JPH0554934A - Connector connecting method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To absorb the size difference between a female and a male connectors and prevent the damage of terminals and a housing regarding a connector connecting apparatus by which a female and a male connectors installed in both members of an installment panel and a dashboard are fitted to each other and connected simultaneously with the assembly of the installment panel and a dashboard. CONSTITUTION:A bracket E is fixed in a dashboard and a connector holder D is so installed in its fixing mouth 12 as to elastically move up and down and right and left and at the same time a male connector A in which a cam pin 3 is extruded is so supported in the holder as to move forward and backward. A pin guiding groove 22 for the cam pin 3 is formed in the hood 18 of a female connector B to be fixed in an installment panel and at the same time, a cam member C having a pair of arms 27, 27 in which cam grooves 28 are formed is set in the way it can be detached freely. At the time of assembly of the dashboard and the installment panel, both connectors are temporarily fitted to each other in the condition that the female and the male terminals 16, 21 do not touch each other and from that position, both are really fitted to each other by the cam member C.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector connecting method and a connecting device capable of simultaneously fitting and connecting female and male connectors when assembling component parts in an automobile, for example.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, automatic assembly of various components in automobiles has been strongly promoted. For example, when installing an instrument panel (hereinafter also abbreviated as an instrument panel) on a dashboard, a wire harness There is a demand for a structure that enables simultaneous connection. FIG. 6 shows an example thereof (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-142345), in which an assembly guide b is provided at the center of a dashboard a, and an instrument panel d is used.
Corresponding engagement rails e are provided on the panels, and the connectors c and c on the left and right of the dashboard and the instrument panel side connectors c ′ and c ′ are connected at the same time when the instrument panel d is attached to the dashboard a. .. As shown in FIG. 7, the connector c'is formed as a movable connector provided with a ring-shaped spring member f on its four circumferences, and absorbs vertical and horizontal errors during assembly. Note that g and g'are connector mounting plates,
h indicates a fitting groove.

[0003]

In the connection structure of the connectors c and c'shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the dimensional error in the connector fitting direction is not sufficiently absorbed, and when the instrument panel d having a larger weight is assembled, Due to the inertia of the two connectors c and c ', the mating start state is directly changed to the main mating state. Therefore, when the number of poles of the connector terminal is large or the insertion force of the terminal is large, a large force is applied to the connector itself. However, there is a problem in that the terminals and the connector housing are easily damaged, and the reliability of electrical connection is poor.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. When one of the female and male connectors is attached to the dashboard and the other is attached to the instrument panel, the female and male connectors are assembled when the two are assembled. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector connecting method and device that can reliably absorb a dimensional error between them, prevent damage to connector terminals and a connector housing, and provide a highly reliable electrical connection state.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the connector connecting method of the present invention is, as set forth in claim 1, mounted and fixed so as to face an automobile dashboard and the board. A male connector that houses a plurality of female terminals and has cam pins on both sides of the outer peripheral wall is attached to one of the surfaces facing the instrument panel that is elastically displaceable up and down and left and right, and is movable forward and backward. A hood for accommodating the terminal and for receiving the male connector is provided, and a female connector in which a cam member having a cam groove is detachably inserted is attached to the hood, and the instrument panel is assembled and fixed to the dashboard. By partially fitting the male connector to the hood and holding it in the temporary mating position where the female and male terminals do not come into contact with each other. By the engagement between the cam groove and the cam pin pushes the cam member, attracts a male connector to the female connector side, the female, and wherein the moving to the engaging position where the male terminal is in full contact. The connecting device has a plurality of female terminals housed on one of the facing surfaces of a dashboard of an automobile and an instrument panel that is assembled and fixed so as to face the dashboard, as described in claim 2. In a connector connecting device in which a male connector is provided and a female connector accommodating a plurality of male terminals is provided on the other side so that the female and male connectors can be fitted and connected at the same time when the instrument panel is assembled to the dashboard , A bracket having a fitting port is attached to one of the dashboard and the instrument panel, a connector holder is elastically displaceable vertically and horizontally to the fitting port, and the male connector is supported in the connector holder so as to be able to move forward and backward. Cam pins are provided on both sides of the outer peripheral wall of the male connector, and the female connector hood is fitted with the connector. A cam member having a pair of arms provided with a pin guide groove for the cam pin and an arm insertion hole orthogonal to the pin guide groove, the arm insertion hole having a cam groove for engaging the cam pin; The arm is detachably inserted, and when the dashboard and the instrument panel are assembled, the male connector is tentatively fitted to the hood of the female connector with the female and male terminals being substantially uncontacted,
When the cam member is operated, the cam pin engages with the cam groove to pull the male connector toward the female connector, and the temporary fitting position is changed to the full fitting position where the female and male terminals are in complete contact. It is characterized by a structure that moves.

[0006]

According to the present invention, by mounting the instrument panel on the dashboard, the female and male connectors are temporarily fitted,
Since the male connector is supported by the connector holder that is elastically displaceable vertically and horizontally with respect to the bracket, even if there is some axial misalignment with the female connector, this is absorbed and the female and male connectors are absorbed. Since the terminal (connector terminal) is almost in a non-contact state, the connector terminal and the connector housing are not subjected to an unreasonable force such as a prying force, and damage is prevented. Therefore, the main fitting is performed by operating the cam member while the female and male connectors are always aligned, the cam pin engages the cam groove and is smoothly performed with a small force, and a stable electrical connection state is obtained. ..

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1, A is a male connector, B is a female connector, C is a cam member, a male connector A is supported by a dashboard through a connector holder D and a bracket E, and a female connector B is on the instrument panel side. It is fixed to the case.

As shown in FIG. 2, the male connector A housing 1 made of synthetic resin has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 2 therein, and cam pins 3 and 3 are provided in front of upper and lower outer peripheral walls. A female terminal 16 with an electric wire is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 2. A fitting guide chamfer 1a is provided on the mating surface side of the housing 1 with the female connector B, and the cam pins 3 are projectingly provided on the chamfer 1a. Also,
Connector holders D are provided on the upper, lower, left and right outer peripheral walls of the housing 1.
A plurality of guide grooves 4 are formed along the fitting direction, and left and right outer peripheral walls are formed with two slide grooves 5 and 5 vertically, and each slide groove 5 has a temporary locking recess 5a.
The main locking recess 5b is provided.

The connector holder D comprises a frame-shaped main body 6 for supporting the male connector A so as to be able to move forward and backward, and a retaining collar 7 provided around the rear end edge thereof. On the inner surfaces of the upper and lower left and right frame walls of the frame-shaped main body 6, guide protrusions 8 are formed so as to be aligned with the guide grooves 4 of the male connector A, and on the left and right frame walls, two flexible locking arms 9 are vertically arranged. 9 is provided. This flexible locking arm 9 is formed so as to be elastically displaceable inside the frame-shaped main body 6 via the slits 10 on both sides, and the slide groove 5 is formed at its free end.
It has a locking claw 9a that engages with the temporary locking recess 5a and the main locking recess 5b. A reinforcing rib 6a is provided around the front edge of the frame body 6.

The bracket E has a fitting opening 12 for the connector holder D formed at the center of the frame-shaped main body 11, and
Elastic support pieces 13 are provided on four sides of the mouth 12 in a protruding manner. In addition, the dovetail groove 1 is provided on both sides of the plate-shaped body 11 with the fitting opening 12 interposed therebetween.
The clip mounting portion 14 having 4a is bulged and the base portion 15a of the clip 15 is detachably mounted in the dovetail groove 14a. The clip 15 is a plate-shaped main body 1.
It may be molded integrally with 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the female connector B is provided with a hood 18 for receiving the male connector A in front of the housing body 17 and a mounting flange 19 at the rear end thereof, and a terminal accommodating chamber in the body 17 is provided. A male terminal 21 corresponding to the female terminal 16 is housed and locked at 20 (see FIG. 4). The hood 18 is a frame body composed of left and right side walls 18a and upper and lower side walls 18b thicker than the side walls. A pin guide groove 22 for the cam pin 3 of the male connector A is formed on the inner surface of the upper and lower side walls 18b. Has been done. The pin guide groove 22 is provided along the fitting direction of the male connector A, and an introduction guide groove 22a that is sufficiently wider than the outer diameter of the cam pin 3 is provided at the tip end opening portion thereof. Further, arm insertion holes 23 for a pair of arms 27 of the cam lever C are formed through both upper and lower side walls 18b of the hood 18. The arm insertion hole 23 is formed at right angles to the connector fitting direction, that is, across the pin guide groove 22, and further the side wall 18 is formed.
A flexible locking piece 24 is provided on the outer surface of b. The flexible locking piece 24 has the arm insertion hole 2 through the two slits 25.
3 is formed so as to be retractable from and retractable, and a locking claw 24a is projectingly provided on the inner surface of its free end.

The cam member C is U-shaped, and has arms 27 orthogonally arranged at both ends of the operation plate 26.
A cam groove 28 that engages with the cam pin 3 is provided on the inner surface of the locking groove 2 that engages with the flexible locking piece 24 on the outer surface.
9 is recessed. The cam groove 28 is composed of a wide introduction guide groove 28a and an inclined groove 28b extending obliquely rearward therefrom. Further, the locking groove 29 is provided with a temporary locking recess 29a on the front end side and a main locking recess 29b on the rear end side.

In the above structure, when the connector holder D is first inserted into the fitting hole 12 of the bracket E, the retaining brim 7 comes into contact with the plate-shaped body 11 and the tips of the elastic supporting pieces 13 on the four sides are reinforced. It engages with the rib 6a. As a result, the connector holder D is prevented from being pulled out forward and backward, and the connector holder D is supported by the four side elastic support pieces 13 so as to be displaceable vertically and horizontally as indicated by arrows X and Y in FIG. Therefore, the male connector A attached to the terminal of the wire harness W (see FIG. 4A) is inserted into the frame-shaped main body 6 to bring it into a temporarily locked state. That is, the frame-shaped body 6
Due to the alignment of the inner guide ridge 8 and the guide groove 4 on the outer periphery of the housing 1, the male connector A is smoothly inserted, and
Locking claw 9 of the flexible locking arm 9 that enters along the slide groove 5
a engages with the temporary locking recess 5a, and the male connector A is temporarily locked with respect to the connector holder D in a state in which it can move back and forth as indicated by arrow Z in FIG. Finally, the connector holder D
The bracket E to which the connector A is attached via
As shown in (A), the mounting holes a ₁ of the dashboard a,
Insert the clips 15 and 15 into a ₁ and fix.

On the other hand, the female connector B is, for example, an instrument panel d.
(See FIG. 6) The mounting flange 19 is screwed and fixed. In the female connector B, a pair of arms 27, 2 of the cam member C are previously provided in the arm insertion holes 23, 23.
7 is inserted to engage the locking claw 24a of the flexible locking piece 24 with the temporary locking recess 29a of the locking groove 29 to temporarily lock (see FIG. 1). At this temporary locking position, the introduction guide groove 28a of the cam groove 28 and the introduction guide groove 22a of the pin guide groove 22 are aligned.

In the above state, when the instrument panel d is tightened and fixed to the dashboard a by bolts as in FIG. 6 and the assembly is completed, only the tip portion of the male connector A is shown as shown in FIG. 4 (A). Is the hood 18 of the female connector B
Enter (temporary mating). At this time, female and male terminals 1
6,21 are not in contact yet. The male connector A can be easily fitted into the hood 18 by the chamfer 1a on the fitting surface side, and the male connector A can be displaced vertically and horizontally as described above, and thus has a self-centering function. Therefore, even if the female connector B has some axial misalignment, it is absorbed, and the female and male connectors A and B are always held in alignment by temporary fitting, and the female and male terminals 16, 21 facing each other are held. The axes of the two match. Further, as shown in FIG. 5 (A), the pin guide groove 22 of the female connector B and the cam groove 28 of the cam member C with respect to the cam pin 3 of the male connector A have wide introduction guide grooves 22a and 28a, respectively. The cam pin 3 does not twist the grooves 22 and 28.

The main fitting of the female and male connectors A and B is performed by operating the cam member C after the temporary fitting. In FIG. 5 (A), when the cam member C is pushed in the direction of the arrow P, the cam groove 28 (the inclined groove 28 of the cam groove 3 that engages with the cam pin 3).
By b), the male connector A is pulled toward the female connector B side as shown by the arrow Q. 4 (B) and 5 (B)
Shows the main fitting state of both connectors, the front half of the male connector A is completely fitted in the hood 18, the fitting surfaces are in contact with each other, and the male terminal 21 is also in complete contact with the female terminal 16. is doing. In this fully fitted state, the locking claw 24a of the flexible locking piece 24 of the hood 18 is engaged with the regular locking recess 29b of the locking groove 29 of the cam member C, so that the cam member C is locked ( (See FIG. 3). Further, the locking claw 9a of the flexible locking arm 9 is engaged with the main locking recess 5b of the slide groove 5 in the male connector A, and the male connector A is also locked (FIG. 2).
reference).

In the above description, the male connector A is attached to the dashboard side and the female connector B is attached to the instrument panel side. However, they may be reversed. Incidentally, in order to make the female and male connectors A and B from the main fitting to the temporary fitting, the cam member C may be pulled back in the arrow P'direction in FIG. 5 (B).
The fitting of the female and male connectors A and B, that is, the fitting of the female and male terminals 16 and 21 should be performed by the engagement between the inclined groove 28b of the cam member C and the cam pin 3 with a force smaller than the original insertion force. Therefore, even a multi-pole connector can be connected very easily.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention,
One of the female and male connectors is fixed to the dashboard and the other is fixed to the instrument panel, and when both connectors are connected at the same time when both members are assembled, the dimensional error between both connectors is absorbed and the alignment is always made. It is possible to prevent damage to the connector terminals and the housing and obtain a highly reliable electrical connection state.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a device of the present invention in a separated state of female and male connectors.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the male connector of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the female connector of FIG.

4A is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a temporary fitting state of the male connector and the female connector in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing the main fitting state.

5 (A) and (B) are FIG. 4 (A) and (B), respectively.
It is a side view which shows a part corresponding to FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional connector connecting device.

7 is an enlarged perspective view showing a support structure of the dashboard side connector of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A Male Connector B Female Connector C Cam Member D Connector Holder E Bracket 1 Housing 3 Cam Pin 12 Fitting Port 13 Elastic Support Piece 16 Female Terminal 17 Housing Main Body 18 Hood 21 Male Terminal 22 Pin Guide Groove 23 Arm Insertion Hole 27 Arm 28 Cam Groove

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Koji Sano 206-1 Nunobikihara, Haibara-machi, Haibara-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture Yazaki Parts Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A male connector having a plurality of female terminals accommodated on one of the facing surfaces of a dashboard of an automobile and an instrument panel which is assembled and fixed so as to face the dashboard and has cam pins on both sides of an outer peripheral wall. Is attached to the upper and lower sides and right and left sides so as to be elastically displaceable and movable back and forth, and the other side is provided with a hood for accommodating a plurality of male terminals and for receiving a male connector, and a cam member having a cam groove is detachably inserted into the hood. The female connector is attached and the instrument panel is assembled and fixed to the dashboard so that the male connector is partially fitted to the hood, and the female and male terminals are brought into a temporary mating position where they do not come into contact with each other. After holding, the male member is pulled toward the female connector side by pushing in the cam member and engaging the cam groove with the cam pin. A method for connecting a connector, characterized in that the female and male terminals are moved to the final mating position where they are in complete contact. 2. A male connector accommodating a plurality of female terminals is provided on one of facing surfaces of a dashboard of an automobile and an instrument panel that is assembled and fixed so as to face the dashboard, and a plurality of male terminals are provided on the other side. In a connector connecting device capable of fitting and connecting a female connector and a male connector at the same time as mounting a female connector accommodating the instrument panel on a dashboard, one of the dashboard and the instrument panel is provided. A bracket having a fitting port is attached, a connector holder is attached to the fitting port so as to be elastically displaceable vertically and horizontally, and the male connector is supported by the connector holder so as to be able to move forward and backward, and on both sides of the outer peripheral wall of the male connector. A cam pin is provided so that the hood of the female connector has a pin plan for the cam pin in the connector fitting direction. The arm of a cam member having a pair of arms provided with a groove and an arm insertion hole orthogonal to the pin guide groove and having a cam groove engaging with the cam pin is detachably inserted. The male connector is attached to the hood of the female connector when the dashboard and the instrument panel are assembled,
The male terminal is tentatively fitted in a substantially non-contact state, the cam pin is engaged with the cam groove by the operation of the cam member, and the male connector is pulled toward the female connector side. A connector connecting device having a structure in which a male terminal is moved to a final mating position in a state where the male terminal is in complete contact.