JP7367300B2 - connector assembly - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The technology disclosed herein relates to connector assemblies.

As an example of a conventional connector assembly, a lever type connector described in Patent Document 1 below is known. This lever type connector includes a male housing and a female housing that are fitted into each other, and a rectangular cylindrical casing is fitted around the outer periphery of the female housing.

The casing has a rectangular cylindrical shape, and a pair of locking arms protrudes from the left and right inner surfaces of the casing in a cantilevered manner.

The male housing includes a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped main body, a small hood that protrudes from the front side of the main body, and a mounting plate that is provided on the outer periphery of the base of the small hood and that can be attached to a panel, etc. A pair of left and right locking hooks are protruded from the plate so as to face the lock arms of the casing.

When the male housing and female housing are completely mated, the locking claw at the end of the locking arm of the casing passes over the locking hook of the male housing, and the locking claw engages with the rear surface of the locking hook, preventing the male housing from coming out. A stop has been made.

Patent No. 3538750

When the male housing and the female housing are half-fitted, the lock claw of the lock arm of the casing cannot get over the locking hook of the male housing, and the lock arm is in a bent state. However, for example, when fitting the male housing to the female housing with the mounting plate of the male housing attached to the panel, the operator cannot visually check the state of the lock arm inside the casing. Therefore, it is difficult to judge whether or not they are half-fitted.

A connector assembly disclosed in this specification includes a standby connector fixed to a vehicle body side and a mating connector fitted to the standby connector, wherein the standby connector is connected to the a hood portion opening in a rectangular shape forward in a mating direction of the standby connector; a pair of first lock portions protruding from one inner wall of the hood portion and a second inner wall opposite to the first inner wall; The fitting connector has a rectangular box shape and is housed in the hood portion of the waiting connector in a mating completion state where the fitting connector and the standby connector are completely mated. a main body portion; and a main body portion provided on both side surfaces of the main body portion that intersect with the fitting direction of the fitting connector, protrudes in a cantilever shape rearward in the fitting direction of the fitting connector, and extends toward the side surface of the main body portion. A pair of flexible arm portions, each of which protrudes from the pair of arm portions, abuts the first lock portion in the mating completion state, and is arranged in the mating direction of the mating connector of the main body portion. a pair of lock arms each having a pair of second lock portions for preventing rearward displacement; A gap is provided between them, allowing the arm portion to be visually recognized from the rear in the fitting direction of the fitting connector.

When the mating is complete, the pair of arms can be seen from the rear of the mating connector in the mating direction through the pair of gaps, so if the arms are bent, the mating connector and standby connector are mated. It can be known that the connector is in the middle (that is, the half-fitted state), and if the arm portion is not bent, it can be known that the mating connector and the standby connector are in the fully mated state.

Further, a front surface of the mating connector in the mating direction is a mating surface to be mated with the standby connector, and a surface of the main body opposite to the mating surface is a mating surface that is mated to the mating connector. The configuration may be such that it is a hand-pushing part that can be manually pushed forward in the fitting direction of the fitting connector.

By pushing the pusher forward in the mating direction, the mating connector can be moved from the pre-mating state to the mating completed state, making it easy to mate the mating connector and the standby connector. can.

Further, a protrusion is provided on a side surface of the main body portion that is different from the side surface on which the pair of arm portions are provided, and a protrusion is provided on a side surface of the main body portion that is different from the side surface on which the pair of arm portions are provided. A notch portion is provided in a peripheral wall opposite to a side surface different from the side surface on which the pair of arm portions are provided, the cutout portion being cut out from the opening edge of the hood portion toward the rear in the mating direction of the standby connector. In the fitted state, the protrusion may be accommodated within the notch.

In the fully mated state, the protrusion on the main body of the mating connector fits within the notch in the hood of the standby connector, so when pressing the pusher, your fingers will not hit the opening edge of the hood. It is possible to shift to the fitted state, and it is possible to make the fitting operation easier.

Further, the first inner wall and the second inner wall of the hood portion may each be provided with accommodation grooves for accommodating the pair of lock arms from the front in the fitting direction of the fitting connector.

If you accidentally try to perform the mating operation in the opposite direction, you can prevent incorrect mating by appropriately setting the position of the storage groove so that the arm part of the lock arm touches the opening edge of the hood part. .

According to the connector assembly disclosed in this specification, the arm portion of the mating connector can be visually recognized from the gap between the inner wall of the hood portion of the standby connector and the side surface of the mating connector, and the mating connector and the standby connector can be connected to each other. You can check the state of fit with the connector.

A plan view of the connector assembly viewed from a direction perpendicular to the mating direction. Partially cutaway perspective view of the connector assembly with a portion of the lock arm of the hood section cut away before mating A partially cutaway perspective view of the connector assembly with a portion of the lock arm of the hood section partially cut away in the mating state. FIG. 3 is a rear view of the connector assembly in the mating state when viewed from the rear in the mating direction, with a portion of the hood portion near the lock arm cut away; Partially cutaway plan view of the lock arm area of the connector assembly in the mating state Partially cutaway perspective view of the connector assembly in the fully mated state with a portion of the lock arm of the hood section cut away Partially cutaway rear view of the connector assembly in the fully mated state Partially cutaway plan view of the lock arm area of the connector assembly in the fully mated state

<Embodiment>
The connector assembly 10 of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. As shown in FIG. 1, the connector assembly 10 includes a lever-type standby connector 12 fixed to a vehicle body (not shown), and a mating connector 14 fitted to the standby connector 12. . In the following description, the direction in which the mating connector 14 and the standby connector 12 are mated (vertical direction in the paper plane in FIG. 1) is referred to as the front-rear direction, and the mating surfaces of the connectors 14 and 12 are referred to as the front side (front). Further, the left-right direction of the paper in FIG. 1 is the width direction of the connector assembly 10, and the direction perpendicular to the paper in FIG. 4 is the thickness direction of the connector assembly 10.

The mating connector 14 is a connector in which a relay module is housed, and as shown in FIG. , and a pair of lock arms 22 provided on both sides 20 of the main body portion 18 in the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lock arm 22 includes a plate-shaped arm portion 24 that cantilevers rearward in the fitting direction of the main body portion 18 from a side surface 20 in the width direction of the main body portion 18; A second lock portion 28 protrudes outward from the plate surface in the width direction of the main body portion 18 and abuts a first lock portion 26, which will be described later, to hold both connectors 12 and 14 in a fitted state.

The second lock portion 28 is provided with a tapered surface 30 that slopes toward the plate surface of the arm portion 24 from the end in the protruding direction of the second lock portion 28 toward the front in the fitting direction of the main body portion 18. There is. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the pair of lock arms 22 are located on one side surface in the thickness direction of the main body 18 (where the pair of arm parts 24 are provided) when viewed from the rear in the fitting direction of the main body 18. It is located on the side (one side surface) 32 that intersects the side surface 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the front surface of the main body 18 in the mating direction is a mating surface 34 that mates with the standby connector 12, and the rear surface of the main body 18 in the mating direction is a mating surface 34 that mates with the standby connector 12. The surface (that is, the surface opposite to the fitting surface 34) is a push portion 36 that can manually push the main body portion 18 forward in the fitting direction. In this way, the mating connector 14 can be fitted to the standby connector 12 by housing the main body part 18 of the mating connector 14 in the hood part 16 and manually pushing the push part 36 of the main body part 18. Therefore, it is possible to easily perform the fitting operation between the fitting connector 14 and the standby connector 12.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a side surface 32 in the thickness direction of the main body section 18 (a different side surface from the side surface 20 on which the pair of arm sections 24 are provided) has a long side surface 32 extending in the width direction of the main body section 18. A protrusion 38 is provided in a protruding manner.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the standby connector 12 includes a hood portion 16 that opens in a rectangular shape toward the front in the fitting direction. A pair of accommodation grooves 44 are opened and provided in one inner wall 40A in the width direction in the hood part 16 and a second inner wall 40B opposite to the first inner wall 40A. , a pair of lock arms 22 of the mating connector 14 are accommodated. The pair of housing grooves 44 are located on the opening edge side of the hood portion 16 and are provided at positions corresponding to the pair of lock arms 22 . As a result, when the mating connector 14 is attempted to be housed in the hood portion 16 of the standby connector 12 in the opposite direction, the arm portion 24 of the lock arm 22 hits the opening edge of the hood portion 16, so that the mating connector 14 may be incorrectly fitted. can be prevented from being combined.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, a first locking portion 26 is provided in a protruding manner on the bottom surface of the housing groove 44, and a hood portion 16 is provided on the first locking portion 26 from the end in the protruding direction. A tapered surface 50 is provided that slopes toward the opening edge.

As shown in FIG. 1, the circumferential wall 48 in the thickness direction of the hood portion 16 is provided with a cutout portion 52 which is cut out from the open end of the hood portion 16 toward the rear in the mating direction of the standby connector 12. In the mating completion state in which the mating connector 14 and the standby connector 12 are completely mated, the protrusion 38 of the mating connector 14 is fitted into the notch 52 of the hood part 16. It has become. As a result, when the mating connector 14 and the standby connector 12 are mated together, when pressing the hand push part 36 while placing the palm on the hand push part 36 and fingers on the protrusion 38, the finger is placed in the opening of the hood part 16. It is possible to shift to the fitted state without hitting the edge, making it easier to perform the fitting operation.

The procedure for fitting the fitting connector 14 to the standby connector 12 will be described below. First, the main body portion 18 of the mating connector 14 is inserted into the hood portion 16 of the standby connector 12. This brings the connector assembly 10 into the pre-fitting state shown in FIG. 2.

Next, in the pre-mating state, when the hand push part 36 of the main body part 18 of the mating connector 14 is pushed forward, as shown in FIG. 1. The lock portion 26 contacts the tapered surface 50 from the front, and the arm portion 24 of the lock arm 22 is elastically bent toward the side surface 20 of the main body portion 18 in the width direction. As a result, the connector assembly 10 enters the partially-fitted state (that is, the half-fitted state) shown in FIG.

When the push part 36 of the main body part 18 of the mating connector 14 is pushed further forward in the mating state, the second lock part 28 of the mating connector 14 climbs over the first lock part 26 and locks the arm part 24. Deflection is restored. As a result, the second lock portion 28 is brought into a state where it can come into contact with the first lock portion 26 toward the rear in the mating direction of the mating connector 14, and the connector assembly 10 is brought into the mating completed state shown in FIG. becomes. As a result, when the main body portion 18 attempts to displace rearward in the mating direction of the mating connector 14, the second lock portion 28 abuts the first lock portion 26 rearward in the mating direction, and the mating connector 14 is fitted. The connectors 12 and 14 are prevented from being displaced rearward in the mating direction, and both connectors 12 and 14 are maintained in a fully mated state.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, when the inside of the hood portion 16 of the standby connector 12 is viewed from behind in the mating direction of the mating connector 14, the side surface 20 in the width direction of the main body portion 18 and the bottom surface of the accommodation groove 44 are visible. A gap G is provided therebetween, through which the arm portion 24 can be visually recognized, and a pair of gaps G are provided on both sides of the main body portion 18 in the width direction. As a result, in the mid-fitting state shown in FIG. 4, the arm portion 24 is elastically displaced toward the side surface 20 in the width direction of the main body portion 18, so that it can be known that the mating state is midway through. In the fitted state shown in FIG. 7, the arm portion 24 has returned to its original position before being elastically displaced, so it can be seen that the fitted state is complete.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the pair of arm portions 24 are visible from the rear of the mating connector 14 in the mating direction through the pair of gaps G in the mating completion state, so that the arm portions 24 are not bent. If the arm portion 24 is not bent, it can be known that the mating connector 14 and the standby connector 12 are in the middle of mating state (that is, the half-fit state). If the arm portion 24 is not bent, the mating connector 14 It can be known that the mating state between the standby connector 12 and the standby connector 12 has been completed.

Furthermore, by pushing the hand pusher 36 forward in the mating direction, the mating connector 14 can be moved from the pre-mating state to the mating completed state, so that the mating connector 14 and the standby connector 12 can be easily mated together. Able to work together.

In addition, in the mating completed state, the protrusion 38 of the main body 18 of the mating connector 14 is accommodated within the notch 52 of the hood 16 of the standby connector 12, so that your finger touches the opening edge of the hood 16. It is possible to shift to the fitted completed state without any trouble, thereby making it easier to perform the fitting operation.

In addition, if an attempt is made to perform the fitting operation in the wrong direction, the accommodation groove 44 is appropriately set so that the arm portion 24 of the lock arm 22 hits the opening edge of the hood portion 16, thereby preventing incorrect fitting. It can be prevented.

<Other embodiments>
The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, but also includes various aspects such as the following.
(1) In the above embodiment, the fitting connector 14 is a connector in which a relay module is housed, but it may be applied to a general connector used for other purposes.
(2) In the above embodiment, the pair of lock arms 22 are provided on both sides 20 of the main body 18 in the width direction, but they may be provided on both sides 20 of the main body in the thickness direction.
(3) In the above embodiment, the pair of arm portions 24 are positioned on one side surface 32 side in the thickness direction of the main body portion 18 when viewed from the rear in the fitting direction of the main body portion 18, but for example, Among the pair of arm sections, one arm section is located on one side surface side in the thickness direction, and the other arm section is located approximately at the center of the main body section in the thickness direction. The position of the housing groove may be appropriately set so that the opening edge of the hood portion contacts the opening edge of the hood portion, thereby preventing incorrect fitting.

10: Connector assembly 12: Standby connector 14: Mating connector 16: Hood section 18: Main body section 20: Side surface 22: Lock arm 24: Arm section 26: First lock section 28: Second lock section 32: Side surface (one side)
36: Hand push portion 38: Projection 40A: First inner wall 40B: Second inner wall 44: Accommodating groove 48: Peripheral wall 52: Notch G: Gap

Claims (3)

A connector assembly comprising a standby connector fixed to a vehicle body and a mating connector fitted to the standby connector,
The standby connector is
a hood portion opening in a rectangular shape toward the front in the mating direction of the standby connector;
comprising: one inner wall of the hood portion; and a pair of first lock portions protruding from a second inner wall opposite to the first inner wall;
The mating connector is
a main body portion that has a rectangular box shape and is housed in the hood portion of the standby connector in a mated state in which the mating connector and the standby connector are completely mated;
A pair of side surfaces of the main body extending in the fitting direction of the fitting connector, protruding in a cantilever shape rearward in the fitting direction of the fitting connector, and bendable toward the side surface of the main body. an arm portion, and an arm portion protrudingly provided on each of the pair of arm portions, abuts against the first lock portion in the mating completion state, and prevents rearward displacement of the main body portion in the mating direction of the mating connector. A pair of lock arms having a pair of second lock portions for blocking,
A gap is provided between the first inner wall and the side surface of the main body portion, and between the second inner wall and the side surface of the main body portion, the arm portion is visible from the rear in the mating direction of the mating connector. Each is provided,
A protrusion is provided on a side surface of the main body portion that is different from the side surface on which the pair of arm portions are provided, and a protrusion is provided as a place on which a finger is applied during the fitting operation .
Of the peripheral walls of the hood portion of the standby connector, a peripheral wall that faces a side surface different from the side surface on which the pair of arm portions of the main body portion is provided has a wall on which the standby connector is fitted from the opening edge of the hood portion. A notch is provided at the rear in the mating direction.
In the mating completed state, the protrusion is located only at the rear end of the notch in the mating direction of the connector assembly. A front surface of the mating connector in the mating direction is a mating surface that is mated with the standby connector, and a surface of the main body opposite to the mating surface is a mating surface that is mated with the standby connector. 2. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the connector assembly has a hand-pushing portion that can be manually pushed forward in the fitting direction of the connector. 2. The first inner wall and the second inner wall of the hood portion are respectively provided with accommodation grooves for accommodating the pair of lock arms from the front in the fitting direction of the fitting connector. Connector assembly as described in .

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