JPH0247576Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a locking mechanism for a connector used for electrical connections.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 3, the locking structure of a connector in which a female housing F and a male housing M each housing electrical connection terminals are fitted together is generally such that one of the housings (in the case shown, the male housing A lock protrusion a is provided protruding from the top wall of M), and a lock piece c is provided at the tip of a lever b extending parallel to the top wall of the other housing (female housing F in the drawing). A structure is used in which a flexible locking member d is protruded and the locking protrusion a and the locking piece c are engaged with each other for locking.

In Fig. 3, in order to fit and lock the female housing F onto the male housing M with the headlamp e attached to its tip, the female housing F is fitted onto the other end of the male housing M via the packing f and at the same time. , the lock piece c of the flexible lock member d is attached to the lock protrusion a protruding from the upper wall of the male housing M.
This is done by sliding the front guide surface a' of the lock protrusion a over the top of the guide surface a', and locking the lock piece C in the lock part a'' on the back surface of the lock protrusion a.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, in such a locking mechanism, the width A and area of the engaging portion between the locking piece c and the locking portion a'' of the locking protrusion a are extremely small due to the formation of elastic strain in the flexible locking member d, and the locking When an upward external force P ₁ and a horizontal external force P ₂ are applied to the piece c, the lock easily comes off and the connector has a very weak holding force.

The present invention was devised by focusing on the drawbacks of the locking mechanism of the conventional connector. The width and area of the engaging portion with the protruding lock protrusion can be arbitrarily set to be large enough to prevent the lock from coming off against external force in the horizontal direction, and the external force acts upward on the locking member. To provide a locking mechanism for a connector in which a locking piece does not easily come off from a locking part even in the case of a locking mechanism.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above problems, the locking mechanism of the connector of the present invention consists of a pair of female and male housings that are fitted opposite each other, and a bendable hinge is attached to the outer peripheral wall of one of the housings. and a lock member having a lock piece at the tip thereof, a lock wall having a locking piece proximate to this lock member, and a chevron-shaped lock having a guide surface in the front and back direction on the outer peripheral wall of the other housing. A projection is provided, and when both housings are fitted together, the locking member is rotated to lock the locking piece with the locking projection, and the locking member is engaged with the locking piece of the locking wall.

[Effect]

According to the present invention, the locking member of one housing is locked by the locking piece at its tip engaging with the locking protrusion of the other housing, and at the same time, by the locking piece of the locking wall adjacent to the locking member. Since they are locked, so to speak, in a double lock state, the female and male housings can be locked more reliably.

When fitting the female and male housings, if they are not completely fitted and the lock piece is located on the guide surface in front of the chevron-shaped lock protrusion in the fitting direction, a force will be applied in the direction of separating both housings. , the locking member cannot be locked. On the other hand, when the lock piece is located on the guide surface behind the chevron-shaped lock protrusion, force acts in the direction of pushing one side of the housing toward the other, so both housings are completely fitted, and the lock member is also locked. be done.

In this way, there is an effect of preventing incomplete fitting of the female and male housings and promoting complete fitting.

When the female and male housings are fitted together and the locking member is in a double lock state due to the locking protrusion and the locking piece, external forces P in the upward and horizontal directions are applied to the locking member, as shown in FIG. 3, which shows a conventional example. ₁ and _P2 are reduced by the locking piece on the lock wall, so it is almost impossible for the lock to come off.

〔Example〕

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The structure and operation of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing embodiments.

FIG. 1a is a sectional view of a main part showing the locking mechanism of the connector of the present invention, and FIG. 1b is a side view thereof.

In FIG. 1, the locking mechanism of the connector of the present invention has locking walls 2a and 2b erected oppositely behind the outer peripheral wall 1 of one male housing M.
A flexible locking member 5 comprising a locking piece 4 at the tip of a lever 3 having a slit 3' in the center between a and 2b is attached to the outer peripheral wall 1 and the locking wall 2.
The locking member 5 is protruded close to the wall surfaces of a and 2b.
The lock piece 4 is configured to be locked to a lock protrusion 6 protruding from the outer peripheral wall of the other female housing F, and the lever 3 of the lock member 5 is also locked to the opposing wall surfaces of the lock walls 2a and 2b. In addition to protruding locking pieces 7a and 7b for this purpose, a locking member 5 is formed perpendicularly to the outer peripheral wall 1 of one male housing M,
The base 8 of the lever 3 of the lock member 5 is formed into a bendable hinge.

In this configuration, the base of the lever 3 can be easily formed into a hinge by, for example, molding the base 8 to be thinner than the thickness of the lever 3 body. The lock protrusion 6 has guide surfaces 6a and 6b tapered in the front and rear directions of the fitting direction, respectively.
It has a lock portion 6c perpendicular to the rear surface, and is formed into a chevron-shaped cross section. Further, the male housing M equipped with the locking mechanism of the present invention can be integrally molded of plastic material or the like in the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 1a.

Note that 9 is a gasket for ensuring airtightness between the housings.

Next, the operation of the locking mechanism of the connector of the present invention will be explained.

After the female housing F and the male housing M are completely fitted together, the flexible locking member 5 of the male housing M is bent at the thin base 8 of the lever 3 in the direction of the arrow 1 and pressed. Next, as shown by two-dot chain lines, both ends 3a and 3b of the lever 3 are connected to locking pieces 7 that protrude from the opposing surfaces of the lock walls 2a and 2b.
At the same time, the lock piece 4 at the tip of the lever 3 is engaged with the lock protrusion 6 of the female housing F and locked.

In this case, according to the locking mechanism of the present invention, by changing the positions of the locking pieces 7a and 7b protruding from the lock walls 2a and 2b, the engagement between the locking piece 4 at the tip of the lever 3 and the lock protrusion 6 is achieved. It becomes possible to arbitrarily increase the width A and area of the joint. Therefore, the locking strength of the engaging portion against external force in the horizontal direction is increased, and the locking strength against external force in the upward direction on the locking member 5 is also increased by the engagement between the lever 3 and the locking pieces 7a and 7b of the lock wall. becomes stronger and the holding power of the connector is greatly improved. Moreover, the lock member 5
Since the sides are protected by the lock walls 2a and 2b, they are less susceptible to external forces.

Also, when fitting the female and male housings F and M,
If both are not completely fitted, the function is to prevent incomplete fitting and to make them completely fitted.

That is, as shown in FIG.
When in position a, when the locking member 5 is pressed downward with a finger, the female housing F receives a force in the direction of moving away from the male housing M as indicated by the arrow Q and retreats, making it impossible to lock the locking member 5. . Thereby, incomplete fitting of both housings can be prevented.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2b, when the lock piece 4 is located on the rear guide surface 6b side, the female housing F receives a force in the direction of fitting with the male housing M as shown by the arrow R and moves forward. As a result, the two housings are completely fitted together, and the locking member 5 is also locked.

In the above structure and operation, the lock walls 2a and 2b with the locking pieces 7a and 7b projecting thereon are formed facing each other at the rear of the outer circumferential wall of the male housing. Even if it is formed only on one side, the same function can be performed. It is also more effective to form a locking wall in front of the housing so that the locking member 5 engages with the other housing near the locking portion of the locking member 5. The locking walls may also be formed at the rear and front of the housing, respectively.

[Effect of idea]

Since the connector locking mechanism of the present invention has the configuration and operation described in detail above, it can be widely applied not only to the headlamp connector shown in FIG. 2, but also as a locking mechanism for general connectors. In addition, new locking strength against external forces acting upwardly on the locking member, which could not be obtained with conventional locking mechanisms, can be obtained.Furthermore, the locking strength in the horizontal direction can be increased by setting the engagement width and area of the locking part to be arbitrarily wide. In addition, the lock portion is stabilized by engagement between the lever and the locking piece protruding from the lock wall, making it possible to significantly improve the holding force of the connector compared to conventional locking mechanisms. or,
When the female and male housings are mated, if they are in an incompletely mated state, this state is detected by the action of the lock piece and lock protrusion of the locking member, and this state is prevented and the complete mating is promoted. Effects can be obtained.

Furthermore, according to the locking mechanism of the present invention, there is no need to mold the locking member in a state where it is bent and fixed to the outer circumferential wall of the housing as in the conventional case, so the molding die is not strained and the manufacturing cost is simplified. It also has the advantage of being cheaper.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1a is a sectional view of the main part showing the locking mechanism of the connector of the present invention, Fig. 1b is a side view thereof, and Figs. , FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a main part of a conventional headlamp connector. 1... Upper wall, 2a, 2b... Lock wall, 3...
Lever, 4...Lock piece, 5...Lock member, 6
... Lock protrusion, 6a, 6b ... Guide surface, 7
a, 7b...Locking piece, 8...Lever base.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] It consists of a pair of female and male housings that are fitted opposite each other, and a locking member having a bendable hinge at the base and a locking piece at the tip is provided on the outer peripheral wall of one of the housings. A lock wall having a locking piece is erected adjacently,
A chevron-shaped lock protrusion having a guide surface in the front-rear direction is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the other housing, and when both housings are fitted together, the lock member is rotated to lock the lock piece with the lock protrusion, and the lock member is A locking mechanism for a connector, characterized in that the locking mechanism is engaged with a locking piece of the locking wall.