JP7388835B2 - Connector and its assembly method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connector equipped with a terminal to which an electric wire is connected, and a method for assembling the same.

2. Description of the Related Art Connectors equipped with terminals to which electric wires are connected have been widely known. In assembling this connector, a conventional process has been adopted in which the terminals are inserted into the housing through the terminal insertion openings opened at the rear of the housing. In this step, since the terminal itself is inserted into the housing, the terminal is inserted by grasping the portion of the electric wire near the terminal. However, as connectors have become increasingly smaller in recent years, small terminals to which thin electric wires are connected are being used. If you attempt to insert the terminal into the housing by grasping this thin wire, the terminal end of the wire connected to the terminal may bend due to the insufficient strength of the wire, and there is a risk that the terminal may not be inserted properly.

Here, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector that includes a retainer that slides in the front-rear direction. In this connector, if the terminal is inserted into the housing only to a position before the insertion completion position, the terminal is inserted into the insertion completion position by sliding the retainer.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-275334

In the case of the connector of Patent Document 1 listed above, the terminals are inserted into the housing when the retainer is in the temporary locking position. However, in the case of this connector, the terminal cannot be inserted to the insertion completion position by sliding the retainer until after the terminal has been inserted into the housing over its entire length. Therefore, this connector configuration does not solve the above-mentioned problem caused by insufficient strength of the electric wire.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a connector and a method for assembling the same, in which a terminal can be reliably seated at a fully inserted position within a housing even if the electric wire connected to the terminal is a low-strength electric wire.

The connector of the present invention that achieves the above object has the following features:
housing and
Equipped with a terminal to which an electric wire is connected,
The housing is
a housing body having a terminal insertion opening into which the terminal is inserted, which is open to the rear when the direction in which the terminal is inserted is the front;
a terminal holding member that is supported by the housing body and into which the terminal is inserted and slides from a first position to a second position forward of the first position;
The terminal holding member is
It has a hollow part and a terminal locking part that locks the terminal inserted into the hollow part from the rear to the front, and when in the first position, the terminal is inserted into the hollow part and is locked in the terminal locking part. A part of the terminal is exposed from the housing body, and the terminal is slid from the first position to the second position while pulling in the terminal that is locked in the terminal locking part, so that the entire length of the terminal is accommodated in the housing. A feature is that the terminal is seated at the insertion completion position.

In the case of the connector of the present invention, the terminal is inserted into the terminal holding member in the first position. When the terminal is inserted into the terminal holding member in the first position, a portion of the terminal is exposed from the housing. Therefore, the terminal can be inserted into the terminal holding member in the first position while holding the terminal itself, and insufficient strength of the electric wire will not be a problem. The terminal holding member slides to the second position after the terminal is inserted. Thereby, the terminal is seated in the fully inserted position where the terminal is housed within the housing over its entire length.

Here, in the connector of the present invention,
The housing body is
a first locking portion that releasably locks the terminal holding member in the first position;
It is preferable to include a second locking portion that locks the terminal holding member that has been slid to the second position.

In this case, the presence of the first locking portion allows the terminal to be inserted while maintaining the terminal holding member at the first position. Further, the presence of the second locking portion allows the terminal to be continuously held at the insertion completion position.

Here, when the housing body includes the first locking part and the second locking part, the terminal holding member can lock with both the first locking part and the second locking part. A locking arm having a locking portion may be provided.

Further, in the connector of the present invention, it is preferable that the terminal holding member or the terminal includes a lance that prevents the terminal inserted into the terminal holding member from coming off.

Providing the lance prevents the terminal inserted into the terminal holding member from being accidentally removed.

In addition, the method for assembling a connector of the present invention which achieves the above object includes a housing main body having a terminal insertion opening opening at the rear, into which a terminal connected with an electric wire is inserted, when the direction in which the terminal is inserted is set at the front. and a terminal holding member that is supported by the housing body and into which the terminal is inserted and slides from a first position to a second position forward of the first position, and the terminal holding member has a hollow portion and a terminal holding member that slides from a first position to a second position forward of the first position. preparing a housing that is a terminal holding member having a terminal locking portion that locks a terminal inserted into the hollow portion toward the front;
Inserting the terminal into the hollow part of the terminal holding member in the first position and locking it in the terminal locking part so that a part of the terminal is exposed from the housing body,
By sliding the terminal holding member from the first position to the second position, the terminal locked in the terminal locking part is pulled into the housing body, and the entire length of the terminal is accommodated in the housing body. It is characterized by being seated at the insertion completion position.

According to the connector assembling method of the present invention, even if the electric wire is insufficiently strong, it is possible to seat the terminal in the insertion completion position where the entire length of the terminal is accommodated in the housing.

According to the present invention described above, even if the electric wire connected to the terminal is a low-strength electric wire, the terminal can be reliably seated at the insertion completion position within the housing.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the housing and contacts in an assembled state. FIG. 3(A) is a perspective view of the housing as seen diagonally from above, and FIG. 3(B) is an enlarged view of a portion of a circle R1 indicated by a broken line in FIG. 3(A). FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a state in which one terminal is inserted into the housing. 5 is a sectional view taken along arrow AA shown in FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the connector with terminals inserted into all of the plurality of terminal insertion openings. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the connector with a jig applied to it. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow BB of a portion indicated by a broken circle R2 in FIG. 7. FIG. FIG. 9A is a perspective view of the housing in a state in which the locking portion is fitted into the second fitting portion as seen diagonally from above; and FIG. 9B is an enlarged view of a portion of circle R3 indicated by a broken line in FIG. 9(A). . FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the connector in a state where the locking part is fitted into the second fitting part. 11 is a sectional view taken along arrow CC shown in FIG. 10. FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector that is an embodiment of the present invention.

Further, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the housing and contacts in an assembled state.

This connector 10 includes a housing 20 made of insulating resin and a terminal 60 to which an electric wire 70 is connected by crimping. Here, only the front end portion of the electric wire 70 connected to the terminal 60 is shown. Further, the housing 20 includes a front housing 30, a terminal holding member 40, and a main housing 50. Here, the combination of the front housing 30 and the main housing 50 in this embodiment corresponds to an example of the housing main body according to the present invention.

The main housing 50 has a plurality of terminal insertion holes 51. Although only one terminal 60 is shown here, one terminal 60 is inserted into each of the plurality of terminal insertion openings 51.

Further, the terminal holding member 40 is formed with a hollow portion 41 into which the terminal 60 inserted from the terminal insertion opening 51 of the main housing 50 enters. Further, this terminal holding member 40 is provided with four locking arms 42 on top, bottom, left and right, which extend rearward as indicated by arrow B. A locking portion 43 that locks onto the main housing 50 is provided at the tip of each locking arm 42 . Furthermore, recesses 44 into which a jig 80 (see FIG. 8) to be described later is inserted are formed on the lower surfaces of the two upper locking arms 42 and the upper surfaces of the two lower locking arms 42. . The functions of the recessed portion 44 and the jig 80 will be described later.

The front housing 30 also has a receiving portion 31 . In assembling this housing 20, first, the terminal holding member 40 is assembled to the main housing 50 to form a subassembly. Then, the subassembly is fitted into the receiving portion 31 of the front housing 30, and the housing 20 shown in FIG. 2 is completed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view (A) of the housing as seen obliquely from above, and an enlarged view (B) of a portion of a circle R1 indicated by a broken line in FIG. 3(A).

The main housing 50 is formed with a first fitting portion 52 into which the locking portion 43 of the locking arm 42 of the terminal holding member 40 is fitted. The housing 20 is assembled with the locking part 43 fitted into the first fitting part 52. Further, a second fitting portion 32 is formed at the rear end of the front housing 30. This second fitting portion 32 is also a fitting portion into which the locking portion 43 of the locking arm 42 of the terminal holding member 40 is fitted. The first fitting portion 52 and the second fitting portion 32 are separated from each other by a partition wall 53 provided in the main housing 50. Although FIG. 3 shows a first fitting part 52 and a second fitting part 32 on the upper side, a similar first fitting part 52 and a second fitting part 32 are also formed on the bottom side. ing. The fitting of the locking part 43 into the second fitting part 32 will be described later.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one terminal inserted into the housing.

Further, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the arrow AA shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal 60 integrally includes a lance 61. On the other hand, a locking wall 41a is formed in the hollow portion 41 of the terminal holding member 40 to which the lance 61 is locked. The terminal 60 inserted through the terminal insertion opening 51 enters the hollow portion 41 of the terminal holding member 40, and the lance 61 is locked to the locking wall 41a to prevent it from coming off. Note that in the embodiment shown here, the terminal 60 is provided with the lance 61, but the terminal holding member 40 may be provided with a lance that locks the terminal 60.

In a state where the terminal 60 enters the hollow portion 41 of the terminal holding member 40 and the lance 61 is locked to the locking wall 41a, the rear end portion 60a of the terminal 60 is in a position protruding from the housing 20. Therefore, the terminal 60 can be inserted by grasping the rear end portion 60a of the terminal 60. That is, there is no need to grasp the portion of the electric wire 70 that protrudes from the terminal 60 to insert the terminal 60, and there is no problem even if the strength of the electric wire 70 is low.

In this manner, the terminal 60 is inserted into each of the plurality of terminal insertion openings 51 while grasping the rear end portion 60a of each terminal 60.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the connector with terminals inserted into all of the plurality of terminal insertion openings.

Moreover, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a state in which a jig is applied to the connector.

Further, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along arrow BB of a portion indicated by a broken line circle R2 in FIG.

After the terminals 60 are inserted into all of the plurality of terminal insertion openings 51 as shown in FIG. 6, a jig 80 is applied to the housing 20 as shown in FIG. This jig 80 has a passage 81 through which the electric wire 70 passes, and an opening 82 through which the electric wire 70 is placed on the passage 81. Furthermore, this jig 80 has four operation arms 83, which are shown by arrow F and project forward, upward, downward, leftward and rightward. This jig 80 is applied to the housing 20. At this time, the locking part 43 at the tip of the locking arm 42 of the terminal holding member 40 is fitted into the first fitting part 52, as shown in FIG. When the jig 80 is applied to the housing 20, the tip 83a of the operating arm 83 enters the recess 44 at the tip of the locking arm 42 of the terminal holding member 40, as shown in FIG. Then, force is applied in the direction of inserting the jig 80 into the housing 20. The tip 83a of the operating arm 83 has a wedge shape, and when force is applied to the jig 80, the locking arm 42 is bent outward in the vertical direction until it can overcome the partition wall 53 (see FIG. 3). nothing.

In FIG. 8, the tip 83a of the operating arm 83 and the recess 44 at the tip of the locking arm 42 of the terminal holding member 40 are shown partially overlapping. This is because the operating arm 83 is shown in its original shape before being bent. In reality, as the operating arm 83 is inserted into the recess 44, the locking arm 42 is elastically bent.

When the locking arm 42 is bent enough to get over the partition wall 53 (see FIG. 3), slide the terminal holding member 40 forward until the locking portion 43 reaches the position of the second fitting portion 32. let Since the terminal 60 is locked to the terminal holding member 40, when the terminal holding member 40 slides forward, the terminal 60 also moves forward together. When the locking portion 43 of the terminal holding member 40 reaches the second fitting portion 32, the locking portion 43 enters into the second fitting portion 32.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view (A) of the housing in a state in which the locking part is fitted into the second fitting part as seen from diagonally above the front, and an enlarged view ( B).

9 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but in FIG. 3, the locking portion 43 is fitted into the first fitting portion 52, whereas in FIG. 9, the locking portion 43 is fitted into the second fitting portion 52. It is fitted into the fitting part 32.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the connector with the locking part fitted into the second fitting part.

Further, FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the arrow CC shown in FIG. 10.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when the locking part 43 is fitted into the second fitting part 32, the entire length of the terminal 60, including the rear end 60a, is accommodated in the housing 20. It is seated in the inserted position.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the low strength of the electric wire 70 connected to the terminal 60 is not a problem, and the terminal 60 is seated in the insertion completion position where the entire length thereof is accommodated in the housing 20. can be done.

10 Connector 20 Housing 30 Front housing 32 Second fitting part (second locking part)
40 Terminal holding member 41 Hollow part 42 Locking arm 43 Locking part 50 Main housing (housing body)
52 First fitting part (first locking part)
60 Terminal 60a Rear end of terminal (part of terminal)
61 Lance 70 Electric wire

Claims (5)

housing and
Equipped with a terminal to which an electric wire is connected,
The housing is
a housing body having a terminal insertion opening into which the terminal is inserted, which is open to the rear when the direction in which the terminal is inserted is the front;
a terminal holding member that is supported by the housing body and into which the terminal is inserted and slides from a first position to a second position forward of the first position;
The terminal holding member is
It has a hollow part and a terminal locking part that locks the terminal inserted into the hollow part from the rear to the front, and when in the first position, the terminal locking part is inserted into the hollow part and locks the terminal. A part of the terminal locked in the locking portion is exposed from the housing body, and the terminal locked in the terminal locking portion is slid from the first position to the second position while being pulled in. and the terminal is seated in a fully inserted position where the entire length of the terminal is accommodated within the housing. The housing body is
a first locking portion that releasably locks the terminal holding member in the first position;
The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a second locking portion that locks the terminal holding member that has been slid to the second position. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the terminal holding member includes a locking arm having a locking portion that can lock with both the first locking portion and the second locking portion. . 4. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the terminal holding member or the terminal includes a lance that prevents the terminal inserted into the terminal holding member from coming off. a housing body having a terminal insertion opening opening rearward when the direction in which the terminal is inserted is the front and into which a terminal connected with an electric wire is inserted; and a first housing body supported by the housing body and into which the terminal is inserted ; a terminal holding member that slides from the first position to a second position forward of the first position, and the terminal holding member engages the hollow portion and the terminal inserted into the hollow portion from the rear to the front. A housing, which is a terminal holding member, having a terminal locking portion that locks the terminal is prepared,
Inserting the terminal into the hollow part of the terminal holding member in the first position and locking it in the terminal locking part so that a part of the terminal is exposed from the housing body,
By sliding the terminal holding member from the first position to the second position, the terminal locked in the terminal locking portion is pulled into the housing main body, and the terminal is held in place over the entire length of the terminal. A method for assembling a connector, characterized in that the connector is seated in a fully inserted position accommodated within the housing body.

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