JP6625834B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

  Conventionally, as a structure for holding a terminal accommodated in a connector, a terminal accommodated in a terminal accommodating chamber of a housing is brought into contact with an inner peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating chamber to hold the terminal at a predetermined position in the terminal accommodating chamber. The structure is known. In Patent Document 1, a through hole is provided in a front wall of a terminal accommodating chamber to allow a terminal main body of a male terminal to pass therethrough, and a terminal side edge between a wire connection portion to which a terminal wire is connected and the terminal main body. A structure is disclosed in which a pair of rising pieces are raised in a V-shape from each other, and the tips of the respective rising pieces are pressed against the inner surfaces of the terminal receiving chambers to hold the terminals in the terminal receiving chambers. .

JP-A-6-1961282

  However, in Patent Literature 1, at the time of assembling the connector, the pair of rising pieces are inserted while being pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating chamber, so that the friction between the terminal and the terminal accommodating chamber increases, When the insertion load (insertion resistance) increases, there is a concern that the workability may decrease.

  In this case, the insertion load of the terminal can be reduced by providing a gap between the terminal and the inner peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating chamber. Rattling occurs inside the terminal. As a result, when the terminal vibrates with the vibration of the connector, the plating on the terminal surface may be worn to cause poor conduction.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a connector that prevents rattling of a terminal and has a small terminal insertion load.

In order to solve the above problems, a connector according to the present invention includes a terminal body, a conductor connection part formed to be thicker than the terminal body, a conductor connection part to which a conductor is connected, and a connection between the terminal body part and the conductor connection part. A terminal having a transition portion where the terminal changes, and a housing having a through hole through which the terminal body is inserted in the front wall of the terminal housing chamber in which the terminal is housed, A space extending rearward from the front wall, the space being formed in a shape into which at least a part of the conductor connection part connected to the terminal body part inserted through the through hole can be inserted, and transitioning to the inner surface of the terminal accommodating chamber. An elastic cushioning material is interposed in a gap formed between the outer surface of the portion and the outer surface of the portion.

  According to this, since there is no need to directly press the terminal against the inner surface of the terminal receiving chamber, friction when inserting the terminal into the terminal receiving chamber can be reduced. In addition, by providing a cushioning material between the inner surface of the terminal accommodating chamber and the transition portion, for example, when inserting the cushioning material together with the terminal, the cushioning material can be located in the terminal insertion path, Can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the insertion load of the terminal. Further, since the terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber is supported by the terminal accommodating chamber in a state of being pressed by the buffer material, it is possible to prevent the terminal from rattling and to prevent the terminal from vibrating.

  In this case, it is preferable that the cushioning material is formed in an annular shape covering the transition portion, and has an inner peripheral surface whose opening cross section gradually increases from one end to the other end. According to this, when the cushioning material is mounted from the distal end side of the terminal and inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber, the cushioning material is locked to the terminal, and the cushioning material can be prevented from detaching from the terminal. Further, since the buffer material extends along the terminal due to friction between the buffer material and the terminal accommodating chamber, the buffer material is extended along the gap between the terminal and the terminal accommodating chamber, and the holding force of the terminal can be increased.

  Further, it is preferable that the cushioning material is formed to have an inner surface corresponding to the outer surface of the transition portion. According to this, the adhesion between the transition portion of the terminal and the cushioning material can be enhanced, and the gap between the transition portion and the terminal accommodating chamber can be reliably filled with the cushioning material, so that the terminal holding force can be further increased. .

  Preferably, a part of the terminal in the axial direction is in contact with the inner surface of the terminal accommodating chamber. According to this, since the terminal can be supported by the inner surface of the terminal accommodating chamber, the holding force of the terminal can be further increased. In addition, since the region where the terminal abuts on the terminal accommodating chamber is a part in the axial direction, an increase in the insertion load of the terminal can be reduced.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while preventing the backlash of a terminal, the connector with a small insertion load of a terminal can be provided.

1 is a partial sectional view of a connector to which the present invention is applied. It is an external appearance perspective view of the terminal before attaching a cushioning material. It is an external appearance perspective view of the terminal with which the buffer was mounted. (A) is a sectional view taken along the line AA of the cushioning material, and (b) is a sectional view taken along the line BB.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector 1 of the present embodiment is attached to the inside of a wall 5 of an electric device 3 mounted on a vehicle, and is for connecting an electric wire or the like to the electric device 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the electrical device 3 has a rectangular connector mounting hole 7 formed in a wall 5 facing a terminal block (not shown) provided in the electrical device 3. The connector 1 is connected to a terminal block of the electric device 3 and is arranged so as to face the outside from the connector mounting hole 7. Although the connector 1 is described as a male connector in the present embodiment, it may be a female connector. Hereinafter, the axial direction of the connector 1 is indicated by an arrow X as the front-rear direction, and the side connected to the mating connector is the front. An arrow Y indicates a width direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the connector 1.

  In the connector 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, male terminals 13a to 13c are accommodated in terminal accommodating chambers 11a to 11c formed in a synthetic resin connector housing 9, respectively. Each of the terminal accommodating chambers 11a to 11c is partitioned by a partition wall 15 and arranged side by side in the width direction. In FIG. 1, only the front of the connector housing 9 is shown, but openings of the terminal accommodating chambers 11a to 11c for inserting the male terminals 13a to 13c are formed behind the connector housing 9 not shown. Is done.

As shown in FIG. 2, the male terminals 13 a to 13 c of the present embodiment are formed by pressing a conductive metal plate, and are connected to a mating terminal (female terminal). The conductor connecting portion 21 is formed to be thicker than the portion and has a conductor (braid 19) connected thereto by crimping, and a transition portion 23 connected between the terminal body 17 and the conductor connecting portion 21 and having a variable thickness. Although FIGS. 2 and 3 show the male terminal 13a, the same applies to the other male terminals 13b and 13c.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal body 17 is formed by arranging both end surfaces of a metal plate rounded in a cylindrical shape in a slit shape in the axial direction. The front end of the terminal body 17 has a conical taper. A substantially conical pillar-shaped insulating protrusion 25 is attached to the front end of the terminal body 17 (FIG. 1). The conductor connecting portion 21 is formed so as to wrap one end side of the braid 19 by crimping a pair of crimping pieces 27 extending in the left and right width directions in an arc shape. In the present embodiment, the braid 19 is bundled into two, but the form of the braid 19 is not limited to this. Also, an electric wire can be used instead of the braid 19.

  The transition portion 23 is formed in a flat cylindrical shape whose width dimension gradually increases rearward. Both side surfaces in the width direction of the transition portion 23 have tapered inclined surfaces diverging rearward. The dimension of the transition portion 23 in the thickness direction orthogonal to the width direction is substantially uniform in the axial direction. Note that both side surfaces in the width direction of the transition portion 23 may be formed in a curved shape as long as they are widened rearward.

  External connection terminals 29 are connected to the male terminals 13a to 13c via the braid 19, respectively. The external connection terminal 29 is formed by pressing a conductive metal plate having a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction, and a pair of crimping pieces 31 extending in the left and right width directions is formed at the front end. The other end of the braid 19 is crimped by crimping 31 in an arc shape. At the rear end of the external connection terminal 29, a mounting hole 33 into which a screw member (for example, a bolt) for fixing to a terminal block in the electric device 3 is inserted is formed.

  In the connector housing 9, as shown in FIG. 1, a through hole 37 is formed in the front wall 35 of each of the terminal accommodating chambers 11a to 11c, through which the terminal body 17 of each of the male terminals 13a to 13c is inserted.

  In each of the terminal accommodating chambers 11a to 11c, a space section 39 having a rectangular cross section extending rearward from the front wall 35 is formed. The inner dimension between the pair of side surfaces 41 facing each other in the width direction of each space portion 39 is set to a size such that both side surfaces of the conductor connection portion 21 of each of the male terminals 13a to 13c can abut. Each of the terminal accommodating chambers 11a to 11c is formed stepwise toward the rear from the space 39, and has a larger sectional area toward a rear opening (not shown). The left and right terminal accommodating chambers 11a and 11c have a larger cross-sectional area behind the space 39 than the central terminal accommodating chamber 11b.

  The male terminals 13a to 13c inserted from the rear into the terminal accommodating chambers 11a to 11c respectively have the terminal body portions 17 inserted into the through holes 37 and are exposed to the outside of the connector 1 from the through holes 37. As shown in FIG. 1, the male terminals 13 a to 13 c inserted to the set positions of the terminal accommodating chambers 11 a to 11 c have the front end of the transition portion 23 abutting the peripheral edge (the front wall 35) of the through hole 39. At this time, the front ends of both side surfaces in the width direction of the conductor connection portion 21 are in contact with the pair of side surfaces 41. As a result, the movement of the male terminals 13 a to 13 c in the insertion direction is restricted, and the terminal main body 17 protruding from the through hole 39 is located inside the connector mounting hole 7 of the electric device 3.

  The male terminals 13a and 13c accommodated in the terminal accommodating chambers 11a and 11c are routed so that the braid 19 is bent outward in the width direction, and the male terminals 13b accommodated in the central terminal accommodating chamber 11b are braided. Are arranged to extend in the axial direction.

  By the way, in such a configuration of the connector 1, in order to hold each of the male terminals 13 a to 13 c in the terminal accommodating chambers 11 a to 11 c without looseness, for example, it is necessary to form It is conceivable to set the clearance small. However, in such a case, the friction when inserting the terminal main body 17 into the through hole 37 increases, and the insertion load of each of the male terminals 13a to 13c increases.

  On the other hand, the male terminals 13a to 13c are supported by the terminal accommodating chambers 11a to 11c by the leading ends of the conductor connecting portions 21 in the width direction abutting on the pair of side surfaces 41 of the space portion 41. Since only a part of the male terminals 13a to 13c in the axial direction is supported by the pair of side surfaces 41, it is insufficient to prevent the male terminals 13a to 13c from rattling. In this regard, in order to reliably prevent backlash of the male terminals 13a to 13c, it is conceivable to extend the contact region between the conductor connection portion 21 and the pair of side surfaces 41 in the axial direction. When the distance becomes the lower limit value of the tolerance, the insertion load of the male terminals 13a to 13c becomes very large.

  Hereinafter, features of the present invention that solve such a problem will be described.

  In the present embodiment, in each of the terminal accommodating chambers 11a to 11c, as shown in FIG. 1, a gap formed between the inner surface of the space 39 and the transition portion 23 of the male terminals 13a to 13c, that is, the space 39 An annular cushioning material 43 having elasticity is provided in an annular region surrounded by the inner surface, the transition portion 23, and the front wall 35. The cushioning material 43 is pressed by the inner surface of the space portion 39 and the transition portion 23 of the male terminals 13a to 13c, respectively, and is preferably compressed further by being pressed by the front wall 35. The cushioning member 43 is formed of synthetic rubber, but may be formed of an elastomer or the like as long as it has elasticity.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cushioning material 43 of the present embodiment is formed with a through-hole 45 in a hexahedral (cuboid) block. In a natural state, the cushioning member 43 has an outer dimension substantially the same as the inner dimension (YZ direction) of the space 39 of the terminal accommodating chamber 11a. As shown in FIG. 3, the cushioning material 43 into which the male terminal 13a is inserted is mounted and held so as to cover the transition portion 23.

  The through hole 47 of the cushioning member 43 is formed to have an inner peripheral surface whose opening cross section gradually increases from one end to the other end, and the inner peripheral surface (corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the transition portion 23 of the male terminal 13a). (An inner peripheral surface having a substantially similar shape). That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, the inner peripheral surface of the cushioning member 43 is formed such that a cross section taken along the line AA taken along a thickness direction orthogonal to the width direction is substantially parallel to the axial direction, As shown in FIG. 4B, the cross section taken along the line BB having the cut surface in the width direction has a tapered inclined surface 47 whose opening cross section gradually increases from the front to the rear in the axial direction. Formed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the buffer member 43 has the front end face 49 located on the opposite side to the male terminal 13 a, and the terminal main body 17 of the male terminal 13 a is inserted from the through hole 45 on the rear end face 51 side. The cushioning material 43 into which the terminal body 17 is inserted is locked to the male terminals 13a to 13c in such a manner that the inclined surfaces 47 abut on both side surfaces in the width direction of the transition portion 23, respectively. As a result, the rotation of the cushioning member 43 is restricted with respect to the male terminal 13a. Note that an insulating protrusion 25 is mounted on the terminal main body 17 of the male terminal 13a.

  Next, an operation of attaching the male terminal 13a to the connector 1 will be described. The male terminal 13a to which the cushioning member 43 is attached is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 11a of the connector housing 9. In the male terminal 13a inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 11a, the insulating protrusion 25 and the terminal main body 17 are inserted into the through hole 37 of the front wall 35. Then, the front end of the transition portion 23 abuts on the periphery (front wall 35) of the through hole 37, and the front ends of both end surfaces in the width direction of the conductor connection portion 21 abut on the pair of side surfaces 41. As a result, the movement of the male terminal 13a in the insertion direction is restricted, and the male terminal 13a is located at the regular position of the terminal accommodating chamber 11a. The male terminal 13a is locked by a lance (not shown) of the connector housing 9 extending to the terminal accommodating chamber 11a, and is prevented from falling backward.

  On the other hand, in the process of being inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 11a together with the male terminal 13a, the cushioning material 43 of the present embodiment causes relative friction with the inner peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating chamber 11a to move relatively in the direction opposite to the insertion direction. I do. However, in the cushioning material 43 of the present embodiment, since the opening cross section of the through hole 45 is formed to be larger toward the rear, the transition portion 23 and the terminal accommodating chamber 11a remain locked to the transition portion 23 of the male terminal 13a. Is elastically deformed along the transition portion 23 so as to fill the gap between the male terminal 13a and the terminal accommodating chamber 11a. As a result, the male terminal 13a is supported by the terminal accommodating chamber 11a as if pressed by the cushioning member 43, so that there is no play and vibration can be suppressed. Therefore, abrasion of plating of the male terminal 13a and abrasion of the contact between the male terminal 13a and the mating terminal can be suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, immediately before the insertion of the male terminal 13a stops, the conductor connection portion 21 of the male terminal 13a comes into contact with the pair of side surfaces 41. Friction can be minimized. Further, by mounting the cushioning material 43 on the transition portion 23 of the male terminal 13a, the cushioning material 43 can be located in the insertion path of the male terminal 13a, and the insertion resistance of the cushioning material 43 can be reduced. . Therefore, the insertion resistance of the male terminal 13a to which the cushioning member 43 is mounted can be reduced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the male terminal 13a is inserted into the regular position of the terminal accommodating chamber 11a, the cushioning material 43 comes into contact with the front wall 35. That is, the cushioning material 43 is compressed not only in the width direction but also from the front. Thereby, the holding force of the male terminal 13a by the cushioning member 43 can be increased, and it is possible to reliably prevent the male terminal 13a from rattling.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the front end of the conductor connection portion 21 of the male terminal 13a is in contact with the pair of side surfaces 41 of the terminal accommodating chamber 11a, the male terminal 13a can be held in a wider range, As a result, it is possible to further increase the holding force of the male terminal 13a and more reliably prevent the male terminal 13a from rattling.

  As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present embodiment is merely an example of the present invention, and can be changed and modified within the scope described in the claims.

  For example, in the present embodiment, an example is described in which the buffer material 43 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chambers 11a to 11c in a state where the cushioning material 43 is mounted on the male terminals 13a to 13c. And the male terminals 13a to 13c can be inserted later. Further, if the cushioning material 43 is interposed in the gap between the transition portion 23 of the male terminals 13a to 13c and the inner peripheral surfaces of the terminal accommodating chambers 11a to 11c, the cushioning material 43 is held at a position away from the front wall 35. Is also good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 9 Connector housing 11a-11c Terminal accommodating chamber 13a-13c Male terminal 17 Terminal body part 19 Braid (conductor)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Conductor connection part 23 Transition part 35 Front wall 37 Through hole 39 Space part 41 Side surface 43 Buffer material 45 Through hole

Claims (3)

A terminal body portion, having a conductor connection portion formed thicker than the terminal body portion and connected to a conductor, and a transition portion that is continuous between the terminal body portion and the conductor connection portion and changes in thickness. Terminal
A front wall of a terminal accommodating chamber in which the terminal is accommodated, a housing having a through hole through which the terminal body is inserted,
The terminal accommodating chamber has a space extending rearward from a front wall, and the space is formed in a shape into which at least a part of the conductor connection part connected to the terminal body part inserted into the through hole can be inserted. And
Ri Na cushioning material having elasticity in a gap formed between the outer surface of the transition portion and the inner surface of the terminal accommodating chamber is interposed,
The transition portion includes a tapered outer peripheral surface whose thickness changes to widen from the terminal body toward the conductor connection portion,
The cushioning material is formed in an annular shape that covers an outer peripheral surface of the transition portion along an axis, and an opening cross section is gradually formed from the terminal body toward the conductor connection portion in correspondence with the outer peripheral surface of the transition portion. A connector formed including an inner peripheral surface that becomes larger . The terminal body is formed by rolling a metal plate into a cylindrical shape, and disposing both end surfaces of the metal plate in the axial direction.
The transition portion, the formed into a flat cylindrical shape in which the width dimension becomes gradually larger toward the conductor connecting portion, the dimensions in the thickness direction, claims are substantially uniformly formed in the axial direction 1 orthogonal to the width direction The connector described in 1. In the space, at least a section of a portion connected to the front wall is formed in a rectangular shape,
The inner dimension between the pair of opposed inner surfaces of the space portion is such that the outer surface of at least a portion of the conductor connection portion connected to the flat cylindrical transition portion whose width dimension is gradually increased can contact. Is set to
3. The connector according to claim 2 , wherein an outer surface of the conductor connecting portion connected to the transition portion is in contact with the pair of inner surfaces of the terminal accommodating chamber facing the space portion. 4.

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