 441 of the lock confirmation hole 44 by the dimension L2, as shown in FIG.

  In other words, the backrest projection 55 protrudes in the width direction of the second connector housing 5 so as to overlap with the inner wall surface 441 of the lock confirmation hole 44 by the dimension L2, and the rib 54 enters into the lock confirmation hole 44. At this time, the inner wall surface 441 or the rib 54 is elastically deformed by an overlap portion, and the backlashing projection 55 is brought into contact with the inner wall surface 441 by pressing. In addition, with the approach of the rib 54 into the lock confirmation hole 44, the backlash prevention projection 55 slides on the inner wall surface 441 in a state of being in pressure contact with the inner wall surface 441. When the rib 54 enters the lock confirmation hole 44, the rattle holding projection 55 slidably contacts the inner wall surface 441 (see FIG. 8) of the lock confirmation hole 44 which is orthogonal to the width direction. Restrict relative movement in the width direction in

  Further, in the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the rattling projection 55 is extended along the fitting direction of the connector housings (direction of arrow X4 in FIGS. 5 and 6). .

  In the case of the connector 2 of the embodiment described above, when the connector housings are in the process of being fitted to each other, the rib 54 provided on the second connector housing 5 is in the hood portion 42 of the first connector housing 4. It is located and invisible from the outside. However, when the fitting between the connector housings is properly completed, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tips of the ribs 54 provided on the second connector housing 5 are the hood portions of the first connector housing 4. It projects to the outside from 42 and is exposed to the outside. Therefore, by checking whether the rib 54 is exposed or not by visual inspection, it is possible to easily and reliably determine the locked state.

  That is, the locked state can be easily and reliably determined by visual inspection, and it is possible to prevent oversight of a fitting failure between the connector housings.

  Further, in the case of the connector 2 of the embodiment, the rib 54 used to determine the locked state between the connector housings is protruded from the front end of the lock arm 53, as also shown in FIG. And one. Therefore, the rib 54 can be efficiently arranged in a limited space, and the complication of the structure of the second connector housing 5 equipped with the rib 54 can be suppressed.

  Further, in the case of the connector 2 according to one embodiment, when the fitting of the connector housings is completed, the rattle stop projection 55 provided on the rib 54 inserted through the lock confirmation hole 44 is an inner wall surface of the lock confirmation hole 44. And restrict relative movement in the width direction between the connector housings. That is, rattling in the width direction of the connector housings can be suppressed by the rattling projection 55 provided to be protruded to the rib 54, and the wear of the terminal fitting due to the rattling of the connector housings can be suppressed. Can.

  Further, in the case of the connector 2 according to one embodiment, the rattling projection 55 extends along the fitting direction of the connector housings, and functions as a reinforcing material that restricts the bending displacement of the rib 54 in the width direction of the connector housing. Do. That is, the backlashing protrusion 55 improves the strength of the rib 54. Therefore, even if the connector housings are repeatedly engaged and disengaged from each other, breakage of the rib 54 due to fatigue due to repeated load can be suppressed, and the performance of the rib 54 can be stably maintained over a long period of time.

  9 and 10 show the second connector housing 5A of the comparative example, and FIGS. 11 and 12 show the first connector housing 4A of the comparative example.

  The second connector housing 5A of the comparative example shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 has a structure in which the rib 54 and the rattling projection 55, which are essential components in the second connector housing 5 of the embodiment, are omitted. In the case of the second connector housing 5A of the comparative example, the configuration other than the rib 54 and the rattling projection 55 is common to that of the second connector housing 5 of the embodiment, and the same reference numerals are used for the configuration common to the embodiment. The explanation is omitted.

  The first connector housing 4A of the comparative example shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 has a structure in which the lock confirmation hole 44, which is an essential component in the first connector housing 4 of the embodiment, is omitted. In the case of the first connector housing 4A of the comparative example, the configuration other than the lock confirmation hole 44 is the same as that of the first connector housing 4 of the embodiment, and the same symbol is attached to the configuration common to the embodiment. I omit explanation.

  In the configurations of the first connector housing 4A and the second connector housing 5A of the comparative example shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, even when the fitting of the connector housings is completed, the engagement protrusions 532 of the lock arm 53 engage with each other. The portion where the part is located is hidden inside the arm locking portion 43, and the change in appearance is scarce. Therefore, it can not be simply and reliably judged from the appearance visual observation whether the locked state is properly obtained, and there is a possibility that the fitting failure between the connector housings can be overlooked.

  Further, in the configuration of the comparative example, since there is no special means for restricting the relative movement of the connector housing in the width direction when the connector housings are engaged with each other, rattling occurs due to the relative movement in the width direction between the connector housings. There is a possibility that there is a possibility that the wear between the terminal fittings due to the rattling of the connector housings can not be suppressed.

  In the connector 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the problem occurring in the comparative example can be eliminated.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and appropriate modifications, improvements, etc. are possible. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, and the like of each component in the embodiment described above are arbitrary and not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

  For example, the installation position of the rib which makes it possible to distinguish the lock state between the connector housings from the appearance visual observation is not limited to the front end of the lock arm, and the installation position of the rib may be set to a site other than the front end of the lock arm. It is possible.

  Further, the installation position of the backlash prevention projection for preventing backlash is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is also conceivable to equip the backrest projection at a portion other than the rib.

  Here, the features of the above-described embodiment of the connector according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [4].

[1] A first connector housing (4) having an arm locking portion (43) on the inner side,
A second arm provided with a lock arm (53) which engages with the arm locking portion (43) to lock the interengagement between the connector housings when the engagement with the first connector housing (4) is completed Connector housing (5),
A connector (2) comprising
The first connector housing (4) penetrates the substantially cylindrical hood portion (42) accommodating the second connector housing (5) and the hood portion (42) along the fitting direction of the connector housings with each other. And a lock confirmation hole (44),
The second connector housing (5) is located in the hood portion (42) when the connector housings are in the process of fitting each other, and the lock confirmation hole (44) is formed in the state where the connector housings are completely fitted. A connector (2) characterized by comprising a rib (54) which is inserted and exposed on the outer surface of the first connector housing (4).

  [2] The rib (54) is provided on the front end face of the lock arm (53) in a shape projecting along the fitting direction of the connector housings according to the above [1]. Connector (2).

  [3] A play that protrudes in the width direction of the second connector housing (5) in the rib (54) and slidably contacts an inner wall surface of the lock confirmation hole (44) orthogonal to the width direction. The connector (2) according to the above [1] or [2], comprising a locking projection (55).

  [4] The connector (2) according to the above [3], wherein the rattling projection (55) is extended along the fitting direction of the connector housings.

Reference Signs List 2 connector 4 first connector housing 5 second connector housing 42 hood portion 43 arm locking portion 44 lock confirmation hole 53 lock arm 54 rib 55 rattling projection

Claims (4)

A first connector housing having an arm locking portion on the inner side;
A second connector housing provided with a lock arm that engages with the arm locking portion to lock the interengagement of the connector housings when the fitting with the first connector housing is completed;
A connector comprising
The first connector housing includes a substantially cylindrical hood portion accommodating the second connector housing, and a lock confirmation hole penetrating the hood portion along the fitting direction of the connector housings.
The second connector housing is positioned in the hood portion when the connector housings are in the middle of fitting, and in the state where the connector housings are completely fitted, the second connector housings are inserted through the lock confirmation holes and the outer surface of the first connector housing With exposed ribs ,
The lock arm is provided at a widthwise center of the top surface of the second connector housing.
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the rib is integrally formed with the lock arm . A first connector housing having an arm locking portion on the inner side;
A second connector housing provided with a lock arm that engages with the arm locking portion to lock the interengagement of the connector housings when the fitting with the first connector housing is completed;
A connector comprising
The first connector housing includes a substantially cylindrical hood portion accommodating the second connector housing, and a lock confirmation hole penetrating the hood portion along the fitting direction of the connector housings.
The second connector housing is positioned in the hood portion when the connector housings are in the middle of fitting, and in the state where the connector housings are completely fitted, the second connector housings are inserted through the lock confirmation holes and the outer surface of the first connector housing With exposed ribs,
The ribs, the front end surface of the lock arm, co characterized in that it is equipped with a shape that projects along the fitting direction of the connector housings connector. A first connector housing having an arm locking portion on the inner side;
A second connector housing provided with a lock arm that engages with the arm locking portion to lock the interengagement of the connector housings when the fitting with the first connector housing is completed;
A connector comprising
The first connector housing includes a substantially cylindrical hood portion accommodating the second connector housing, and a lock confirmation hole penetrating the hood portion along the fitting direction of the connector housings.
The second connector housing is positioned in the hood portion when the connector housings are in the middle of fitting, and in the state where the connector housings are completely fitted, the second connector housings are inserted through the lock confirmation holes and the outer surface of the first connector housing With exposed ribs,
Said rib, said protruding in the width direction of the second connector housing, co characterized by comprising a slidably rattling preventing projections in contact with the inner wall surface of the lock confirmation holes perpendicular to the width direction connector .   The connector according to claim 3, wherein the rattling projection is extended along the fitting direction of the connector housings.

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