JPH06310209A - Lock connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To more easily improve the reliability of detection. CONSTITUTION:A female-side connector housing 10 has a short circuiting electrode 14 arranged on the top surface where flexible lock piece 13 is energized. Also, since a male connector housing 30 has a pair of lock detecting electrodes 33a, 33b held in the positions with which the flexible lock piece 13 makes contact by its restoring force when deflected and engaged, the restoring operation of the flexible lock piece 13 simultaneously conducts motions of engagement and short-circuit of terminal, so that no timing slippage is generated between the both.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lock connector capable of detecting a locked state of a pair of connectors.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of lock connector,
The one shown in FIG. 9 is known. In the figure, the male connector 1 is fixed on the substrate 2, and the reverse T
A pair of lock detection electrodes 4a and 4b are provided on both sides of the positioning piece 3 formed to project in a letter shape. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, the female connector 5 is provided with a U-shaped short-circuit electrode 6 having one end protruding so as to abut on both sides of the positioning piece 3 and the other end connected. There is. It should be noted that, at the initial stage when the short-circuit electrode 6 enters the both sides of the partition wall 3a of the positioning piece 3 which protrudes upward, the short-circuit electrode 6 is curved upward so that the lock detection electrode 4a, A guide protrusion 3b is formed so as not to come into contact with 4b.

On the other hand, a flexible lock piece 7 is integrally formed on the upper surface of the female connector 5, and the flexible lock piece 7 is also formed.
A convex portion 7a is formed on the upper surface of the above, and an engaging hole 1a with which the convex portion 7a of the flexible lock piece 7 can be engaged is formed above the inner surface of the male connector 1. In such a configuration, when the flexible lock piece 7 of the female connector 5 is bent and inserted toward the male connector 1, the short-circuit electrode 6 is formed.
Is curved upward by the guide protrusion 3b as shown in FIG. When the female connector 5 is properly inserted into the male connector 1, the convex portion 7a of the flexible lock piece 7 is inserted into the engaging hole 1a.
While entering and engaging, the short-circuit electrode 6 comes off the guide protrusion 3b and contacts the lock detection electrodes 4a and 4b as shown in FIG. Lock detection electrodes 4a, 4b
Is connected to a detection circuit (not shown), and it is determined that the connectors are locked in a short-circuited state.

[0004]

In such a lock connector, in order to improve the detection reliability, the timing at which the convex portion 7a of the flexible lock piece 7 engages with the engagement hole 1a and the short-circuiting purpose. The timing at which the electrode 6 contacts the lock detection electrodes 4a and 4b must match. However, the above-described conventional lock connector has a problem in that it is difficult to manufacture because it is necessary to improve the molding accuracy and the positioning accuracy of the short-circuit electrode. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a lock connector that can more easily improve the reliability of detection.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 can engage a flexible lock piece provided in one connector with a flexible lock piece provided in the other connector. A lock connector having a probe for detecting the locked state of each other connector, the connector on the side provided with the engaging portion is a member to be fixed. Along with the installation and fixing, a pair of lock detection electrodes is arranged at a position where the flexible lock piece in the engaging portion is brought into contact in the locked state, and for the connector on the side provided with the flexible lock piece, As a structure in which a short-circuit electrode for short-circuiting the same pair of lock detection electrodes is arranged at a position facing the lock detection electrode on the surface of the flexible lock piece that is biased by the engaging portion. Ah .

[0006]

In the invention according to claim 1 configured as described above, when the connector having the flexible lock piece and the connector having the engaging portion are fitted to each other, the flexible lock piece bends. After that, when the flexible lock piece is restored to the locked state, the short-circuit electrode disposed on the surface of the flexible lock piece on the side biased by the engaging portion is brought into contact with the flexible lock piece of the engaging portion. The pair of lock detection electrodes arranged at a certain position are short-circuited. On the other hand, since the lock detection electrode is held by the connector that is installed and fixed to the member to be fixed, the holding accuracy is improved and therefore the lock detection accuracy is improved.

[0007]

As described above, according to the present invention, the lock detection electrode and the short-circuit electrode, which are the probes, come into contact with each other by the recovery operation when the flexible lock piece is brought into the engaged state, and the lock detection is performed. Since the connector provided with the lock electrode is installed and fixed to stably hold the lock detection electrode, it is possible to provide the lock connector capable of easily improving the lock detection accuracy. .

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lock connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the female connector housing 10 has a plurality of small chambers 11 penetrating in the front-rear direction, and retains the female terminals inserted into the respective small chambers 11 by a retainer 20 by temporarily locking and permanently locking them. It is possible.
Further, a groove-shaped recess 12 oriented in the front-rear direction is formed in the upper middle of the female connector housing 10, and a flexible lock piece 13 is provided in the recess 12 from the rear side to the front front obliquely upward direction. Has been formed. A knob 13a is formed at the foremost end of the flexible lock piece 13, and an elongated hole-like engagement hole 13b that vertically penetrates is formed in the middle of the rear side of the knob 13a. is there.

The flexible lock piece 13 is provided with a short-circuit electrode 14 shown in FIG. The short-circuiting electrode 14 has an electrode portion 14a that holds the engaging portion 13a and the engaging hole 13b of the flexible lock piece 13 by winding the electrode portion 14a, and one end of the electrode portion 14a is connected to the electrode portion 14a to have a U-shaped cross section. The curved spring portion 14b is integrally formed with the spring portion 14b, and the end portion of the spring portion 14b is in contact with the bottom surface of the recess 12. In addition,
A contact protrusion 14a1 is formed on the upper surface of the electrode portion 14a. On the other hand, the male-side connector housing 30 is formed in a hood shape into which the female-side connector housing 10 can be inserted, and supports a male-side terminal that can be fitted and connected to the female-side terminal at a position facing each of the small chambers 11. . In addition, positioning ribs 31a and 31b are formed on the ceiling surface so as to be aligned in the front-rear direction so as to come into contact with both side surfaces of the recess 12 and be positioned. When the female connector housing 10 is inserted to the regular position in the male connector housing 30 in the middle of the positioning ribs 31a and 31b, the engaging hole 13b is formed.
Engaging ribs 32 that can engage with each other are formed in the engaging holes 13b at a position facing with. Further, a pair of lock detection electrodes 33a and 33b as shown in FIG. 2 are provided on the ceiling surfaces on both sides of the engagement rib 32 so as to sandwich the engagement rib 32, with their contact surfaces open downward.

A fixing portion 34 fixed to a printed circuit board (not shown) is provided on the lower surface of the male connector housing 30.
And the male side connector housing 3
Male side terminal held at 0 and the lock detection electrode 33
a and 33b are connected to the same printed circuit board. Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described. Regarding the female connector housing 10, the female terminal to which the electric wire is pressure-bonded is locked in the small chamber 11 by using the retainer 20, and the flexible lock piece 13 is provided with the short-circuiting electrode 14. deep. At this time, the spring portion 14b of the short-circuit electrode 14 is in contact with the lower surface of the flexible lock piece 13 at the upper end portion and is in contact with the upper surface of the recess at the lower end portion, and urges the flexible lock piece 13 upward. ing. The male connector housing 30 is fixed to the printed circuit board at the fixing portion 34.

As shown in FIG. 3, the female connector housing 10 is faced to the front surface of the male connector housing 30, and a positioning rib 31 in the male connector housing is provided.
The female connector housing 10 is inserted so that a and 31b enter the recess 12 of the female connector housing 10. As the female connector housing 10 is inserted, the engagement rib 32 contacts the upper surface of the flexible lock piece 13 as shown in FIG. 4, so that the flexible lock piece 13 is curved downward. Therefore, the electrode portion 14a of the short-circuiting electrode 14 is also moving downward, and even if the electrode portion 14a reaches the range overlapping the lock detecting electrodes 33a and 33b, both electrodes 33
Does not touch a and 33b.

However, when the female side connector housing 10 is inserted to the normal position, the engaging ribs 32 are locked by the flexible lock piece 1.
5, the flexible lock piece 13 is pushed back upward by its elasticity and the elasticity of the spring portion 14b of the short-circuiting electrode 14, as shown in FIG. . In this way, the engaging rib 32
And the female connector housing 10 by the engaging hole 13b.
And the male connector housing 30 are engaged with each other. On the other hand, the electrode portion 14a of the short-circuiting electrode 14 is formed so as to be wound up to the upper surface of the flexible lock piece 13, and the lock detecting electrodes 33a and 33b are arranged on both sides of the engaging rib 32. Therefore, when the flexible lock piece 13 is pushed back upward, the electrode portion 14a of the short-circuit electrode 14 short-circuits both the lock detection electrodes 33a and 33b. That is, the female connector housing 10 and the male connector housing 30
The lock detection electrodes 33a and 33b are short-circuited at the same timing as when and are engaged. Further, here, since the lock detection electrodes 33a and 33b are arranged in the male side connector housing 30 fixed to the printed circuit board, they are securely held at a predetermined position even if there is vibration and the like, so that the lock detection can be more easily performed. It is reliable.

Thus, the female connector housing 10
In FIG. 3, the short-circuit electrode 14 is disposed on the upper surface on which the flexible lock piece 13 is biased, and in the male-side connector housing 30, when the flexible lock piece 13 flexes and engages, the short-circuit electrode 14 abuts by the restoring operation. Since the pair of lock detection electrodes 33a and 33b are held at the positions to be held, the restoring operation of the flexible lock piece 13 simultaneously performs the operations of engaging and short-circuiting the terminals, so that no timing shift occurs between them. I have to. In the above-described embodiment, the short-circuiting electrode 14 in which the electrode portion 14a and the spring portion 14b are integrally formed is used, but it may be a separate body or may have only the electrode portion 14a. it can.

6 to 8 show another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, although the recess 41 similar to that of the above-described embodiment is formed on the upper surface of the female connector housing 40, the flexible lock piece 42 made of metal is provided in the recess 12. The lock piece 42 has a rear end fixed to the upper surface of the female connector housing 40, and a front end is vertically displaceable. Further, a knob 42a is formed at the tip portion, and an engaging hole 42b that penetrates vertically is formed in the rear portion of the knob 42a. In one male side connector housing 50, the engaging ribs 51 similar to those of the above-described embodiment are formed on the ceiling surface, and the lock detecting electrodes 52a and 52b are arranged on both sides thereof.

In this structure, when the female connector housing 40 is inserted into the male connector housing 50, the flexible ribs 42 made of metal are engaged by the engaging ribs 51.
Is curved downwards. Insert to the normal position and engage rib 5
When 1 enters the engaging hole 42b of the flexible lock piece 42, the flexible lock piece 42 returns and the lock detection electrodes 52a, 5 are inserted.
Short circuit 2b.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lock connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a short circuit electrode and a lock detection electrode.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection procedure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection procedure.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection procedure.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a lock connector according to another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection procedure.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection procedure.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a conventional lock connector.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a short circuit electrode and a lock detection electrode.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing a connection state of the short circuit electrode and the lock detection electrode.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a connection state of a short circuit electrode and a lock detection electrode.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Female side connector housing 13 ... Flexible lock piece 13b ... Engagement hole 14 ... Short circuit electrode 30 ... Male side connector housing 32 ... Engaging ribs 33a, 33b ... Lock detection electrode 34 ... Fixing part 40 ... Female side connector Housing 42 ... Flexible lock piece 42b ... Engagement hole 50 ... Male side connector housing 51 ... Engagement ribs 52a, 52b ... Lock detection electrode

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A lock connector in which a flexible lock piece provided in one connector is engaged with an engaging portion that is engageable with the same flexible lock piece provided in the other connector, and the locks of the connectors are locked with each other. In a lock connector equipped with a probe for detecting a state, a connector on the side provided with the engaging portion is installed and fixed to a member to be fixed, and the flexible lock piece in the engaging portion is in a locked state. A pair of lock detection electrodes are arranged at the abutting positions, and the connector provided with the flexible lock piece has a surface on the side urged by the engaging portion of the flexible lock piece. A lock connector characterized in that a short-circuiting electrode for short-circuiting the same pair of lock-detecting electrodes is arranged at a position facing the lock-detecting electrode.