JPH04127982U - Couplers with anti-disengagement means - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To make it possible to electrically detect the incompletely fitted state of a coupler, and to ensure the connection of important wiring even if the coupler becomes loose. [Structure] A mail housing 2 of a coupler 1 is provided with contacts 5A, 5B of equal length and a lock claw 10. On the other hand, the female housing 3 is provided with a long first contact 6A and a short second contact 6B. Further, the housing 3 is provided with a first lock groove 13 and a second lock groove 14. When fitting the housings 2 and 3 together, first the first contacts 5A and 6A are connected, and then the lock claw 1
0 engages with the first lock groove 13, the second contact 5
B and 6B are connected, and finally the lock claw 10 is connected to the second
It is adapted to engage with the lock groove 14. Therefore, when the second contacts 5B, 6B are electrically connected, the first contacts 5A, 6A are always connected. At that time, since the lock pawl 10 and the first lock groove 13 are engaged, their separation is prevented.

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea]

0001

[Industrial application field]

The present invention is based on a coupler used to connect two electrical circuits in automobiles, etc. In particular, it relates to couplers equipped with a locking mechanism to prevent separation. It is.

0002

[Conventional technology]

Cars are equipped with many electrical components, and harnesses etc. are used to connect these electrical components. Therefore, it is connected. Between such electrical equipment and the harness, there is A coupler is usually used to connect the harnesses. mosquito Plastic is made by fitting a pair of housings made of insulating material facing each other, and By bringing the contacts provided in the parts into contact with each other, the contacts It is designed to electrically connect a harness, etc. connected to the

0003 By the way, in such a coupler, the housing may not be fully fitted. Otherwise, not only will the electrical connection be incomplete, but the If vibrations are applied to them, they may become dislodged. Therefore, a device with a locking mechanism that works when the housing is fully fitted is used. It is being emitted.

0004 However, in cases where quick assembly is required, such as in automobiles, , even if the coupler is equipped with a locking mechanism, it must be It does not necessarily mean that they will fit together. If the mated state is not completely mated, Even so, it cannot be determined visually. Also, the locking mechanism works In order to ensure a secure connection when mated up to When the contacts are in contact with each other, the lock is activated. electrical tests cannot detect it even if it is stomach. Therefore, it can be easily identified when the coupler is in the half-mated state. There is a need to be able to do so.

[0005] Traditionally, barcodes have been used to identify such half-mated states. A coupled coupler has been proposed. The coupler has a bar on the surface of the housing. A code is attached, and a sensor reads the barcode to The mating is now detected.

[0006]

[Problem that the idea aims to solve]

However, with such barcoded couplers, each coupler has its own Since many couplers have to be read, such as in automobiles, If used, the problem is that checking becomes complicated and increases man-hours. There is a problem. It also processes the sensor that reads the barcode and the signal from that sensor. A processing device to display the data and a display device to display the data are required. The equipment cost is also high.

[0007] This invention was developed in view of these circumstances, and its purpose is to It is possible to easily detect a partially mated state without using special equipment, and it is possible to Get a coupler that guarantees critical wiring connections even when unmated. Is Rukoto.

[0008]

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve this purpose, in the present invention, the contacts provided in the coupler are a first contact that is connected when mated to a relatively shallow first position; and a second contact that is connected when mated to the deep second position. At the same time, it is fitted into the housing to a position deeper than the first position and shallower than the second position. The first locking mechanism works when the two are mated, and when the two are mated to a deeper position than the second position. A working second locking mechanism is provided.

[0009]

[Effect]

With this configuration, the housing can be moved to the second position where the second contact connects. When the rings are fitted together, the first locking mechanism is always activated. and, The first contact is always connected in the position where the first locking mechanism is activated. Also, the 1. If the two contacts are not mated until the locking mechanism is activated, the second contact is not connected. do not have. Therefore, by electrically detecting the connection state of the second contact, the first It can be determined whether the contact is connected or not. And the second con The first lock mechanism is always working when the tact is connected, so the first lock mechanism contact separation is prevented. In this way, the first contact connects important wiring. By doing so, connection failures of the wiring can be prevented.

0010

【Example】

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The figure shows an embodiment of the coupler according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows the state before mating. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view, and FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view thereof. Also, Figures 3 to 5 show the different It is an explanatory view showing a fitted state.

[0011] As is clear from FIG. 1, this coupler 1 has a pair of housings, It includes a housing 2 and a female housing 3. that mail housing The distal end side of the female housing 3 fits into the receiving part 4 formed on the distal end side of the female housing 3. It is now possible to do so. These housings 2 and 3 are made of insulating resin and have a metal Inside the housing 2, there is a cylindrical female contact made of conductive material. 5 is provided. In addition, there is a female housing inside the female housing 3. A flat mail contact made of a conductive material is placed opposite the contact 5. 6 is provided. The mail contact 6 is connected to the receiving part 4 of the housing 3. It is made to protrude inward. In this way, when the mail housing 2 is fitted to the female housing 3, Now, mail contact 6 is inserted inside female contact 5. ing. The tip of the female contact 5 has a ring formed by cutting and raising the bottom surface. A spring-like contact piece 7 is provided, into which the mail contact 6 is inserted. When the contact piece 7 applies contact pressure to the mail contact 6, the The mail contact 5 and the mail contact 6 are electrically connected. Ru. The base ends of female contact 5 and male contact 6 are caulked. By doing so, the harnesses 8 and 9 are connected, respectively.

0012 On the upper surface of the mail housing 2, approximately at the center in the axial direction, there is a A protruding lock pawl 10 is provided. The housing tip side of the lock claw 10 The surface is considered to be an inclined surface. On the other hand, the upper wall 3 of the receiving part 4 of the female housing 3 A first protrusion 11 is provided at the tip of the lower surface of a, and the first protrusion 11 is provided in the axial direction. A second protrusion 12 is provided approximately in the center, and a first lock groove 13 and a first lock groove 13 are provided on the back side of the second protrusion 12. and a second lock groove 14 are formed. Housing of the first and second projections 11 and 12 The surface on the tip side of the ring is an inclined surface. In this way, when the housing 2 is fitted into the housing 3, the first step is to fit the housing 2 into the housing 3. The lock pawl 10 passes over the first protrusion 11 of the housing 3 and engages with the first lock groove 13. When the housing 2 is further fitted, the lock pawl 10 is inserted into the second lock groove 1. 4. In other words, the relatively shallow fitting of the housings 2 and 3 The lock pawl 10 and the first lock groove 13 engage with each other, and the lock is achieved by deep fitting. The pawl 10 and the second lock groove 14 are adapted to engage with each other. And those people The lock is activated by the locking action, and the movement of the housings 2 and 3 in the removal direction is restricted. It has become. That is, the lock pawl 10 of the housing 2 and the first lock of the housing 3 The locking groove 13 constitutes a first locking mechanism, and the locking pawl 10 and the second locking groove constitute a first locking mechanism. 14 constitutes a second locking mechanism. The lock pawl 10 of the housing 2 is formed at the upper part of the proximal end of the housing 2. It can be pushed down by pressing the lever part 15.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, a female contact 5 and a mail contact 6 are constructed by three contacts 5A, 5B, 5C and 6A, 6B, 6C, respectively. has been completed. Then, form these female contacts 5A, 5B, and 5C. The contact pieces 7A, 7B, and 7C are positioned at the same position in the axial direction. There is. On the other hand, mail contacts 6A and 6C on both sides are long, and the mail contacts in the center are long. Act 6B is considered to be short. Therefore, when the housings 2 and 3 are fitted together, first The mail contacts 5A, 5C and the mail contacts 6A, 6C are electrically connected, When it is fitted deeper, the center contacts 5B and 6B will be connected. ing. In other words, contacts 5A, 6A and 5C, 6C on both sides are shallowly fitted. The first contact to be connected and the center contacts 5B and 6B are connected by deep fitting. This is the second contact.

[0014] Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the first contacts 5A, 6A; 5C, 6C are The fitted position of the housings 2 and 3 in the connected state is defined as the first position, as shown in Fig. 4. The fitted position where the second contacts 5B and 6B are connected is defined as the second position. When the housing 2 is fitted slightly deeper than the first position, the lock pawl 10 of the housing 2 is locked. It engages with the first lock groove 13 of the housing 3 and moves from the second position as shown in FIG. When mated to a slightly deeper fully mated position, the lock pawl 10 is in the second lock groove 14. are adapted to engage.

[0015] Next, the operation of the coupler 1 configured in this way will be explained. When the coupler 1 is used in an automobile, the first contacts 5A, 6A ; 5C, 6C, important electrical components such as headlights and turn signal lamps. Connect harnesses 8 and 9 for wiring. In addition, the second contacts 5B and 6B have , room lamps, ignition key lights, etc. while the car is running. Connect harnesses 8 and 9 for wiring to electrical components that do not cause any problems even if

[0016] When connecting harness 8 and harness 9, attach mail housing 2 to the Fit into the receiving part 4 of the mail housing 3. Then, first, connect the mail consoles on both sides. Tips of female contacts 5A, 5C opposite to tips of tacts 6A, 6C inserted within. The email contacts 6A and 6C are shown in Figure 3. Touch the contact pieces 7A, 7C of the female contacts 5A, 5C so that are electrically connected. However, at this time, the housing 2 It is easy to leave the ring 3. That is, the coupler 1 is in a half-fitted state.

[0017] As the housing 2 is fitted further, the lock claw 10 of the housing 2 contact with the first protrusion 11 of the ring 3, and elastically deforms the upper wall 3a, thereby deforming the protrusion. It climbs over the starting portion 11 and engages with the first lock groove 13. If that happens, how When an attempt is made to pull out the ring 2, the lock claw 10 gets caught on the back surface of the protrusion 11. That is, the first locking mechanism comes into operation. Therefore, vibrations etc. Also, the housing 2 is prevented from detaching from the housing 3. And that Sometimes the first contacts 5A, 6A; 5C, 6C are not connected as described above. Ru. That is, if we look at the first contacts 5A, 6A; 5C, 6C, the couplers 1 is in a fitted state. On the other hand, the second contacts 5B and 6B are not yet in contact.

[0018] As the housing 2 is fitted deeper, the center mail contact 6 will eventually be inserted. The tip of B enters the opposing female contact 5B, as shown in Figure 4. The contact piece 7B comes into contact with the contact piece 7B as shown in FIG. Therefore, those contacts 5B, 6B, That is, the second contact is also electrically connected. Then, when housing 2 and housing 3 are completely fitted together, as shown in FIG. As shown, the lock pawl 10 of the housing 2 is in the second lock groove 14 of the housing 3. They are in an engaged state. Therefore, the second locking mechanism is activated and the housing Movement of the groups 2 and 3 in the axial direction is restricted. And in that state, all controllers Tacts 5A, 5B, 5C and 6A, 6B, 6C are connected to each other. Sunawa Then, the coupler 1 is in a completely fitted state.

[0019] When assembling a motor vehicle, all couplers 1 are connected in this way. stop After the assembly is completed, electrical components etc. are checked. In that case, for example, the headlights will not turn on even if you turn on the lighting switch. If so, you forgot to connect coupler 1 and the first contacts 5A, 6A; 5C, 6C It is possible that the coupler 1 is not connected, so check the corresponding coupler 1 and Connect coupler 1 correctly. Also, if the headlights turn on but the room lamp does not turn on, coupler 1 The second contacts 5B and 6B are not connected because they are not fully mated. Therefore, check the coupler 1 and connect it correctly. In this way, the coupling state of coupler 1 is checked. And by that Then, the lock pawl 10 of the housing 2 engages with the first lock groove 13 of the housing 3. Since a half-mated state is detected when the coupler 1 housing is not engaged while the car is running, This prevents the rings 2 and 3 from coming off.

[0020] By the way, when such a check is performed, the housings 2 and 3 are If it is fitted deeper than the position, the headlights and Both room lamps are lit. Therefore, for example, the lock claw 1 of the housing 2 0 is only in contact with the second protrusion 12 of the housing 3, and is not in contact with the second lock groove 14. is not engaged and the second locking mechanism is not activated. I can't. If the car is driven in this condition, the housing may become damaged due to vibrations of the car body. 2 may move backward relative to the housing 3, causing the second contacts 5B and 6B to separate. Ru. However, the second contacts 5B and 6B do not affect the running of the car. It is used for wiring for room lamps, ignition key lights, etc. There is no problem even if it comes off like this. In addition, even if the second lock mechanism does not work, the first lock mechanism Since the mechanism works, detachment of the housings 2 and 3 is prevented. And the first locking mechanism As long as the first contacts 5A, 6A; 5C, 6C work, the first contacts 5A, 6A; 5C, 6C are maintained in a connected state. Therefore, the connection of critical wiring is always guaranteed.

[0021] If the room lamp etc. stops lighting up after the car is running, coupler 1 should be turned on as described above. This is thought to be because housings 2 and 3 were not completely fitted. All you have to do is check the coupler 1 and make sure it fits properly. In this way, all the fitted states of housings 2 and 3 can be detected. . Therefore, the coupler 1 can be brought into the correct coupled state.

[0022] In the above embodiment, the lengths of the mail contacts 6A, 6B, and 6C are different. However, the length of Female Contacts 5A, 5B, and 5C, Or, the axial positions of the contact pieces 7A, 7B, and 7C may be different. You can also do it. Also, we will explain the case where the coupler 1 is used for wiring of automobile lighting equipment. However, it can also be used for other wiring. In such cases, the second contact 5B and 6B are not involved in wiring and are simply used to detect the mating state. It can also be taken as a thing. For that purpose, the second contacts 5B and 6B must be It is only necessary to connect it to the indicator and display its conduction state.

[0023]

[Effect of the idea]

As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention, the housing of the coupler is When the contacts are mated until they are connected, the first contact must be connected. Since the first locking mechanism is activated at the same time as the second contact By electrically detecting the conduction state, detachment of the first contact can be reliably prevented. can be done. Also, the mating was not completed until the second locking mechanism was activated. Even if the housing is displaced due to can be detected. At that time, the first locking mechanism also works, so the first Contacts remain connected. Therefore, by using that first contact for wiring important systems, , it becomes possible to always guarantee the functionality of the system.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing an embodiment of the coupler according to the present invention with the housing separated.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the coupler in the state of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a state in which the coupler is fitted to a first position.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a state in which the coupler is fitted to a second position.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing the coupler in a fully fitted state.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Coupler 2 Mail housing 3 Female housing 5 Female contacts 5A, 5C First contact 5B Second contact 6 Mail contact 6A, 6C First contact 6B Second contact 7 Contact piece 10 Lock claw 13 First lock groove 14 Second lock groove

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A coupler comprising a contact that is electrically connected by fitting housings together; the contact includes a first contact that is connected when the housing is fitted to a relatively shallow first position; and a second contact that is connected when the contact is fitted to a second position deeper than the first position, and the second contact is fitted to the housing to a position deeper than the first position and shallower than the second position. a first locking mechanism that operates when the device is fitted to the second position; and a second locking mechanism that operates when the device is fitted to a position deeper than the second position.
A coupler equipped with a means to prevent detachment.