JPH04132180A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To judge and confirm the fitting condition of a female terminal and a male terminal securely and easily by comprising a detecting mans, which is fixed to an elastic deformation part to be deformed elastically by fitting the male terminal in a fitting part of the female terminal, for detecting displacement quantity of the elastic deformation generated in the elastic deformation part as physical displacement quantity. CONSTITUTION:A female terminal 46 consists of a top plate 46a, in which a locking part 56 to be locked with an opening 49 is provided, side plates 46b, 46c vertically folded downward from both sides of this top plate 46a. These side plates 46b, 46c form an elastic deformation part to be deformed elastically by a male terminal 39 at the time of fitting of the male terminal 39. At the time of fitting the male terminal 39, each side plate 46b, 46c is moved to the direction for separating from each other by the male terminal 39, and with these movement, elastic deformation is generated in the side plates 46b, 46c respectively. A strain gauge 58 detects displacement quantity of the elastic deformation,, which is generated in the side plate 46b at the time of fitting the female terminal 46 and the male terminal 39, as displacement quantity of distortion. Largeness of the detected distortion is compared with the prepared comparison data to judge and confirm quality of the fitting condition.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a connector comprising a female terminal and a male terminal that fit into each other, and particularly relates to a connector that is provided with a female terminal and a male terminal that fit into each other. By detecting the displacement amount of the elastic deformation that occurs in the elastic deformation portion of the female terminal when mating as a physical displacement amount, the fitted state of the female terminal and the male terminal can be accurately and easily determined and confirmed. This relates to a connector that can be used to

[Prior Art] Conventionally, as an example of a connector used for connecting automotive wire connections, the one shown in FIG. 9 is known.

This connector 1 connects the male terminal 4 locked to the female housing 2 and the female terminal 5 locked to the male housing 3 by fitting the female housing 2 and the male housing 3 together. It is connected.

A plurality of terminal storage holes II are formed in the front and rear of the female housing 2, and the male terminals 4 are stored in these terminal storage holes 11, 11°, etc. from the back surface 12 of the female housing 2, respectively. The locking part 14 of the male terminal 4 is located on the side 13 of the
An elastically deformable lance 15 that is locked in the terminal storage hole 1
It is arranged to protrude within 1. A fitting convex portion 16 for fitting with the female terminal 5 is provided on the tip end 4a of the male terminal 4.
is formed.

Further, like the female housing 2, the male housing 3 also has a plurality of female terminal storage holes 17 formed in the front and rear, and these terminal storage holes 17, 17. ..., the female terminal 5 is connected to the male housing 3
Elastically deformable lances 21 which are accommodated from the back surface 18 of the terminal accommodating hole 17 and are latched to the locking portions 20 of the female terminals 5 on the side 19 of the terminal accommodating hole 17 are arranged to protrude into the terminal accommodating hole 17. . A fitting recess 22 for fitting with the fitting protrusion 16 of the male terminal 4 is formed in the tip 5a of the female terminal 5.

This connector l is assembled by the following method.

First, the male terminal 4 is inserted into the terminal storage hole 11 of the female housing 2 from the back surface 12, and the locking portion 14 of the male terminal 4 is locked with the lance 15. The quality of the locking state of the lance 15 is determined by the fact that the lance 15 is restored by the elastic restoring force when the lance 15 is locked.
It is determined and confirmed by whether or not a notification sound is emitted by tapping the bottom of the device. Similarly, the terminal storage hole 1 of the male housing 3
The female terminal 5 is inserted into the female terminal 7 from the back surface 18, and the locking portion 20 of the female terminal 5 locks the lance 21. The quality of the locked state of the lance 21 is also determined and confirmed by the same method as for the lance 15 described above. Next, the fitting protrusion 16 of the male terminal 4 is inserted into the fitting recess 22 of the female terminal 5, and at the same time, the fitting protrusion 16 and the fitting recess 22 are fitted, and at the same time, the end 3a of the male housing 3 and the end portion 2a of the female housing 2 are fitted together. The quality of the fit between the ends 2a and 3a is determined by
This is determined and confirmed based on whether or not a notification sound has been emitted to notify that the devices a and A have locked each other.

In addition, the mating state of the male terminal 4 and female terminal 5 after being mounted on a car etc. can be determined and confirmed by checking the continuity state of the male terminal 4 and female terminal 5 using a tester or continuity checker. It is done.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, in the conventional connector 1, the male terminal 4 and the lance 15 and the female terminal 5 and the lance are connected without directly determining or confirming the fitted state of the male terminal 4 and the female terminal 5. 21 A method is adopted for indirectly determining and confirming the locked state of each and the fitted state of both the end 3a of the male housing 3 and the end 2a of the female housing 2, respectively. Therefore, there were various problems as follows.

The notification sound that is emitted when locking or mating is difficult to hear because it is drowned out by surrounding noise, and since this notification sound only occurs once, it is often missed, and this type of auditory The problem with the determination method was that it lacked certainty and reliability. Moreover, male terminal 4 and lance 1
5 or female terminal 5 and the locking state of the lance 21 visually, these locking parts are often shielded from the outside, and visual judgment and confirmation may be impossible. many.

If it is determined that the locking state of the lance 15 is good even though it is incomplete, for example, the locking state of the lance 15 may be
If the male terminal 4 is damaged, the lock is released and the male terminal 4 is free to move in the axial direction, and the male terminal 4 is inserted into the terminal storage hole 11.
There is a risk that it will easily come out and fall off.

In addition, if the male terminal 4 is not inserted sufficiently for some reason, the lance 15 will not be locked to the male terminal 4 and the male terminal 4 will not be locked.
The male terminal 4 is in contact with the lower surface of the terminal 4, and the male terminal 4 can freely move in the axial direction. Therefore, when external vibrations or the like are applied to the connector 1, the male terminals 4 may easily be pulled out of the terminal storage holes 11 and fall off.

Furthermore, after being installed in a car, etc., the mating state is determined and confirmed by checking the continuity state between the male terminal 4 and the female terminal 5, which is a very troublesome work.
There were also problems such as the inability to check while driving.

Furthermore, for example, if the male terminal 4 and the lance I5 are not locked and are mated with the mating female terminal 5, the contact resistance between the male terminal 4 and the female terminal 5 will increase. To,
If a large current flows through these terminals, it will easily generate heat and cause a fire, and if a small current flows, it will cause a momentary current interruption. For example, if the male terminal 4 is pulled out of the terminal storage hole ll and completely falls off, the circuit will be completely disconnected and the related electronic equipment will not operate at all. .

As described above, the conventional connector 1 has various problems, and there is an urgent need for improvement.

This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and
It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector that can accurately and easily determine and confirm the fitted state of the female terminal and the male terminal when the male terminal and the female terminal are fitted together.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following connector. That is, the connector according to claim 1 is a connector comprising a female terminal having a fitting portion formed at a distal end portion, and a male terminal fitted into the fitting portion, wherein the male terminal fixed to an elastically deformable portion of the female terminal that is elastically deformed by fitting into a fitting portion of the female terminal;
It is characterized by comprising a detection means for detecting the displacement amount of the elastic deformation occurring in the elastic deformation portion as a physical displacement amount.

Further, as a connector according to claim 2, in the connector according to claim 1, the detection means includes a strain gauge for detecting the amount of displacement of strain occurring in the elastic deformation portion as the amount of displacement of resistance value. It is characterized by

Further, as a connector according to claim 3, in the connector according to claim 1, the detection means includes a first piezoelectric element fixed to the elastic deformation section and for exciting vibration in the elastic deformation section; The second piezoelectric element is fixed to the elastic deformation part and detects the displacement amount of the vibration excited in the elastic deformation part as the displacement amount of the vibration response of the elastic deformation part.

[Operation] In the connector according to the present invention, when elastic deformation occurs in the elastic deformation portion of the female terminal due to the fitting by fitting the male terminal into the fitting portion of the female terminal, the following occurs. It has a powerful effect. That is, in the connector according to the first aspect, the detection means fixed to the elastic deformation section detects the displacement amount of the elastic deformation occurring in the elastic deformation section as a physical displacement amount. The detected displacement amount makes it possible to judge and confirm whether the fitting state of the male terminal and the female terminal is good or bad.

In the connector according to the second aspect of the present invention, a strain gauge fixed to the elastically deformable portion detects a displacement amount of strain occurring in the elastically deformable portion as a displacement amount of a resistance value. The amount of displacement of the detected resistance value makes it possible to judge and confirm whether the fitted state of the male terminal and the female terminal is good or bad.

In the connector according to claim 3, the first piezoelectric element fixed to the elastic deformation section excites vibration in the elastic deformation section, and the second piezoelectric element fixed to the elastic deformation section excites vibration in the elastic deformation section. The displacement amount of the vibration excited in the elastic deformation portion is detected as the displacement amount of the vibration response of the elastic deformation portion. The amount of displacement of the detected vibration response makes it possible to determine and confirm the quality of the fitted state between the male terminal and the female terminal.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a connector according to claim 2 of the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 31 indicates a connector according to the present invention.

The connector 31 is applied to a ring-shaped multidrop bus of a multiplex transmission Nostem installed in an automobile.
It is used to connect the communication unit and bus/branch line of the above system.

The connector 3 includes a communication unit side connector (hereinafter abbreviated as a unit connector) 32 and a bus/branch line side connector (hereinafter abbreviated as a branch connector) 33.

The unit connector 32 is one of the components of the communication unit.
It is mounted near an end 37 of a printed circuit board 36, and is composed of a male housing 38 and a pair of male terminals 39 held by the male housing 38.

The male housing 38 is a housing made of a material such as synthetic resin, and is mounted on the printed circuit board 36 so that its longitudinal sides 38a and 38b are parallel to the end 37 of the printed circuit board 36. It is placed on. A side surface 3 is provided at each longitudinal end of the side surface 38a on the far side from the end 37.
A fixing plate portion 40 is formed which projects vertically from 8a and stands vertically on the printed circuit board 36. On the other hand, a fitting plate portion 41 for fitting the branch connector 33 is formed in the center of the side surface 38b so as to extend horizontally from the side surface 38b toward the end portion 37.

The male terminal 39 is for taking out electrical signals from the communication unit to the outside, and is an L-shaped lead terminal made of conductive metal. One end of this male terminal 39 f39
a is located at the upper part of the fitting plate part 41 and protrudes from the side surface 38b in the vertical direction, and the other end 39b is located at the upper part of the side surface 38a.
It protrudes vertically from the top, and its tip is bent vertically downward and connected to the terminal portion of the wiring pattern on the printed circuit board 36.

The branch connector 33 includes a female housing 45 and a pair of female terminals 4646 held by the female housing 45.

Like the male housing 38, the female housing 45 is a housing made of a material such as synthetic resin, and has a pair of terminal storage holes 47.47 extending back and forth. A female terminal 46, which will be described later, is housed in each from the back side 48, and a rectangular opening 49 for locking the female terminal 46 is formed in the upper surface on the side of each terminal housing hole 47. Furthermore, holes 52 for fixing the female terminals 46 and measurement line fixing wedges 50 (to be described later) to the female housing 45 with pins 51 are formed on the back surface 48 side of the side surfaces of each terminal storage hole 47. There is. Fixed plate portions 54 extending vertically downward are formed on the front surface 53 side of both ends along the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface of the female housing 45, respectively.

These fixing plate parts 54 and 54 are connected to the male terminal 39 and the female terminal 4.
6, the fitting plate portion 41 of the male housing 38
are held and fitted from both ends. Furthermore, a fitting recess 50a is formed on one side of the wedge 50, into which the tip 51a of the pin 51 is fitted.

The female terminal 46 is a conductive metal plate bent into a U-shaped cross section, and is used to clamp and fix the electric wire 55 on the bus/branch line side. This female terminal 46 is connected to the opening 4
a top plate 46a provided with a locking portion 56 that locks on the top plate 9;
It consists of side plates 46b and 46C that are bent vertically downward from both sides of the top plate 46a. These side plates 46b and 46c constitute an elastic deformation portion that is elastically deformed by the male terminal 39 when the male terminal 39 is fitted thereinto. Fitting portions 57 are formed at the tips of these side plates 46b and 46c, and a strain gauge 58 is adhered to one of the side plates 46b with adhesive or the like.

The fitting portion 57 is for fitting the tip of the male terminal 39, and the tips of the side plates 46b and 46c are each bent inward.

A narrowed portion narrower than the tip of the male terminal 39 is formed between the portions 46c. In this fitting portion 57, when the male terminal 39 is fitted, the side plates 46b and 4
6c are each moved in a direction away from each other, and these movements cause elastic deformation in each of the side plates 46b and 46c.

The strain gauge 58 is for detecting the displacement amount of elastic deformation that occurs in the side plate 46b when the female terminal 46 and the male terminal 39 are fitted together as a displacement amount of strain.

The strain gauge 58 is constituted by, for example, a resistance wire strain meter using a resistance wire made of a copper-nickel alloy. A pair of measurement lines 59m and 59b are connected to this strain gauge 58 for extracting the magnitude of resistance as an electrical signal.

Next, a method of assembling the connector 31 having the above configuration will be explained.

First, the unit connector 32 is placed and fixed at a predetermined position on the printed circuit board 36. Next, a pair of male terminals 39.
The other end portions 39b of each of the wires 39 are brought into contact with terminal portions of the wiring pattern on the printed circuit board 36 for connection.

In parallel with the above, the terminal storage hole 47 of the female housing 45.
The female terminal 46 is housed in each of the female terminals 47 from the back side 48, and the locking portion 56 of the female terminal 46 is locked in the opening 49. Next, a wedge 50 is inserted from the back side 48 between the side plate 46b and measurement lines 59a, 59b of the female terminal 46 and the side surface of the terminal storage hole 47, and the pin 51 is inserted into the hole 52. 51 is fitted into the fitting recess 50a of the wedge 50.

Here, one side of the wedge 50 is connected to the side plate 46 of the female terminal 46.
b and measurement lines 59a and 59b,
A female terminal 46 is fixed to the side surface of the terminal storage hole 47.

Next, both ends 39a of the male terminal 39 held in the male housing 38 are inserted into the fitting portion 57 of the female terminal 46 housed in the female housing 45 from the front side 53 side, and at the same time, the ends 39a of the male terminal 39 held in the male housing 38 are fitted. Connect the fitting plate part 41 to the female housing 45
Insert and fit between the fixed plate parts 54 and 54 of.

Next, a method for determining and confirming whether the male terminal 39 and the female terminal 46 are properly fitted together will be described.

First, measurement data obtained by detecting the magnitude of strain generated in the side plate 46b by the strain gauge 58 for various fitting states of the female terminal 46 and the male terminal 39 is prepared in advance as data for comparison. Next, the magnitude of strain occurring in the side plate 46b of the connector 33 to be tested is detected by the strain gauge 58, and the quality of the fitted state is determined by comparing the magnitude of the detected strain with the above comparison data. Judgment/confirm.

In addition, the male terminal 39 and the female terminal 4 may
6. Even when it is necessary to judge/confirm the quality of the mutually fitted state, the magnitude of strain occurring in the side plate 46b of the connector 33 to be tested is detected by the strain gauge 58 in the same way as described above. The quality of the fitted state is determined and confirmed by comparing the magnitude of the strain with the above comparison data.

Next, an example in which the above connector 31 is applied to a ring'-shaped multidrop bus of a multiplex transmission system will be described.

First, a multiplex transmission system to which a ring-shaped multidrop bus is applied will be explained based on FIG.

In this figure, reference numeral 71 is a multi-drop ring made of a single wire, a bare wire, a twisted pair wire, a shielded wire, a shielded twisted pair wire, a coaxial cable, or the like. This multi-drop ring 7I has multiple branch lines IA,
I B,... are connected, and these branch lines I
A, I B, . . . each has multiple units A, B, .
・is connected. The multiplex units A, B,...
It controls various auxiliary machines such as lamps, wipers, and washers, and receives switch signals from each auxiliary machine.

Further, both ends of the multi-drop ring 71 are drawn into the output connector 72, and the output connector 72 is pulled into the output connector 72.
2 is coupled to a shorting connector 73 for shorting the multidrop ring 71.

Next, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the failure diagnosis unit 74.

The failure diagnosis unit 74 includes communication units 75a and 75b, and a control unit 76 that controls each of these communication units 75a and 75b.
It is roughly composed of.

Each of the communication units 75a and 75b sends and receives messages to and from other multiplex units, and the input/output end (left end in the drawing) of each of the communication units 15m and 75b is connected to a connector 78 via a lead wire 77. This connector 78 can be connected to the output connector 72.

On the other hand, the control unit 76 is a CPU% ROM (not shown).

It is composed of a RAM, an interface section, etc.
A fault diagnosis program is written in the OM.

Next, the multi-drop ring 71 configured in this way
A method of diagnosing a failure using the failure diagnosis unit 74 will be explained.

First, remove the short-circuit connector 73 from the output connector 72, and replace it with the connector 7 of the fault diagnosis unit 74.
Connect 8. As a result, the failure diagnosis unit 74 detects the multi-drop ring 7! connected to. Next, the communication section 75
Transmission is performed from g to the Q direction of the multidrop ring 71, and then from the communication section 75b to the multidrop ring 71.
Transmission is performed in the m direction. At this time, for example, responses from multiplex units A, B, C, and D are obtained for transmission in the Q direction, and responses from multiplex units E, FG are obtained for transmission in one direction.
If a response is obtained from the multiplex unit D, it can be diagnosed that a failure has occurred between the multiplex unit D and the multiplex unit E.

Next, based on FIGS. 5(a) to (e), the above connector 31
An example in which this is applied to the multi-drop ring 71 will be explained.

First, as shown in FIG. 5(a), a connector 31 consisting of a unit connector 32 and a branch connector 33' is provided in the multiplex unit D, and the measurement lines 59a', 59' of the strain gauge 58 are
b and these measurement lines 59a.

An output connector 72 and a short-circuit connector 73 are connected to the terminal of the strain gauge 59b on the opposite side of the strain gauge 58.

When determining and confirming the fitted state of the unit connector 32 and the branch connector 33, as shown in FIG. By detecting the resistance of the strain gauge 58, the magnitude of strain in the female terminal 46 is measured. By comparing the magnitude of this strain with measurement data of the magnitude of strain in various fitted states prepared in advance, it is possible to judge and confirm whether the fitted state is good or bad.

In addition, when determining and confirming the disconnection state of the branch line LD, as shown in FIG. Detect resistance in a circuit. The intermittent state of the branch line ID is determined based on the detected resistance value.
It can be confirmed.

As described in detail above, the connector 31 includes a unit connector 32 consisting of a pair of male terminals 39.39 and a male housing 38, and a pair of female terminals 46.46 having a fitting portion 57 formed at the tip. Since the branch connector 33 consists of a female terminal 1 unong 45 and a strain gauge 58 fixed to the side plate (elastic deformation part) 46b of the female terminal 46, the male terminal 39 and the female terminal 46 When mating, the strain gauge 58 detects the displacement amount of strain generated in the female terminal 46 as the displacement amount of the resistance value, and compares this displacement amount of the resistance value with pre-prepared data for comparison in various mating states. By comparison, it is possible to easily and effectively determine and confirm whether the fitted state of the male terminal 39 and the female terminal 46 is good or bad.

In addition, the male terminal 39 and the female terminal 4 may
6. Even when it becomes necessary to judge and confirm the quality of the mutually fitted state, the magnitude of the strain occurring in the female terminal 46 is detected by the strain gauge 58 in the same way as above, and the amount of displacement of this resistance value is determined in advance. By comparing with prepared comparison data for various fitted states, it is possible to judge and confirm whether the fitted state is good or bad. In addition, since the strain gauge 58 only needs to be attached to the side plate 46b of the female terminal 46, it can be immediately applied to various conventionally used branch connectors and female terminals, and there is no need to redesign these. Nor. Also,
There is no need to add new measurement equipment or parts.

Furthermore, by applying the connector 31 to a ring-shaped multi-drop bus of a multiplex transmission system, it is possible to judge and confirm the mating state of the unit connector 32 and the branch connector 33, that is, the mating state of the male terminal 39 and the female terminal 46. Therefore, it is possible to easily and effectively determine and confirm the intermittent state of the branch line ID.

In this way, the strain gauge 58 detects the amount of displacement of the strain occurring in the female terminal 46 as the amount of displacement of the resistance value, and the fitted state of the male terminal 39 and the female terminal 46 is determined based on the magnitude of the amount of displacement of the resistance value. It becomes possible to provide a connector 31 that can judge and confirm the quality of the connector.

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a connector according to claim 3 of the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 81 indicates a connector according to the present invention.

Note that the connector 81 is the connector 3 described in the first embodiment.
Among the constituent elements of 1, the strain gauge 58 is replaced with a piezoelectric element, and the other elements are completely the same. In addition, in FIG. 6, the same elements as those shown in FIG.
Description of these same elements will be omitted.

Regarding this connector 81, the connector 31 of the first embodiment
A different configuration will be explained below.

Side plate H of female terminal H46 housed in branch connector H33
46b, a first piezoelectric element 82 for exciting vibrations in the female terminal H46 is attached with adhesive or the like, and on the side plate H46c, the first piezoelectric element 82 causes the female terminal H46 to vibrate. A second piezoelectric element 83 for detecting the amount of displacement of the excited vibration as the amount of displacement of the vibration response is attached with adhesive or the like.

The first piezoelectric element 82 (second piezoelectric element 83) is composed of, for example, a rectangular foil-shaped barium titanate sintered body or a barium titanate thin film formed on a substrate. The first piezoelectric element 82 (second piezoelectric element 83) has a pair of measurement lines 84a, 84b (85a,
85b) is connected.

In addition, the side plates 46b and 46c of the female terminal 46 and the terminal storage hole 4
A fitting member 86 is fitted between both side surfaces of 7 .

The fitting member 86 has wedges 86b at both ends of a rectangular plate 86a.
, 86c are arranged parallel to each other and in the same direction. One wedge 86c has a tip H51 of a bottle H51.
A fitting recess 87 is formed for fitting a.

Next, a method of assembling the connector 81 having the above configuration will be explained.

First, the unit connector H32 is placed and fixed at a predetermined position on the printed circuit board H36, and the female terminal 846 is stored in the terminal storage holes H47 and H47 of the female housing H45 from the back surface H48, and the locking part of the female terminal H46 is H56 is locked in the opening H49. Next, a plate 86a is placed below the female terminal H46, a wedge 86b is placed between the side plate H46b and the side surface of the terminal storage hole H47, and a wedge 86b is placed between the side plate H46c and the side surface of the terminal storage hole H47. The wedges 86c are arranged so as to correspond to each other, and the fitting member 86 is inserted into the terminal storage hole H4.
Insert the bottle H5I into the hole H52 and insert the tip H51a of the bottle H51 into the fitting recess 8 of the wedge 86c.
7. Here, the side surface of the wedge 86b is connected to the side plate H4.
6b and the measurement lines 84a, 84b, and by pressing the side surface of the wedge 86c against the side plate H46c and the measurement lines 85a, 85b, respectively, the female terminal H46 is inserted into the terminal storage hole H4.
It is fixed on both sides of 7.

Next, the tip 39a of the male terminal H39 held in the male housing H3g is inserted into the fitting part H57 of the female terminal H46 housed in the female housing H45 from the front surface H53 side, and at the same time, the male housing H38 is fitted. The fitting plate part H41 is inserted between the fixing plate parts H54 and H54 of the female housing H45, and they are fitted together.

Next, a method for determining and confirming the quality of the fitted state between the male terminal H39 and the female terminal H46 will be described.

First, vibration is excited in the side plate H46b of the female terminal H46 by exciting the first piezoelectric element 82 under predetermined conditions, and the vibration response spectrum (frequency (amplitude size for)
By detecting , spectrum patterns for comparison of vibration response spectra in various fitted states of the female terminal H46 and the male terminal H39 are prepared. Next, the first piezoelectric element 8 is attached to the side plate H46b of the female terminal H46 of the connector 81 of the test object.
2, vibration is excited under predetermined conditions, and the vibration response spectrum excited by the second piezoelectric element 83 is detected. Next, by comparing the detected vibration response spectrum with the above comparison spectrum pattern, the male terminal H3 is determined.
9 and the female terminal H46 are judged and checked to see if the fitting condition is good or not.

In addition, even if it becomes necessary to judge and confirm the quality of the mating state between the male terminal H39 and the female terminal (I46) after being mounted on an automobile, etc., the side plate H46b of the connector 81 of the test object The first piezoelectric element 82 excites vibration under predetermined conditions, the second piezoelectric element 83 detects the excited vibration response spectrum, and compares the detected vibration response spectrum with the above comparison spectrum pattern. By comparing, determine and confirm the quality of the fitted state.

Next, based on FIGS. 8(a) to (c), the above connector 81
An example in which this is applied to the multi-drop ring H71 will be explained.

First, as shown in FIG. 8(a), a connector 81 consisting of a unit connector H32 and a branch connector H33 is provided in the multiplex unit HD, and the measurement line 84 of the first piezoelectric element 82
a, 84b and measurement lines 85a, 8 of the second piezoelectric element 83
5b, and these measurement lines 84a, 84b, 85a
, 85b are connected to the output connector H72 and the short-circuit connector H73.

When determining and confirming the fitted state of the unit connector H32 and the branch connector H33, as shown in FIG. A signal processor 92 is connected to the terminals of the measurement lines 85a and 85b. Next, the signal generator 91 applies white noise to the first piezoelectric element 82 to vibrate the first piezoelectric element 82, thereby exciting the side plate H46b of the female terminal H46 to vibration. Next, the vibration response excited in the side plate H46e is detected by the second piezoelectric element 83, and the detected signal is manually input to the signal processor 92. The signal processor 92 determines the vibration response spectrum of the female terminal H46 based on the detection signal. By comparing this vibration response spectrum with the comparison spectrum pattern described above, it is possible to determine and confirm whether or not the mutually fitted state of the male terminal H39 and the female terminal H46 is good or bad.

In addition, when determining and confirming the intermittent state of branch line HID,
As shown in FIG. 3C, a resistance measuring device H79 is connected to the terminals of the multidrop ring H71 and the measuring wire 84g at the output connector H72 to detect the resistance of these circuits. The disconnected state of the branch line HID can be determined and confirmed based on the detected resistance value.

As described above in detail, the connector 81 includes a unit connector 32 consisting of a pair of male terminals 39.39 and a male housing 38, and a pair of female terminals 46.46 having a fitting portion 57 formed at the tip. A branch connector 33 consisting of a female housing 45 and a side plate H4 of a female terminal H46.
6b is equipped with the first piezoelectric element 82, and the side plate H46c is equipped with the second piezoelectric element 82, so when the male terminal H39 and the female terminal H46 are fitted together, the first piezoelectric element 82 to excite vibration in the female terminal H46, detect the vibration response spectrum excited by the second piezoelectric element 83, and compare this vibration response spectrum with the comparison spectrum pattern described above. The quality of the fitted state of the terminal H46 can be easily and effectively determined and confirmed. In addition, even when it becomes necessary to determine and confirm the quality of the mating state between the male terminal H39 and the female terminal H46 after being mounted on a car or the like or while driving the car, the second piezoelectric element 83 By detecting the vibration response spectrum excited in the female terminal H46 and comparing this vibration response spectrum with the above-mentioned comparison spectrum pattern, it is possible to judge and confirm whether the fitted state is good or bad. Also, the side plate H46 of the female terminal H46
b (H46c), the first piezoelectric element 82 (second piezoelectric element 83) can be applied immediately to various conventionally used branch connectors and female terminals. There is no need to redesign it. Furthermore, there is no need to add new measurement equipment or parts.

In addition, since the fitted state of the male terminal H39 and female terminal H46 is determined and confirmed by comparing the vibration response spectrum detected by the second piezoelectric element 83 with the above-mentioned comparative spectrum pattern, various fitting conditions can be detected. Comparison with the pattern of the fitted state can be performed easily and quickly, making it easier to determine and confirm the fitted state and increasing reliability.

Furthermore, by applying the connector 81 to a ring-shaped multi-drop bus of a multiplex transmission system, it is possible to not only judge and confirm the mating state of the unit connector H32 and the branch connector H33, that is, the mating state of the male terminal H39 and the female terminal H46. , it is also possible to easily and effectively determine and confirm the disconnection state of the branch line H1D.

In this way, by comparing the vibration response spectrum excited in the female terminal with the above-mentioned comparison spectrum pattern, the connector 81 can determine and confirm the quality of the fitted state between the male terminal H39 and the female terminal H46. It becomes possible to provide.

[Effects of the Invention] A connector according to claim I of the present invention includes a female terminal having a fitting portion formed at a tip end thereof, and a male terminal fitted into the fitting portion, The male terminal is fixed to an elastically deformable portion of the female terminal that is elastically deformed by fitting into the fitting portion of the female terminal, and the displacement amount of the elastic deformation occurring in the elastically deformable portion is detected as a physical displacement amount. Since the detection means fixed to the elastic deformation section is provided with a detection means for deforming the elastic deformation section of the female terminal by fitting the male terminal into the fitting section of the female terminal, the detection means is fixed to the elastic deformation section. The amount of displacement due to elastic deformation can be detected as the amount of physical displacement, and therefore, the quality of the fitted state between the male terminal and the female terminal can be easily and effectively determined and confirmed based on this amount of displacement.

Further, the connector according to claim 2 is the connector according to claim 1, wherein the detection means includes a strain gauge for detecting the amount of displacement of strain occurring in the elastic deformation portion as the amount of displacement of resistance value. Therefore, the strain gauge fixed to the elastically deformable portion can detect the amount of displacement of the strain occurring in the elastically deformed portion as the amount of displacement of the resistance value, and the magnitude of the detected amount of displacement of the resistance value. Accordingly, it is possible to easily and effectively judge and confirm whether or not the fitted state of the male terminal and the female terminal is good or bad. Furthermore, even after being mounted on a vehicle or the like, the quality of the fitted state can be easily and effectively determined and confirmed by detecting the magnitude of strain occurring in the female terminal.

Moreover, since it is sufficient to provide a strain gauge on the female terminal, it can be immediately applied to various conventionally used branch connectors and female terminals, and there is no need to redesign these.

Furthermore, there is no need to add new measurement equipment or parts.

In the connector according to claim 3, in the connector according to claim 1, the detection means includes a first piezoelectric element fixed to the elastically deformable portion and for exciting vibration in the elastically deformable portion; and a second piezoelectric element that is fixed to the deformable portion and detects the amount of displacement of the vibration excited in the elastically deformed portion as the amount of displacement of the vibration response of the elastically deformed portion. A first piezoelectric element fixed to the elastically deformable part can excite vibrations in the elastically deformable part, and a second piezoelectric element fixed to the elastically deformable part can excite vibrations in the elastically deformable part. can be detected as the amount of displacement of the vibration response of the elastic deformation portion, and therefore, it is possible to more easily and effectively determine whether the fitted state of the male terminal and the female terminal is good or not based on the pattern of the amount of displacement of the detected vibration response.・Can be confirmed. Further, even after being mounted in a car or the like or while driving a car, by detecting the vibration response spectrum excited by the female terminal, it is possible to more easily and effectively determine and confirm the quality of the fitted state. In addition, since it is only necessary to provide the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element in the female terminal, it can be immediately applied to various conventionally used branch connectors and female terminals, and these can be newly designed. There's no need to redo it. Furthermore, there is no need to add new measurement equipment or parts. In addition, the mating state of the male and female terminals is determined and confirmed by comparing the vibration response spectrum with the comparison spectrum pattern, making it easy and quick to compare patterns with various mating states. This makes it easier to judge and confirm the fitted state and increases reliability.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are views showing a connector according to an embodiment of claim 2 of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the connector, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing ■-■ in FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a ring-shaped multi-drop bus, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the fault diagnosis unit, and FIGS. 5(a) to (e) are FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams showing an example of a configuration in which a connector is applied to a ring-shaped multi-drop bus, and FIGS. A partial perspective view of the connector, FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in FIG. The figure shown in FIG. 9 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing a conventional connector. 31... Connector, 32... Unit connector, 33...
...Branch connector, 38 ...Male housing, 39 ...
Male terminal, 4K...Mating plate part, 45...Female housing, 46...Female terminal, 47...Terminal storage hole, 50...
・Wedge, 51 ... Pin, 54 ...
... Fixed plate part, 46a... ... Top plate, 46b, 46c... ... Side plate (elastic deformation part), 57
・Fitting part, 58 ・・Strain gauge, 59 ・・Measurement wire, connector, first piezoelectric element, second piezoelectric element, 4 b, 85a, 85b ・・Fitting Member, 86b, 8 8 l... 84 a 8 86... Measuring line, 6c...

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) In a connector comprising a female terminal having a fitting portion formed at the tip thereof and a male terminal fitting into the fitting portion, the male terminal is fitted into the fitting portion of the female terminal. fixed to an elastically deformable portion of the female terminal that elastically deforms when mated;
A connector characterized by comprising a detection means for detecting a displacement amount of elastic deformation occurring in the elastic deformation portion as a physical displacement amount. (2) The connector according to claim 1, wherein the detection means comprises a strain gauge for detecting a displacement amount of strain occurring in the elastic deformation portion as a displacement amount of resistance value. (3) The detection means includes a first piezoelectric element fixed to the elastic deformation part for exciting vibrations in the elastic deformation part, and a first piezoelectric element fixed to the elastic deformation part for exciting vibrations in the elastic deformation part. 2. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a second piezoelectric element for detecting the amount of displacement as the amount of displacement of the vibration response of the elastic deformation section.