JPH08124628A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a connector provided with a defective connection preventive function without making the structure complicated, increasing the number of parts, and deteriorating the durability for a long duration. CONSTITUTION: Projected parts A, B are formed correspondingly in a side face of a lock arm 7 unitedly formed with a second connector 2 and a face of a first connector on the opposite to the side face, respectively. A spring 6 to be locked engagingly with an expanded part 7a at the position to which the lock arm is pushed up by the projected part B and to be compressed is installed in the first connector and at the time when the second connector 2 is inserted into the first connector 1 (at that time the projected part A passes above the projected part B), resilient force of the spring 6 is thus applied to both connectors. Since the spring 6 comes off the lock arm 7 at the insertion terminal point, creep deformation of a connector housing due to the resilient force of the spring after connection hardly occors. At the time when the connection is released, the projected part A passes under the projected part B and can be pulled out.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector provided with a lock mechanism used for connecting electric wires, optical fiber cords and the like, and more particularly to a connector having improved suitability for a highly reliable circuit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A second connector having an elastically deformable lock arm is inserted into and fitted to a first connector, and a locking member provided on the lock arm at the end of the insertion is used as a first member.
Among connectors with a lock mechanism that locks the connector and maintains the coupled state, there is a connector provided with a function of preventing incomplete coupling. Some of its prior art are listed below.

No. 64-51276 No. 3-19273 No. 61-99381 No. 4-47285 No. 5-47521 No. 4-306575 No. 5-43484 No. 5-43484 No. In each of the techniques disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 53-157157 / 1993, the spring reaction force is applied to the connector during insertion, and when the connection is incomplete, the spring force disengages the connection and the connection is defective. Is known.

[0004]

In the connector disclosed in the above publication, the push-back by the spring at the time of improper coupling may stop in the middle, and the reliability of improper coupling prevention is not sufficient.

Further, in the connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H10-32187, since the spring remains compressed even after the coupling is completed, the creep deformation of the connector housing due to the residual spring force is considered, and there is a problem in long-term reliability. .

Further, the connectors disclosed in the above-mentioned publications do not have the fear of the above-mentioned creep deformation because the spring reaction force is released after the coupling, but the structure is complicated and the number of parts and the number of parts assembling steps are large, resulting in productivity. It will be disadvantageous in terms of cost.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate these problems.

[0008]

The connectors of the present invention provided as a solution to the above problems are the following two.

(1) In a connector in which a second connector having an integrally deformable lock arm that is elastically deformable is inserted and fitted into the first connector, the protrusion A is formed on the side surface of the lock arm, and Protrusions B that guide and pass the protrusion A to the upper face when the second connector is inserted are provided on the surfaces facing the side faces, and further, the lock arm is pushed up by the protrusion B in the first connector. A spring is provided which is locked to the bulge portion and is compressed by further insertion of the second connector, and at the end of the insertion of the second connector, the projection A passes over the projection B and is locked to the inner end of the projection B, and A connector provided with a space in which the protrusion A can move inside the protrusion B when the locking of the bulging portion and the spring is released and the free end of the lock arm is pushed down (hereinafter referred to as the connector of the first invention).

(2) In a connector in which a second connector having an elastically deformable lock arm is inserted in and fitted to the first connector, a protrusion A is integrally formed in the first connector on the side surface of the lock arm. The elastic arms are provided with projections B on the side surfaces of the elastic arms, which are pushed down by the projections A when the second connector is inserted and allow the projections A to pass therethrough. A spring that is locked at the tip of the elastic arm at the pushed-down position and is compressed by further insertion of the second connector is provided. At the end of the insertion of the second connector, the projection A passes over the projection B and reaches the inner end of the projection B. A connector provided with a space (hereinafter, referred to as a space) in which the tip of the elastic arm and the spring are unlocked and the protrusion A can move inside the protrusion B by pushing down the free end of the lock arm. Referred to as a connector of the invention).

[0011]

When the second connector is inserted, the lock arm of the connector of the first invention is lifted by the protrusion B and the spring is locked to the arm. On the other hand, the connector of the second invention is an elastic arm provided on the first connector. Is pushed down by the protrusion A and the spring is locked to the arm. When further inserted from this position (this is referred to as A), the spring is compressed and a spring reaction force is applied to the inserted second connector. Therefore, if the fitting is incomplete, the second connector is surely pushed to the position A, and oversight of defective connection does not occur.

At the end of the insertion of the second connector, the lock arm of the connector of the first aspect of the invention and the elastic arm of the connector of the second aspect of the invention are elastically restored to release the lock of the spring.
The spring reaction force applied to the connector is released. Therefore, creep deformation of the connector housing due to the spring reaction force is unlikely to occur, and long-term reliability is ensured.

Further, the lock arm and the protrusion A are integrally formed with the second connector, and the protrusion B and the elastic arm of the second invention are integrally formed with the first connector, respectively, and the separate parts are only springs.

Therefore, the structure is simple, the number of steps for molding and assembling parts is small, and the productivity can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

In addition, when the connection is released, the projection A passes through a path that does not interfere with the lock arm and the elastic arm with respect to the spring, so that the extraction can be smoothly performed without requiring extra force.

[0016]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the connector of the first invention. In FIG. 1A, 1 is a first connector and 2 is a second connector. These connectors are made of resin. Although the terminal to be connected and the end of the ferruleed optical fiber are incorporated in the portion of the line C, this portion is not the gist of the present application, and is omitted for simplification of the drawing.

The first connector 1 has a socket-shaped connector housing, a groove 3 for inserting a lock arm, a slit 4 for an interference circuit with the lock arm, and a protrusion having a predetermined thickness and a length protruding from the inner surface of the groove 3. B is provided, and a spring 6 is incorporated in the groove 5 provided along the groove 3.

On the other hand, the second connector 2 has a lock arm 7 whose rear end in the insertion direction into the connector housing is a free end.
Is integrally formed, and a protrusion A that interferes with the protrusion B is provided on the side surface of the lock arm 7.

The tip of the projection B is provided with an inclined surface for guiding the projection A to the upper surface side when the second connector is inserted.

The protrusion A may be provided on the outer side surface of the lock arm 7 as shown in FIG. 2A, or as shown in FIG. It may be provided on the inner surface (the inner surface of the arm). The side surface of the lock arm referred to in the present invention refers to at least one of the outer side surface and the inner side surface.

When the lock arm 7 of FIG. 2B is adopted, the protrusion B has a slit 7b in the groove 3 as shown in the figure.
The shaft portion 9 integrated with the mail connector 1 to be inserted into the shaft 9 is provided and provided on the side surface of the shaft portion 9.

In the connector thus constructed, when the second connector 2 is inserted into the first connector 1, the protrusion A hits the protrusion B, and the lock arm 7 is moved to the position shown in FIG. It is pushed up as shown and the protrusion A becomes the protrusion B.
Of the spring 6, and one end of the spring 6 is locked to the bulging portion 7a of the lock arm 7 at this position. After that, the protrusion A passes over the protrusion B, and the spring 6 is compressed during this period and the first and second protrusions are pressed.
A spring reaction force is applied to the connectors 1 and 2. Therefore, if the insertion is not complete, the second connector 2 is pushed to the position where the spring 6 is fully extended (the above-mentioned position A), and the defective connection can be seen.

Next, when the second connector 2 reaches the insertion end point, the projection A rides over the projection B and is disengaged from the upper surface of the projection B, and the lock arm 7 is restored to the original posture. At this time,
The spring 6 is prevented from being restrained by the groove 5 and following the lock arm, so that the spring 6 is disengaged from the lock arm 7 and the spring reaction force is released. Further, the projection A is locked to the inner end of the projection B to prevent the second connector 2 from coming off, and the coupled state is maintained.

Further, the coupling is released by pushing down the free end of the lock arm 7 as shown in FIG. 1 (a). At this time, the protrusion A is displaced to the inside of the protrusion B, and disengages from the protrusion B and passes through a path on the side opposite to the insertion side, that is, a space below the protrusion B. Therefore, the interference between the spring 6 and the lock arm 7 does not occur, and the work can proceed without applying a force against the spring force.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the connector of the second invention. In this connector, the projection A provided on the side surface of the lock arm 7 is a projection having a predetermined length and thickness having a downward guide slope at its tip, and the elastic arm 8 integrally formed in the first connector 1 is provided. It is different from the connector of FIG. 1 in that a small protrusion B similar to the protrusion A of FIG. 1 is provided on the side surface of the arm and the spring 6 is incorporated in the second connector 2. However, the operation and effect are almost the same as those of the connector of FIG.

That is, when the second connector 2 is inserted, the protrusion A
1 hits the protrusion B, and as shown in FIG. 1B, the slope of the tip of the protrusion A guides the protrusion B to the lower side of the protrusion A, and the elastic arm 8 is pushed down. For this reason, the tip of the elastic arm 8 is locked to one end of the spring 6, and when the projection A passes over the projection B, the spring 6 is compressed and a spring reaction force for pushing out at the time of defective coupling is generated. Also, at the insertion end point, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion B is disengaged from the lower surface of the protrusion A, and the elastic arm 8 is returned to its original position, whereby the spring 6 is disengaged from the elastic arm 8 and the reaction force is released.
It is locked at the inner end of the lock.

When the free end of the lock arm 7 is pushed down to release the coupling, the protrusion A is displaced inward as shown in FIG. 2 (d) and passes through the space below the protrusion B to come out. .

In the connector of FIG. 2, the lock arm does not lift up significantly when coupled, and therefore the slit 4 for avoiding interference provided in the connector of FIG. 1 is unnecessary.

The spring 6 may be a coil spring, but if a bent wire spring or a thin leaf spring is deformed to generate a repulsive force, a small installation space is required.

The connector of the present invention is particularly suitable for use in intermediate connection of electric wires and optical cords and terminal connection for high-reliability circuits, but in addition to this, for locking seat belts, daily necessities, etc. It can also be used to fasten and lock various other elements such as belts, bands and cases used in.

[0031]

As described above, in the connector of the present invention, the protrusions A and B are provided correspondingly on both the first and second connectors, and the arm having one of the protrusions is made elastic by the interference action of the protrusions. Since the second connector, which is deformed and locked to the spring, is incompletely inserted and is positively pushed out by the spring reaction force, the defective coupling is prevented completely.

Further, since the lock is applied at the end point of the insertion and the spring reaction force is released, creep deformation of the housing hardly occurs and excellent long-term reliability is achieved.

Further, since the structure is simple and a part other than the connector housing is not required in addition to the spring, and the number of processing and assembling steps can be reduced, the productivity can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

In addition, since the projection A returns through the path that does not cause the arm and the spring to interfere with each other when the connection is released, the operability is improved and the drawbacks of the conventional connector are eliminated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a partially cutaway front view showing an example of a connector of the first invention. FIG. 1B is a view showing a state in which the above connector is in the middle of coupling. FIG. 1C is a diagram showing a completed coupling state. Diagram showing the state of uncoupling

FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing details of installation positions of protrusions A and B. FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing another example of installation positions of protrusions A and B.

FIG. 3A is a partially cutaway front view showing an example of the connector of the second invention. FIG. 3B is a view showing a state where the above connector is in the middle of coupling. FIG. 3C is a diagram showing a completed coupling state. Diagram showing the state of uncoupling

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 1st connector 2 2nd connector 3, 5 groove 4 slit 6 spring 7 lock arm 7a bulge part 8 elastic arm 9 shaft part A, B protrusion

Front page continued (72) Inventor Noritaka Inoue 1-14 Nishisuehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi Sumitomo Wiring Systems Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Mitsuru Ito 1-14 Nishi-suehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi In-company (72) Inventions Person Hitoshi Okumura 1-14 Nishisuehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi In Sumitomo Wiring Systems Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shoji Suzuki 1-14 Nishi-suehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi In Sumitomo Wiring Systems Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A connector in which a second connector having an integrally deformable lock arm that is elastically deformable is inserted into and fitted to a first connector, and a protrusion A is formed on a side surface of the lock arm, and the second connector of the first connector is provided. Protrusions B that guide and pass the protrusion A to the upper surface when the second connector is inserted are provided on the surface facing the side face, and the lock arm is expanded in the position where the lock arm is pushed up by the protrusion B in the first connector. A spring is provided that is locked to the projecting portion and compressed by further insertion of the second connector, and at the end of the insertion of the second connector, the projection A rides over the projection B and is locked at the inner end of the projection B, and A connector provided with a space in which the protrusion A can move inside the protrusion B when the bulging portion and the spring are unlocked and the free end of the lock arm is pushed down. 2. A connector in which a second connector having an elastically deformable lock arm is inserted into and fitted to a first connector so as to be coupled, and a protrusion A is formed on a side surface of the lock arm.
Is provided with an elastic arm integrally formed in the first connector, and a side surface of the elastic arm is provided with a protrusion B that is pushed down by the protrusion A when the second connector is inserted and allows the protrusion A to pass therethrough. In the connector, there is provided a spring that is locked at the tip of the elastic arm at a position where the elastic arm is pushed down by the protrusion A and is compressed by further insertion of the second connector,
At the end of the insertion of the second connector, the projection A rides over the projection B and is locked at the inner end of the projection B, and the elastic arm tip and spring are unlocked, and the projection A is projected by pushing down the free end of the lock arm. A connector provided with a space capable of moving inside B.