JP7288586B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to connectors.

Patent Document 1 discloses a pair of first terminals accommodated in a first main connector, an elastic short-circuit member (hereinafter referred to as a short terminal) connected to both first terminals, and a short-circuit release provided in a second main connector. A connector assembly is disclosed that includes a plate.

Before the first main connector and the second main connector are mated, both first terminals are maintained in a short-circuited state via the short terminal. When the first main connector and the second main connector are properly fitted together, the short-circuit release plate is positioned between the first terminals and the shorting terminal to release the short-circuited state of the first terminals. Thereby, it is electrically detected that the first main connector and the second main connector are properly fitted. A connector having this type of fitting detection function is also disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-200022.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-349023 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-297827

By the way, there is also known a configuration in which one of a pair of housings that can be fitted together is provided with a lock arm, and the lock arm locks the other housing to hold both housings in a fitted state. Also known is a configuration in which the connector is held on the panel. If the shorting terminal and the short-circuit releasing plate of Patent Document 1 are applied to such a panel-mounted connector structure, when the lock arm is flexurally deformed in the process of fitting the housings together, one housing will move to the other housing. On the other hand, there is a possibility that the short circuit release plate will hit the short terminal from the wrong direction because it will be tilted from the proper posture. If the short-circuit release plate hits the short-circuit terminal in the wrong direction, the short-circuit state of the paired terminal fittings will not be released correctly, and the reliability of fitting detection will be lowered.

Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector that improves the reliability of fitting detection.

A connector of the present disclosure is a connector installed on a panel, comprising a first housing and a second housing that can be fitted to each other, a pair of terminal fittings housed in the first housing, and a terminal fitting housed in the first housing. and a shorting terminal for short-circuiting the pair of terminal fittings, wherein the second housing is positioned between the pair of terminal fittings and the shorting terminal when the first housing and the second housing are properly mated. The first housing has a lock arm that is flexibly deformable in a first direction and holds the second housing in the fitted state. The short terminal has a contact portion that faces and contacts the pair of terminal fittings in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a connector with improved reliability of fitting detection.

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the first housing and the second housing are properly fitted together in the connector of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the first housing. FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of a housing for a shorting terminal and two cavities adjacent to the housing. FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan cross-sectional view showing a state in which the shorting terminal is accommodated in the accommodating portion. FIG. 5 is a front view of the second housing. FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view showing a state in which the releasing portion has entered the housing portion for the shorting terminal.

[Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure]
First, the embodiments of the present disclosure are listed and described.
The connector of the present disclosure is
(1) A connector installed on a panel, comprising a first housing and a second housing that can be fitted to each other, a pair of terminal fittings housed in the first housing, a terminal fitting housed in the first housing, the a shorting terminal for short-circuiting the pair of terminal fittings, wherein the second housing is positioned between the pair of terminal fittings and the shorting terminal when the first housing and the second housing are properly mated; a releasing portion for releasing the short-circuited state of the pair of terminal fittings, the first housing having a lock arm capable of being flexibly deformed in a first direction and holding the second housing in the fitted state; The short terminal has a contact portion that faces and contacts the pair of terminal fittings in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.
In the case of a structure in which the connector is mounted on the panel, when the lock arm is flexurally deformed in the first direction during the process of fitting the first housing and the second housing together, the first housing also moves in the first direction (along the first direction). There is a concern that it will tilt in the plane direction of the virtual plane). However, since the contact portions of the shorting terminal face and contact the two terminal fittings in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction, even if the first housing is tilted in the first direction, the two terminal fittings and the shorting terminal are not in contact with each other. Even if the contact position of is displaced in the first direction, the release portion can be positioned between both terminal fittings and the short terminal when the first housing and the second housing are properly mated. As a result, it is possible to satisfactorily realize a state in which both terminal fittings are released from a short circuit by the releasing portion, and the reliability of fitting detection can be improved.

(2) The first housing has a long side in the first direction and a short side in the second direction, and the lock arm protrudes from one outer surface of the short side of the first housing. It is preferable that According to this, when the first housing is tilted in the first direction, the contact position between the terminal fittings and the shorting terminal is greatly displaced in the first direction. The advantage of being able to satisfactorily realize the state of being used is great.

(3) It is preferable that the lock arm is arranged at a position that overlaps with the accommodation portion for the short terminal in the second direction. According to this, the size of the first housing can be reduced in the second direction.

(4) The second housing has a looseness-removing protrusion, the first housing has a looseness-removing groove for receiving the looseness-removing protrusion, and the looseness-removing groove is provided with the second housing. It is preferable that it is arranged at a position overlapping with the accommodating portion of the shorting terminal in the direction. According to this, the first housing can be made smaller in the second direction, and a plurality of functions can be integrated in the first housing.

(5) In the process of fitting the first housing and the second housing, the releasing portion is positioned in the receiving portion for the shorting terminal in a state in which the lock arm is flexurally deformed in the first direction. It's good to be According to this, the lock arm is flexurally deformed in the first direction, and the release portion can enter the accommodating portion even from a state in which the first housing is tilted in the first direction.

(6) A grommet that can be brought into close contact with the panel may be provided, and the grommet may be attached to the outer periphery of the first housing. According to this, when the grommet is brought into close contact with the panel, the first housing receives the reaction force of the grommet and tends to tilt in the first direction. Therefore, by applying this configuration, there is a great merit that a state in which both terminal fittings are released from a short circuit can be satisfactorily realized regardless of the degree of inclination of the first housing in the first direction.

[Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure]
A specific example of the connector of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the scope of the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

<Example 1>
The connector of Example 1 is a connector installed on a panel 90 and includes a first housing 10 , a second housing 60 , a plurality of first terminal fittings 11 and one shorting terminal 12 . As shown in FIG. 1, the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 can be fitted together. Each first terminal fitting 11 and short terminal 12 are both made of a conductive metal and housed in the first housing 10 .

Both the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 are made of synthetic resin, and are long in the first direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 1) and short in the second direction (the thickness direction of the paper surface of FIG. 1). . In the following description, with respect to the front-rear direction, the surface side of the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 facing each other at the start of mating is referred to as the front side. Further, the first direction is the vertical direction in each figure except FIG. The second direction is a direction orthogonal to the first direction, which is the horizontal direction in FIGS. 2, 3, 5 and 6, and the vertical direction in FIG. The first direction and the second direction are also directions perpendicular to the fitting direction of the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 .

As shown in FIG. 5, the second housing 60 includes a block-shaped second housing body 61 that is elongated in the first direction, a cylindrical hood portion 62 that is one step higher than the second housing body 61 and protrudes forward, have. The second housing body 61 has a plurality of second cavities 63 . The second cavities 63 are aligned vertically and horizontally. The second housing body 61 has a second lance 64 on one of both side surfaces of each second cavity 63 facing each other in the second direction. The second lance 64 protrudes forward from one side surface and has a shape that can be bent and deformed in the second direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, second terminal fittings 65 are inserted into the second cavities 63 of the second housing body 61 from behind. The second terminal fitting 65 is engaged with the second lance 64 shown in FIG. 5 and is retained in the second cavity 63 . The second terminal fitting 65 has a tab 66 projecting forward. The tab 66 is arranged to protrude into the hood portion 62 . Also, the second terminal fitting 65 is connected to the end of the second electric wire 67 . The second electric wire 67 is led out rearward from the second cavity 63 .

The first housing 10 is fitted inside the receptacle 62 . The hood portion 62 has an attachment portion 68 above the fitting area of the first housing 10 . The attached portion 68 is box-shaped and opens forward. The hood portion 62 has a lock portion 69 between the fitting area of the first housing 10 and the attachment portion 68 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the lock portion 69 has a lock hole 71 that extends in the front-rear direction and opens to the rear surface of the hood portion 62 .

The hood portion 62 has panel lock portions 72 paired in the first direction on the upper wall and the lower wall of the attachment portion 68 . Both panel lock portions 72 are shaped to be flexibly deformable in the first direction. As shown in FIG. 1 , the front end of the hood portion 62 is inserted into the mounting hole 91 of the panel 90 . Both panel lock portions 72 are elastically locked to both upper and lower edges of the mounting hole 91 of the panel 90 . The second housing 60 is thereby held by the panel 90 .

As shown in FIG. 5, on the front surface of the second housing body 61 (which is also the inner surface of the hood portion 62), release portions 73 are arranged laterally (in the second direction) of the area where the second cavities 63 are arranged. is protruding. The release portion 73 is rib-shaped and T-shaped when viewed from the front, and has a portion extending in the first direction and a portion extending in the second direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the release portion 73 has a release surface 74 extending in the first direction at a portion extending in the first direction. Of the portions extending in the first direction, the releasing surfaces 74 are arranged in pairs on both upper and lower sides across a connecting portion with the portion extending in the second direction.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the hood portion 62 has a plurality of upper and lower (two in the illustrated case) looseness-removing projections 75 on one of the inner surfaces facing each other in the second direction. Each gap-removing protrusion 75 has a rib-like shape extending in the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first housing 10 includes a block-shaped first housing body 14 elongated in the first direction, a lock arm 15 protruding from the upper wall of the first housing body 14, and a first housing body. and a flange portion 16 projecting outward from the outer periphery of the main body 14 . As shown in FIG. 1, the first housing body 14 and the front portion of the lock arm 15 are fitted into the hood portion 62 .

The first housing body 14 has a plurality of first cavities 17 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the first cavities 17 are aligned vertically and horizontally so as to correspond to the second cavities 63 . The first housing body 14 has a first lance 18 on one of both side surfaces of each first cavity 17 facing each other in the second direction (horizontal direction, lateral direction). The first lance 18 protrudes forward from one side surface and has a shape that can be bent and deformed in the second direction.

The first terminal fittings 11 are inserted into the respective first cavities 17 from behind. As shown in FIG. 4 , the first terminal fitting 11 is locked by the first locking lance 18 and is retained in the first cavity 17 . The first terminal fitting 11 has a tubular connecting portion 19 at the front portion. As shown in FIG. 1 , the first terminal fitting 11 is connected to the end of the first electric wire 41 . The first electric wire 41 is led out rearward from the first cavity 17 . When the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 are properly fitted, the tab 66 of the first terminal fitting 11 is inserted into the connecting portion 19, and the first terminal fitting 11 and the second terminal fitting 65 are electrically connected.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first housing body 14 has a housing portion 21 on the side (second direction) of the cavity group 20 in which the first cavities 17 are arranged. The accommodating portion 21 is capable of accommodating the shorting terminal 12 therein, and has a T-shaped opening on the front surface of the first housing main body 14 when viewed from the front. As shown in FIG. 4, the rear end of the housing portion 21 communicates with the mounting portion 22, which will be described later. Further, as shown in FIG. 3 , the accommodation portion 21 communicates with two first cavities 17 (simply referred to as “cavities 17A”) adjacent to the accommodation portion 21 . Both cavities 17A are composed of the first cavity 17 on the uppermost stage and the first cavity 17 located below it. Both cavities 17A accommodate first terminal fittings 11 (simply referred to as “terminal fittings 11A”) for short-circuiting via shorting terminals 12 .

The short terminal 12 is formed by bending a metal plate. As shown in FIG. 3 , the shorting terminal 12 has a base portion 23 and a pair of contact portions 24 projecting from the base portion 23 . The base portion 23 is inserted into the housing portion 21 and retained. As shown in FIG. 4, both contact portions 24 have contact portions 25 at the lower ends of the U-shaped bent portions, which enter both cavities 17A and contact both terminal fittings 11A.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first housing body 14 has a plurality of upper and lower (two in the illustrated case) gap-removing grooves 26 on one side surface in the second direction. Each rattling groove 26 is open on one side surface of the first housing main body 14 , extends in the front-rear direction, and is open on the front surface of the first housing main body 14 .

Each loose groove 26 is arranged on the side of the cavity group 20 (second direction) and below the accommodating portion 21 (first direction). Each of the gap-removing grooves 26 and the housing portions 21 has overlapping portions (lap portions) in the second direction. When the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 are properly fitted, the looseness-removing protrusion 75 of the second housing 60 is inserted into the looseness-removing groove 26 in a positioned state.

The first housing main body 14 has a mounting portion 22 opened on the other side surface opposite to the one side surface in which the loose groove 26 is recessed. The mounting portion 22 communicates with each of the first cavities 17 (including both cavities 17A) and the accommodating portion 21 inside the first housing body 14 . A retainer 27 is inserted into the mounting portion 22 from the second direction (side). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, each first terminal fitting 11 (including both terminal fittings 11A) is secondarily locked by a retainer 27 and reliably retained in each first cavity 17. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lock arm 15 includes a base end portion 31 standing upward from the front end of the upper surface of the first housing body 14, an arm body 32 extending rearward from the upper end of the base end portion 31, and an arm body 32. and a lock release portion 34 provided at the rear end portion of the upper surface of the arm body 32 one step higher.

The front surface of the base end portion 31 has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and is continuous with the front surface of the first housing main body 14 without a step. As shown in FIG. 2, the base end portion 31 has a shape that is wide in the second direction (horizontal direction), and has a portion (lap portion) that overlaps with the accommodating portion 21 and the loose groove 26 in the second direction. ing. The lock arm 15 is flexurally deformable in a first direction (vertical direction). The arm body 32 is elastically displaceable in the first direction with the upper end of the base end portion 31 as a fulcrum. A pair of protective walls 35 are erected on both left and right sides of the upper surface of the first housing body 14 . The lock arm 15 is arranged in a state of being protected from the left-right direction (second direction) by both protection walls 35 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the lock projection 33 has a claw shape and fits into the lock hole 71 when the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 are properly fitted. As shown in FIG. 2, the unlocking portion 34 has a rectangular frame shape when viewed from the front, and includes leg portions projecting upward from the left and right ends of the arm body 32 and beam portions extending between the upper ends of the leg portions. ,have. When the upper surface of the beam portion of the unlocking portion 34 is pressed, the lock arm 15 is bent downward, the lock protrusion 33 is pulled out of the lock hole 71, and the locked state of the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 is released. be done.

As shown in FIG. 2, the flange portion 16 has a brim-like shape extending over the entire circumference of the first housing body 14, and its front surface is integrally connected to both protective walls 35 to support the rear end portion of the lock arm 15. It has a hole 36 through which it is inserted. A front end portion of the unlocking portion 34 is disposed within a hole 36 of the flange portion 16 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the flange portion 16 is covered with a grommet 37 from the outside. The grommet 37 is made of rubber and has a boot shape, and is capable of covering the ends of the first electric wires 41 drawn out from the rear surface of the first housing 10 . The grommet 37 is provided with a seal portion 38 in close contact with the plate surface of the panel 90 at the opening edge portion at the front end thereof.

Next, the action of the connector of the first embodiment will be described.
During assembly, the short terminal 12 is inserted from the mounting portion 22 side into the accommodating portion 21 of the first housing 10 and held.

Each first terminal fitting 11 is inserted into each first cavity 17 of the first housing 10 from behind. The first terminal fitting 11 is temporarily locked by the first locking lance 18 . Furthermore, the first terminal fitting 11 is secondarily locked by inserting the retainer 27 into the mounting portion 22 to a proper depth.

As shown in FIG. 3, the contact portions 25 of the contact portions 24 of the shorting terminal 12 enter the cavities 17A from the second direction and contact one side surface of the connection portion 19 of the terminal fittings 11A. That is, both contact portions 24 and both terminal fittings 11A come into contact with each other in the second direction. Both terminal fittings 11A are maintained in a short-circuited state via the shorting terminal 12 . A grommet 37 is attached to the flange portion 16 of the first housing 10 .
On the other hand, the second housing 60 is held by the panel 90 by the locking action of both panel lock portions 72 . In that state, the first housing 10 is inserted into the hood portion 62 of the second housing 60 .

Here, the first housing 10 is tilted in the first direction (more specifically, a virtual plane along the first direction) from a vertically facing posture with respect to the second housing 60 held by the panel 90 . ) can be inserted into the hood portion 62 .

Further, the locking projection 33 interferes with the front end of the locking portion 69, so that the locking arm 15 is flexurally deformed in the first direction. Therefore, the first housing 10 receives the elastic reaction force of the lock arm 15 and is likely to be tilted in the first direction. Moreover, when the sealing portion of the grommet 37 reaches the position where it comes into close contact with the panel 90, the elastic reaction force of the grommet 37 is also applied, so that the first housing 10 is likely to be further inclined in the first direction.

If the first housing 10 tilts in the first direction from the facing posture, both the contact portions 24 of the shorting terminals 12 and both terminal fittings 11A will also tilt in the first direction.
In this state, as the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 are fitted together, the release portion 73 reaches a position where it enters the accommodating portion 21 . At this time, even if the accommodating portion 21 is displaced in the first direction due to the inclination of the first housing 10, there is a gap in the first direction between the upper and lower inner surfaces of the accommodating portion 21 and the release portion 73 (FIG. 6). ) is secured, the release portion 73 can enter the accommodation portion 21 .

Further, even if the contact portions between the contact portions 24 of the shorting terminal 12 and the terminal fittings 11A are displaced in the first direction, the relative positions of the contact portions 24 and the terminal fittings 11A remain within a certain range in the second direction. maintained at Therefore, when the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 are properly mated, the release portion 73 can enter between the contact portions 24 and the terminal fittings 11A without any trouble. In the case of the first embodiment, the release portion 73 is positioned between the contact portions 24 and the terminal fittings 11A, so that the release surfaces 74 of the release portion 73 are in contact with the contact portions 24 and the contact portions 24 are closed. is flexurally deformed in the second direction. As a result, both contact portions 24 are separated from both terminal fittings 11A, and the short circuit state of both terminal fittings 11A is released. Thereby, it can be electrically detected that the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 are properly fitted.

When the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 are properly fitted together, the lock protrusion 33 is fitted into the lock hole 71 and the bent state of the lock arm 15 is released. In addition, each looseness-removing protrusion 75 is inserted into each looseness-removing groove 26 in a fitted state, so that looseness between the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 is suppressed. Then, the sealing portion of the grommet 37 is in close contact with the panel 90 to prevent water from entering the fitting area of the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 .

As described above, in the case of the first embodiment, the shorting terminal 12 has the pair of contact portions 24 that face and contact the pair of terminal fittings 11A in the second direction orthogonal to the first direction. . Therefore, when the lock arm 15 is flexurally deformed in the first direction during the fitting process of the first housing 10 and the second housing 60, even if the first housing 10 is tilted in the first direction, the first When the housing 10 and the second housing 60 are properly mated, the release portion 73 can enter between the two terminal fittings 11A and the short terminal 12 . As a result, it is possible to satisfactorily achieve a state in which both terminal fittings 11A are released from the short circuit by the releasing portion 73, and the reliability of fitting detection can be improved.

In particular, in the case of the first embodiment, the connector is of the panel installation type, the first housing 10 has a long side in the first direction and a short side in the second direction, and the lock arm 15 is arranged in the first housing. A grommet 37 protruding from one outer surface (upper surface) of the first housing 10 and attached to the first housing 10 is in close contact with the panel 90 . For this reason, the first housing 10 is easily tilted in the first direction, and the advantage of applying the above configuration is great.

In addition, since the lock arm 15 is arranged at a position overlapping the receiving portion 21 of the short terminal 12 in the second direction, the size of the first housing 10 can be reduced in the second direction.
Furthermore, since the gap-removing groove 26 is arranged at a position overlapping the receiving portion 21 of the short terminal 12 in the second direction, the first housing 10 can be made more compact in the second direction, and the first housing 10 can aggregate multiple functions.

Further, when the lock arm 15 interferes with the lock portion 69 of the second housing 60 and is flexurally deformed during the fitting process of the first housing 10 and the second housing 60 , the release portion 73 does not close to the accommodation portion 21 of the short terminal 12 . Since it is set to enter, the release portion 73 can enter the accommodating portion 21 even when the first housing 10 is tilted in the first direction.

[Other embodiments of the present disclosure]
It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive.
In the case of the first embodiment, the contact portions are provided in pairs so as to be in contact with each of the two terminal fittings. may be provided only one.
In the case of the first embodiment, the second housing is attached to the panel and fitted to the first housing. A configuration in which the second housing is attached to the panel in a folded state may also be used.
In the case of the first embodiment, the housing that accommodates the short terminal and both terminal fittings is a female housing, but in another embodiment, the housing that accommodates the short terminal and both terminal fittings is a male housing. Also good.
In the case of the first embodiment, the pair of terminal fittings to be short-circuited has the same shape as the other first terminal fitting. It may have a different shape.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... 1st housing 11... 1st terminal metal fitting 11A... Terminal metal fitting 12... Short terminal 14... 1st housing main body 15... Lock arm 16... Flange part 17... 1st cavity 17A... Cavity 18... First lance 19... Connection part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20... Cavity group 21... Accommodating part 22... Mounting part 23... Base part 24... Contact part 25... Contact part 26... Gauge elimination groove 27... Retainer 31... Base end part 32... Arm main body 33... Lock projection 34... Unlock part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 35... Protective wall 36... Hole 37... Grommet 38... Seal part 41... First wire 60... Second housing 61... Second housing main body 62... Hood part 63... Second cavity 64... Second lance 65... Second terminal fitting 66...Tab 67...Second wire 68...Attachment part 69...Lock part 71...Lock hole 72...Panel lock part 73...Release part 74...Release surface 75...Jack filling protrusion 90...Panel 91...Mounting hole

Claims (6)

A connector installed in a panel,
a first housing and a second housing that can be fitted together;
a pair of terminal fittings housed in the first housing;
a short terminal accommodated in the first housing and short-circuiting the pair of terminal fittings;
with
The second housing has a release portion positioned between the pair of terminal fittings and the shorting terminal when the first housing and the second housing are properly mated to release the short-circuited state of the pair of terminal fittings. have
the first housing has a lock arm that is flexibly deformable in a first direction and holds the second housing in a fitted state;
A connector in which the short terminal has a contact portion that faces and contacts the pair of terminal fittings in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The first housing has a long side in the first direction and a short side in the second direction, and the lock arm protrudes from one outer surface of the short side of the first housing. A connector according to claim 1. 3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein said lock arm is arranged at a position overlapping said shorting terminal receiving portion in said second direction. The second housing has a ratcheting projection, the first housing has a rattling groove for receiving the rattling projection, and the rattling groove extends in the second direction. 4. The connector according to claim 2 or 3, which is arranged at a position overlapping with the accommodating portion for the short terminal. The releasing portion is set to be positioned in the receiving portion for the short terminal in a state in which the lock arm is bent and deformed in the first direction during the fitting process of the first housing and the second housing. A connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Equipped with a grommet that can be in close contact with the panel,
The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the grommet is attached to the outer periphery of the first housing.

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