JP7469180B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connector with a CPA (mating detection member).

One such type of connector is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a housing that can be mated with a mating connector, and a mating detection member that is assembled to the housing and can move from an initial position to a mating compensation position when the mating connector and the housing are completely mated.

The housing has a retaining chamber that holds the fitting detection member movably between an initial position and a fitting compensation position, an engagement recess provided in the lock arm with which the fitting detection member engages, and a fitting detection hole that is provided separately from the engagement recess and communicates between the inside of the retaining chamber and the outside of the retaining chamber. This fitting detection hole is formed in a position where the fitting detection member retracts when the fitting detection member is located closer to the initial position than the fitting compensation position, and where the fitting detection member advances when the fitting detection member is in the fitting compensation position.

JP 2017-91761 A

However, in the conventional connectors described above, after the housing has been fully mated (inserted) into the mating connector, the mating detection member does not move from the provisional locking position in the direction of full locking, making it impossible to confirm that the mating between the mating connector and the housing is complete. In other words, when the mating connector and the housing are partially mated, the mating detection member slides and the engagement recess of the lock arm comes into contact with the engagement protrusion of the mating detection member, making it possible to detect the partial mating.

The present invention was made in consideration of the problems inherent in the conventional technology. The object of the present invention is to provide a connector that allows the completion of mating of both housings to be easily confirmed by checking the position to which the mating detection member has been moved.

A connector according to an aspect of the present invention comprises a mating housing having a hood portion and a locked portion, a housing that is inserted into the hood portion and fitted to it, and a fitting detection member that, when assembled to the housing, detects the fitted state of both housings by moving from a provisional locking position to a full locking direction of a fitting confirmation position from midway through to the completion of insertion of the housing into the hood portion, and the housing has a member accommodating portion that accommodates the fitting detection member, and a flexible locking arm that is provided at its midpoint with a fitting lock beak that engages and disengages with the locked portion of the mating housing, and at its tip end with a tip side locking portion that engages and disengages with the locked portion of the fitting detection member and a boss portion that slides along the inclined portion of the fitting detection member, and the fitting detection member has the locked portion that engages and disengages with the tip side locking portion of the flexible locking arm, and the locking portion that engages and disengages with the locking protrusion of the member accommodating portion. and a flexible arm portion provided with a locking portion that engages the locking protrusion of the member housing portion. In the provisionally locked position, the mating detection member is housed in the member housing portion of the housing and has the locking portion engaged with the locking protrusion of the member housing portion. The mating detection member is restricted from moving in the final locking direction by the locked portion of the mating detection member and the tip locking portion of the flexible locking arm being engaged. When the housing in which the mating detection member is housed and locked in the member housing portion is inserted into the hood portion, the flexible locking arm is displaced by bending deformation, and the locked portion of the mating detection member and the tip locking portion of the flexible locking arm are separated, releasing the restriction on the mating detection member's movement in the final locking direction. The connector also has a boss portion of the flexible locking arm that slides over the inclined portion of the mating detection member, moving the mating detection member in the final locking direction.

During the process of inserting the housing, in which the fitting detection member is accommodated and locked in the member accommodating section, into the hood section, the fitting lock beak of the flexible lock arm abuts against the locked section of the mating housing and is pressed downward, so that the tip side of the flexible lock arm is flexibly deformed and displaced downward.

The fitting detection member has an operating part as a main body, both sides provided on both ends of the operating part, and the flexible arm part provided between the lower parts of the both sides, the locked part is provided on the back surface of the operating part, a protruding wall part formed on the inner surface of each of the both sides has an inclined surface with an arc-shaped cross section as the inclined part, and the protruding wall part is provided at a position near the locked part on each of the both sides, and it is preferable that the boss part of the flexible locking arm slides downward along the inclined surface during insertion of the housing into the hood part, so that the fitting detection member moves to the fitting confirmation position.

When the insertion of the housing into the hood portion is complete, it is preferable that the flexible locking arm, which has been displaced downward, returns to its original position, and the boss portion rides up on or overcomes the protruding wall portion.

It is preferable that a second inclined portion is provided behind the protruding wall portion, and the boss portion of the flexible locking arm slides over the second inclined portion to further move the fitting detection member in the main locking direction.

It is preferable that a concave groove having a locking protrusion is provided on each side wall of the member accommodating portion of the housing, and a rail portion having an engagement protrusion on the underside and inserted into the concave groove is provided on each outer surface of both sides of the fitting detection member, and when the fitting detection member is fully locked, the engagement protrusion of the rail portion is locked into the locking protrusion of the concave groove portion, thereby ensuring the correct fitting state of the two housings.

The present invention provides a connector that allows the completion of mating of both housings to be easily confirmed by checking the position to which the mating detection member has moved.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3A is a perspective view of the female connector of the connector as viewed from the back side, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the female connector as viewed from the front side. 4 is a perspective view of the fitting detection member of the connector as viewed from the back side. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the male connector of the connector. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5. 4 is a perspective view of the female connector with the fitting detection member attached thereto; FIG. 4 is a front view of the connector with the fitting detection member attached thereto; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. 8, showing a state before insertion in which the female connector is mated with the male connector in a provisionally locked state with the mating detection member assembled thereto. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. 8, showing a state in which the fitting detection member has been provisionally released. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. 8, showing a state in the middle of insertion of the female connector. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. 8, showing the state in which the female connector has been completely inserted. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. 8, showing a state in which the fitting detection member has been fully locked.

The following describes in detail the connector according to an embodiment of the present invention using the drawings.

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2(a) is a perspective view of the female connector of the connector from the back side, and Figure 2(b) is a perspective view of the female connector from the front side. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the mating detection member of the connector from the back side. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a front view of the male connector of the connector. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Figure 5. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the female connector with the mating detection member attached. Figure 8 is a front view of the connector with the mating detection member attached. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y-Y in Figure 8 showing the state before insertion in which the female connector is mated with the male connector in a provisionally locked state with the mating detection member attached. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y-Y in Figure 8 showing the state in which the provisionally locked state of the mating detection member is released. Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y-Y in Figure 8 showing the state in which the female connector is being inserted. Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y-Y in Figure 8, showing the state in which the female connector has been fully inserted. Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y-Y in Figure 8, showing the state in which the mating detection member has been fully locked.

As shown in Figures 1 and 13, the connector 1 comprises a female connector 10 having a female housing (housing) 11 made of synthetic resin, and a male connector 30 having a male housing (mating housing) 31 made of synthetic resin into which the female housing 11 is inserted and mated.

As shown in FIG. 7, the female connector 10 is equipped with a synthetic resin mating detection member (CPA: Connector Position Assurance) 20 that is assembled into the CPA receiving portion 13 of the female housing 11 and detects the mating state of the male and female housings 11, 31.

As shown in Figures 2(a) and (b), the female housing 11 has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 12 (four in this embodiment) on the lower stage side in which female terminals (not shown) are accommodated. The female housing 11 also has a CPA accommodating section (member accommodating section) 13 on the front side of the upper stage that accommodates the mating detection member 20. This CPA accommodating section 13 serves as a sliding space for the mating detection member 20. Furthermore, the female housing 11 has a flexible locking arm 16 that extends from the rear side of the upper stage to above the CPA accommodating section 13 on the front side.

2(a) and (b), the CPA housing section 13 has a bottom wall 13a, a pair of protective walls (side walls) 13b, 13b extending vertically from both ends of the bottom wall 13a, and a protective plate section 13c spanning between the upper rear ends of the pair of protective walls 13b, 13b. A locking projection 14 having an inclined front surface 14a that is engaged with and disengaged from a locking projection (locking section) 25 of a flexible arm section 24 of the fitting detection member 20 described later is provided on the front side of the center of the bottom wall 13a. In addition, a concave groove section 15 having a locking protrusion 15a is provided on the inner side facing each other in the center of the pair of protective walls 13b, 13b so as to extend in the sliding direction of the fitting detection member 20.

2(a) and (b), the flexible locking arm 16 has a fitting lock beak 17 at its midsection 16a that is engaged with and disengaged from the locking projection (locked portion) 34 of the male housing 31, and an operating portion 18 at its tip section 16b. The operating portion 18 has a tip side locking projection (tip side locking portion) 19a that is engaged with and disengaged from the locking projection (locked portion) 26 of the fitting detection member 20, and a pair of boss portions 19b, 19b that slide along the inclined surface (inclined portion) 27a of the fitting detection member 20. The midsection 16a of the flexible locking arm 16 is located between a pair of side walls 13d, 13d that are integrally formed and protrude above the terminal receiving chamber 12 of the female housing 11. In addition, the operating part 18 provided at the tip 16b of the flexible locking arm 16 extends to between the pair of protective walls 13b, 13b of the CPA housing part 13, so that the locking arm 16 can be bent downward by manually pushing the operating part 18 downward. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the base end side of the operating part 18 protrudes from the tip 16b of the locking arm 16 in a bridge shape, and the front side extends in a flat plate shape.

As shown in Figures 7 to 13, the mating detection member 20, when housed and assembled in the CPA housing portion 13 of the female housing 11, detects the mating state of the male and female housings 11, 31 by sliding from the provisional locking position to the mating confirmation position in the full locking direction R. That is, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the mating detection member 20 has an operating portion 21 as a main body, both side portions 22, 22 provided on both ends of the operating portion 21, and a flexible arm portion 24 provided between the lower portions of the both side portions 22, 22 via a protruding wall portion 23. The tip of the flexible arm portion 24 is provided with a locking protrusion (lock portion) 25 that is engaged with and disengaged from the locking protrusion 14 of the CPA housing portion 13. That is, a rectangular notch portion 24a is formed in the center of the flexible arm portion 24, and the locking protrusion 14 and the locking protrusion 25 are engaged by housing the locking protrusion 14 in the notch portion 24a. Additionally, a locking protrusion (locked portion) 26 is provided on the back surface 21b of the operating portion 21, which is engaged with and disengaged from the tip side locking protrusion (tip side locking portion) 19a of the lock arm 16.

As shown in Figures 7 and 9, the mating detection member 20 housed in the CPA housing portion 13 of the female housing 11 is locked in the removal direction L by the locking projection 14 of the CPA housing portion 13 and the locking projection 25 of the mating detection member 20. This locked state is the provisional locking position of the mating detection member 20. Also, in this provisional locking position, as shown in Figure 9, the mating detection member 20 is restricted from moving in the full locking direction R by the locking projection 26 protruding from the back surface 21b of the operating portion 21 being locked with the tip side locking projection 19a of the flexible locking arm 16.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the female housing 11 with the mating detection member 20 locked in the provisional locking position is inserted into the hood portion 33 of the male housing 31, the flexible locking arm 16 is deflected downward and displaced. That is, during the insertion of the female housing 11 into the hood portion 33, the mating lock beak 17 of the locking arm 16 comes into contact with the locking projection 34 of the male housing 31 and is pressed downward, causing the tip 16b of the locking arm 16 to deflect downward and displace. This downward displacement causes the locking projection 26 of the mating detection member 20 to separate from the tip lock projection 19a of the flexible locking arm 16, and the restriction on the movement of the mating detection member 20 in the main locking direction R is released.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the protruding wall 27 formed on the inner surface 22a of each of the side portions 22, 22 of the mating detection member 20 is provided with an inclined surface 27a having an arc-shaped cross section as an inclined portion. As shown in Figure 11, during the insertion of the female housing 11 into the male housing 31, the boss 19b of the lock arm 16 slides downward along the inclined surface 27a, so that the mating detection member 20 automatically slides in the main locking direction R.

3 and 4, a protruding wall portion 28 is provided on each inner surface 22a of both side portions 22, 22 of the fitting detection member 20 at a position near the locking projection 26. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, when the insertion of the female housing 11 into the male housing 31 is completed, the flexible locking arm 16 that has been displaced downward returns to its original position, and the boss portion 19b rides up or overcomes the protruding wall portion 28. Furthermore, an inclined surface (second inclined portion) 28a is provided on the rear surface side behind the protruding wall portion 28. The boss portion 19b of the flexible locking arm 16 slides on this inclined surface 28a to move the fitting detection member 20 further in the main locking direction R.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, a rail portion 29 having an engagement protrusion 29a on the lower side is provided at the center of each outer surface 22b of both side portions 22, 22 of the mating detection member 20, and is inserted into the concave groove portion 15 of the CPA accommodating portion 13 and extends in the sliding direction. As shown in Figure 13, when the mating detection member 20 is fully locked, the engagement protrusion 29a of the rail portion 29 is locked into the locking protrusion 15a of the concave groove portion 15 of the female housing 11, thereby ensuring that the male and female housings 11, 31 are properly mated.

5 and 6, the male housing 31 has a housing body 32 having a plurality of terminal receiving holes 32a for receiving male terminals (not shown), and a hood portion 33 that is integrally formed on the front side of the housing body 32 and into which the female housing 11 is inserted and fitted. The hood portion 33 is formed in a substantially rectangular tubular shape and serves as a receiving portion for receiving the female housing 11 from the front side to the middle side. The inner surface of the front end 33b side of the upper wall 33a of the hood portion 33 is provided with a locking protrusion (locked portion) 34 that is engaged with and disengaged from the fitting lock beak 17. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, during the insertion of the female housing 11 into the hood portion 33, the locking protrusion 34 abuts on the fitting lock beak 17 of the lock arm 16 and is pressed downward. This downward pressing causes the tip portion 16b of the flexible lock arm 16 to be bent (elastically deformed) downward and displaced.

In addition, a step portion 33c is provided on each side of the upper wall 33a of the hood portion 33 of the male housing 31, and a pair of side walls 13d, 13d of the female housing 11 are inserted between the pair of step portions 33c, 33c. In addition, the male terminal accommodated and fixed in the terminal accommodating hole 32a of the housing body 32 of the male housing 31 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 12 from the terminal insertion hole 12a of the female housing 11 and electrically connected to the female terminal. Furthermore, the female terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 12 of the female housing 11 is engaged by the flexible lance 12b of the relay.

In the above embodiment of the connector 1, we will explain the operation of assembling the mating detection member 20 to the female connector 10 and mating the male and female connectors 10, 30.

First, as shown in FIG. 7, the operating portion 21 is operated to insert the mating detection member 20 into the CPA accommodation portion 13 of the female housing 11. The mating detection member 20 inserted and accommodated in the CPA accommodation portion 13 is locked (provisionally locked) in the removal direction L by the locking protrusion 14 of the CPA accommodation portion 13 and the locking protrusion 25 of the mating detection member 20. Also, as shown in FIG. 9, the mating detection member 20 is restricted from moving in the actual locking direction R by the locking protrusion 26 protruding from the back surface 21b of the operating portion 21 being locked (provisionally locked) by the tip side locking protrusion 19a of the flexible lock arm 16.

Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the female housing 11 with the mating detection member 20 locked in the provisional locking position is inserted into the hood portion 33 of the male housing 31. During the process of inserting the female housing 11 into the hood portion 33, the mating lock beak 17 of the lock arm 16 comes into contact with the locking projection 34 of the male housing 31 and is pressed downward, causing the tip 16b side of the lock arm 16 to bend downward and displace. This downward displacement causes the locking projection 26 of the mating detection member 20 to separate from the tip side lock projection 19a of the flexible lock arm 16, and the restriction on the movement of the mating detection member 20 in the main locking direction R is released.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the female housing 11 is further inserted into the hood portion 33 of the male housing 31 after the restriction on the movement of the mating detection member 20 in the main locking direction R is released, the boss portion 19b of the lock arm 16 slides downward along the inclined surface 27a of the mating detection member 20. This downward sliding of the boss portion 19b automatically pushes and slides the mating detection member 20 in the main locking direction R to the mating confirmation position. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, when the insertion of the female housing 11 into the hood portion 13 of the male housing 31 is completed, the flexible lock arm 16 that was displaced downward returns to its original position, and the boss portion 19b rides up on the protruding wall portion 28. Furthermore, the boss portion 19b of the flexible lock arm 16 slides along the inclined surface 28a of the protruding wall portion 28, causing the mating detection member 20 to slide further in the main locking direction R.

As shown in FIG. 13, by pushing the mating detection member 20 in the final locking direction R, the engaging projection 29a of the rail portion 29 of the mating detection member 20 is locked into the locking projection 15a of the concave groove portion 15 of the female housing 11, and the mating detection member 20 enters a final locking completed state. This final locking completed state is the mating confirmation position of the mating detection member 20, and the correct mating state of the male and female housings 11, 31 is detected and guaranteed.

In this way, after the female housing 11 is completely inserted into the male housing 31, the mating detection member 20 can be moved from the provisional locking position to the mating confirmation position, making it easy to visually confirm the mating completion state of the male and female housings 11, 31 based on the position to which the mating detection member 20 has been moved.

Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present embodiment is not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present embodiment.

1 Connector 11 Female housing (housing)
13 CPA storage section (component storage section)
13b, 13b A pair of protective walls (both side walls)
14 Locking projection 15 Concave groove 15a Locking projection 16 Flexible lock arm 16a Mid-portion 16b Tip portion 17 Fitting lock beak 19a Tip side locking projection (tip side locking portion)
19b boss portion 20 fitting detection member (CPA)
21 Operation unit (main body)
21b Back surface 22, 22 Both sides 22a Inner surface 22b Outer surface 24 Flexible arm portion 25 Locking protrusion (locking portion)
26 Locking protrusion (locked portion)
27 Protruding wall portion 27a Inclined surface (inclined portion)
28 Protruding wall portion 28a Inclined surface (second inclined portion)
29 Rail portion 29a Engagement protrusion 31 Male housing (mate housing)
33 Hood portion 34 Locking projection (locked portion)
R Main locking direction

Claims (6)

a mating housing having a hood portion and a locked portion;
a housing inserted into and fitted to the hood portion;
a fitting detection member that detects a fitted state of the housings by moving, in a state where the housing is attached to the housing, from a provisional locking position to a full locking direction to a fitting confirmation position from midway through to completion of insertion of the housing into the hood portion;
Equipped with
the housing has a member accommodating portion that accommodates the fitting detection member, and a flexible lock arm having a fitting lock beak provided at a middle portion thereof for engaging with and disengaging from a locked portion of the mating housing, and a tip side lock portion provided at a tip portion thereof for engaging with and disengaging from the locked portion of the fitting detection member, and a boss portion provided at a tip portion thereof for sliding along an inclined portion of the fitting detection member,
the fitting detection member has the locked portion that engages with and disengages from the tip side locking portion of the flexible locking arm, and a flexible arm portion provided with a locking portion that engages with and disengages from a locking protrusion of the member accommodating portion,
At the provisional locking position, the fitting detection member is accommodated in the member accommodating portion of the housing and has the locking portion engaged with the locking protrusion of the member accommodating portion, and the movement of the fitting detection member in the final locking direction is restricted by the locked portion of the fitting detection member being engaged with the tip side locking portion of the flexible lock arm,
When the housing, in which the mating detection member is accommodated and engaged in the member accommodating portion, is inserted into the hood portion, the flexible locking arm is displaced by bending and deforming, and the locked portion of the mating detection member and the tip locking portion of the flexible locking arm are separated, thereby releasing the restriction on the movement of the mating detection member in the main engagement direction, and the boss portion of the flexible locking arm slides over the inclined portion of the mating detection member, thereby moving the mating detection member in the main engagement direction. The connector according to claim 1, in which, during insertion of the housing in which the mating detection member is accommodated and locked in the member accommodation section into the hood section, the mating lock beak of the flexible lock arm abuts against the locked portion of the mating housing and is pressed downward, causing the tip side of the flexible lock arm to bend and deform downward. the fitting detection member has an operation portion as a main body, both side portions provided on both ends of the operation portion, and the flexible arm portion provided between the lower portions of the both side portions,
The locked portion is provided on a rear surface of the operation portion,
a protruding wall portion formed on each inner surface side of the side portions is provided with an inclined surface having an arcuate cross section as the inclined portion;
A protruding wall portion is provided at a position near the locked portion on each side,
3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the boss portion of the flexible locking arm slides downward along the inclined surface during insertion of the housing into the hood portion, thereby moving the mating detection member to the mating confirmation position. The connector according to claim 3, in which, when the insertion of the housing into the hood portion is completed, the flexible locking arm that was displaced downward returns to its original position, and the boss portion rides up on or over the protruding wall portion provided at a position near the locked portion on both sides. The connector according to claim 3 or 4, in which a second inclined portion is provided behind the protruding wall portion provided at a position near the locked portion on both sides, and the boss portion of the flexible locking arm slides on the second inclined portion to further move the mating detection member in the main locking direction. a recessed groove having a locking protrusion is provided on each of both side walls of the member accommodating portion of the housing,
A rail portion having an engagement protrusion on a lower side and inserted into the concave groove portion is provided on each outer surface of the both side portions of the fitting detection member,
5. The connector according to claim 3, wherein when the mating detection member is fully engaged, the engaging projection of the rail portion is engaged with the engaging protrusion of the concave groove portion, thereby ensuring a properly engaged state of the two housings.

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