JPH08250215A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enhance reliability in incomplete insertion detection by correctly holding the insertion posture of a retainer. CONSTITUTION: A retainer 20 has guiding parts 21A, 21B, and a incomplete insertion detecting part 22 arranged in the rear than the guiding parts 21A, 21B, and a connector housing 10 has a lance bending space 16 and a guide groove 17. When the retainer 20 is fixed, the guiding parts 21A, 21B are fit to the guide groove 17, the retainer 20 is held in a specified posture, then incomplete insertion detection is conducted. Incomplete insertion detecting error caused by wrong posture of the retainer 20 is prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector in which a retainer detects half-insertion of a terminal fitting.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A connector of this type is shown in FIG. 8, in which a connector housing 1 is provided with a cavity 3 into which a terminal fitting 2 can be inserted and a terminal fitting 2 which is normally inserted. Lance 4 that locks the lever in a locked state
And a lance bending space 5 that allows the elastic bending of the lance 4. The retainer 6 attached to the connector housing 1 has a plate shape and can be inserted into the lance bending space 5.

When the terminal fitting 2 is inserted, the lance 4 abutting on the bottom surface of the terminal fitting 2 elastically bends so as to retract into the lance bending space 5, so that the terminal fitting 2 can be smoothly inserted. When the terminal fitting 2 is deeply inserted to the regular position, the lance 4 is fitted into the lance hole 7 on the bottom surface of the terminal fitting 2, and thus the terminal fitting 2 is held in the retaining state. When the terminal fitting 2 is in the half-inserted state without reaching the regular insertion position, the lance 4 remains in contact with the bottom surface of the terminal fitting 2,
The lance 4 projects into the lance bending space 5.

After the insertion work of the terminal fitting 2 is completed, the retainer 6 is inserted from the front surface side of the connector housing 1 into the lance bending space 5 and mounted. At this time, if the terminal fitting 2 is properly inserted, as shown in FIG. 8, the retainer 6 goes under the lance 4 to restrict the elastic bending of the lance 4, so that the terminal fitting 2 is double-locked. To be done. However, when the terminal fitting 2 is in the half-inserted state, the tip of the retainer 6 abuts against the lance 4 protruding into the lance bending space 5, and the retainer 6 cannot be inserted any further. By getting the terminal fitting 2
Can be detected half-inserted.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional connector, since the lance 4 is arranged at a position close to the front end of the connector housing 1, the lance 4 extends from the front end side opening of the lance bending space 5. , That is, the distance that the retainer 6 moves from the start of insertion into the lance bending space 5 to the position where half insertion detection is performed is short. Moreover, in order to facilitate insertion into the lance bending space 5, the tip end portion of the retainer 6 is formed with a taper surface 6A whose thickness decreases toward the tip end portion.

Therefore, when the tip of the retainer 6 reaches the position where the half insertion is detected, the retainer 6 is likely to be in a state in which the plate surface is tilted up and down as shown in FIG. For example, the tip of the retainer 6 may run up against the lance 4 that protrudes into the lance bending space 5 when the terminal fitting 2 is at the half insertion position, and as a result, the half insertion can be accurately detected. become unable.

The present invention was created in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to improve the reliability of half-insertion detection by maintaining the correct insertion posture of the retainer.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector housing having a cavity for accommodating a terminal fitting, and when the terminal fitting is provided in the connector housing and elastically deforms toward a lance bending space. Then, by inserting a retainer having a lance that engages with the terminal fitting after allowing the terminal fitting to pass therethrough and having a half-insertion detecting portion that can enter the lance bending space into the connector housing, the half-insertion detection is performed. The half-insertion detection part is attached to the retainer and the connector housing when the retainer and connector housing are inserted into the connector housing. A posture guide is provided to regulate the posture of the retainer inserted into the housing before it hits the lance in the lance bending space. Characterized in configuration as the place is.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the posture guide portion includes a leading portion which is provided on the retainer and projects toward the front end side from the half insertion detecting portion, and a leading portion which is provided on the connector housing. It is characterized by being configured with a guide groove that can be fitted.

The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 2, a taper surface for guiding the insertion into the guide groove is formed at the tip of the leading portion.

[0011]

According to the invention of claim 1, when the retainer is inserted into the connector housing, the insertion proceeds while the retainer is kept in the proper posture by the posture guide portion. Therefore, the half-insertion detector does not abut the lance when the terminal fitting is properly inserted, and the retainer surely abuts the lance protruding into the lance bending space when the terminal fitting is half-inserted.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the half-insertion detecting portion that abuts on the lance is at the position retracted relative to the leading portion, the lance is located forward of the guide groove. Accordingly, in the female terminal fitting, the engagement position with the lance can be provided not in the barrel portion having a relatively low strength but in the box-shaped main body portion having a high strength.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the leading portion projects further toward the tip side than the half insertion detecting portion, even if the leading portion is provided with a tapered surface, the tip of the half insertion detecting portion is angled. Can be a surface that abuts the lance at right angles to the insertion direction.

[0014]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the posture guide portion for regulating the inserting posture of the retainer is provided, there is an effect that the reliability of the half-insertion detection by the retainer is improved.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the lance can be engaged with the box-shaped portion having high strength in the female terminal fitting, a high engaging force can be obtained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the reliability of the half-insertion detecting operation can be enhanced while facilitating the entry of the leading portion into the guide groove.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The connector of this embodiment has a connector housing 10 having a hood portion 11 for guiding a mating male connector (not shown) when the connector is fitted.
And a retainer 20 mounted on the connector housing 10 to detect the half-insertion of the terminal fitting and perform double locking.

The connector housing 10 has two cavities 13, 13 into which female terminal fittings 12 can be inserted from the rear.
Are formed side by side, and lances 14 are formed on the lower walls of these cavities 13 in a cantilever state so as to project forward. The lance 14 is always in a state in which the engaging projection 14A on the upper surface thereof is projected into the cavity 13 so that it can be engaged with the female terminal fitting 12 that is normally inserted. It is possible to elastically bend downward so as to retract.

The bottom surface of the lance 14 is always parallel to the inserting direction of the retainer 20 which will be described later, and projects slightly outward from the outer surface of the lower wall of the cavity 13.
Below the lance 14, an excessive bending prevention portion 15 for preventing excessive bending of the lance 14 beyond the elastic limit is formed at a predetermined interval. This excessive bending prevention unit 1
5 and the space between the lances 14 and 14 are the lance 1
Lance flexure space 16, 1 for allowing elastic flexure of 4
It is 6. The upper and lower dimensions of the lance bending space 16 are such that the lance 14 has the engaging protrusion 14A in the cavity 13
It is set so that it can be bent until it is completely retracted. The lance bending space 16 is opened at the front end face of the connector housing 10, and the half insertion detecting portion 22 of the retainer 20 is inserted into the lance bending space 16.

When inserting the female terminal fitting 12, the lance 14 pressed by the bottom surface of the female terminal fitting 12 elastically flexes and retracts into the lance flexing space 16, whereby the female terminal fitting 12 is smoothly inserted. It can be performed. Female terminal fitting 12
When reaches the normal insertion position, the locking protrusion 14A elastically returns to engage the engaging projection 14A with the lance hole 12A opened at the bottom surface of the female terminal fitting 12, whereby the female terminal fitting 12 is locked by the lance 14. It is held in the retaining state. If the insertion work ends in a state where the female terminal fitting 12 is in a half-inserted position where it is not deeply inserted to the proper position, the engaging projection 14A will remain in contact with the bottom surface of the female terminal fitting 12, and thus the lance 14 The tip portion thereof is in a state of protruding into the lance bending space 16.

A space between the two lance bending spaces 16 and 16 and outside the lance bending spaces 16 and 16 is continuous with the lance bending space 16 and communicates with the end surface and the outer surface of the connector housing 10. Are formed, and these spaces correspond to the leading portions 21A of the retainer 20,
It is a guide groove 17 into which 21B is inserted. The lance bending space 16 and the guide groove 17 have their floor surfaces continuous with each other in the same plane. In addition, in order to position the retainer 20 in the left-right direction in the two guide grooves 17 on both sides of the lance bending space 16, the retainer 2 is moved forward from the rear end.
A partition portion 17A is formed along the insertion direction of 0.
Further, the lower wall of the cavity 13 is formed with locking portions 13A which can be engaged with the retaining projections 26 of the retainer 20 on both sides of each lance 14, and at the floor surface of the guide groove 17, An escape groove 17B into which the retaining projection 26 can enter is formed parallel to the insertion direction of the retainer 20 from a position corresponding to each locking portion 13A toward the front end surface of the connector housing 10.

The retainer 20 has a plate shape as a whole,
It is shaped vertically symmetrical. 3 retainer 20
One leading portion 21A, 21B, 21B and two half insertion detecting portions 22, 22 are arranged alternately in the left-right direction. A knob 23 having a large vertical dimension is formed at the rear end of the half-insertion detector 22.

The leading portions 21A, 21B can be fitted in the guide grooves 17, and in the fitted state, the leading portions 21A, 21B.
Both upper and lower plate surfaces come into close contact with the ceiling surface and the floor surface of the guide groove 17. Therefore, the leading portions 21A, 21B
Is regulated in a certain posture so that it can be fitted while being moved in parallel without rattling up and down or tilting in the guide groove 17. The leading portions 21A and 21B together with the guide groove 17 of the connector housing 10 constitute a posture stabilizing portion which is a constituent feature of the present invention.

Further, at the tip portions of the leading portions 21A and 21B, the tapered surface 2 whose plate thickness becomes thinner toward the tip side is formed.
4 are formed. Further, the three leading portions 21A, 2
In the two leading portions 21A and 21B on both sides of 1B,
A positioning groove 25 that can be fitted to the partition portion 17A in the guide groove 17 is formed. The positioning groove 25 and the partition portion 1 are formed.
The retainer 20 is positioned in the left-right direction with respect to the connector housing 10 by engaging with the connector 7A.

On the upper and lower surfaces of the leading portions 21A and 21B, the front edge side is a slope 2 on the side edges adjacent to the half insertion detecting portion 22.
The retaining projection 26 is formed as 6A, and its rear end side is a locking surface 26B that stands up at a right angle to the plate surface.
The retaining projections 26 on the upper surface side engage with the engaging portions 13A on both sides of the lance 14 when the retainer 20 is mounted on the connector housing 10, and thus restrict the retainer 20 from coming off. On the other hand, the retaining projection 26 on the lower surface side is provided with the escape groove 1
7B, whereby the lower surfaces of the leading portions 21A and 21B can be brought into close contact with the floor surface of the guide groove 17.

The tip of the half-insertion detector 22 is squared at right angles to the upper and lower plate surfaces, and the abutting surface 22A is perpendicular to the insertion direction.
Has become. The abutting surface 22A is connected to the leading portions 21A and 2A.
It is set at a position retracted from the tip of 1B, which corresponds to the fact that the lance 14 is located in front of the rear end surface of the guide groove 17. Therefore, the insertion of the semi-insertion detecting portion 22 into the lance bending space 16 is started when the insertion of the leading portions 21A and 21B into the guide groove 17 has progressed to a certain extent. The position immediately before the half insertion detecting portion 22 starts to insert the lance into the bending space 16 is the detection position for detecting the half insertion of the female terminal fitting 12, and the abutting surface 22A at this detection position. Corresponds to the tip of the lance 14. Further, the half-insertion detecting portion 22 comes under the lance 14 and comes into close contact with the bottom surface thereof when the retainer 20 is completely attached to the connector housing 10.

The plate thickness of the half-insertion detecting portion 22 is slightly thinner than the leading portions 21A and 21B, and the height of the plate surface is lower than that of the leading portions 21A and 21B. The bottom surface of the lance 14 slightly projects into the guide groove 17. As a result, the leading portions 21A and 21B are brought into close contact with the upper surface of the guide groove 17 and the half insertion detecting portion 22 is brought into close contact with the bottom surface of the lance 14 at the same time.

The size of the retainer 20 in the left-right direction is
Both end portions of the two leading portions 21B, 21B on both sides are set to have a size such that the both end portions protrude further outward than the outer surface of the connector housing 10. This leading portion 21B, 21B
The protruding portion of the retainer 20 is connected to the connector housing 10.
It is for engaging with a waterproof rubber plug (not shown) that is externally fitted to the connector housing 10 when it is mounted on, and preventing the rubber plug from coming off.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
First, the female terminal fitting 12 is inserted into the cavity 13, and then the retainer 20 is attached to the connector housing 10. At this time, the leading portions 21A and 21B are first fitted into the guide grooves 17, but since the tapered surfaces 24 are formed at the tips of the leading portions 21A and 21B, the fitting work can be easily performed. In the guide groove 17, the leading portion 2
1A and 21B move in the vertical direction without rattling or tilting, whereby the retainer 20 moves in parallel while maintaining a fixed posture until the mounting is completed.

Then, when the leading portions 21A and 21B have been fitted to a certain extent, the abutting surface 22A at the tip of the half-insertion detecting portion 22 reaches a position corresponding to the tip of the lance 14, and thereafter, the half-insertion detecting portion 22. Is the lance bending space 16
Insertion into the inside will start.

Here, when the female terminal fitting 12 is inserted in the proper position, the lance 14 is provided with a lance bending space 16
Since the lance flexure space 16 is retracted from, the lance flexure space 16 is in a state of being largely opened so that the half insertion detecting portion 22 can be inserted. On the other hand, the retainer 20 includes the leading portions 21A and 21B.
Since it is maintained in the correct posture by being fitted into the guide groove 17, there is no possibility that the half insertion detecting portion 22 will be inclined upward and the abutting surface 22A will abut the tip of the lance 14. Therefore, the half-insertion detector 22 can be smoothly inserted into the lance bending space 16 and sneak under the lance 14.

When the retainer 20 is completely attached, the upper surface of the half-insertion detector 22 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the lance 14 to prevent the lance 14 from elastically bending into the lance bending space 16. Thus, the female terminal fitting 12 is locked in the double locked state (see FIG. 6). In this state, the retaining projection 26 on the upper surface is engaged with the locking portion 13A, so that the retainer 20 is prevented from coming off the connector housing 10.

When the female terminal fitting 12 remains in the half-inserted position, the lance 14 is elastically bent so as to project into the lance bending space 16. Therefore, when the half insertion detecting portion 22 is about to be inserted into the lance bending space 16, the abutting surface 22A at the tip of the half insertion detecting portion 22 abuts against the tip of the lance 14, and the retainer 20 cannot be inserted any further (FIG. 7). See). When the operator feels this, it is detected that the female terminal fitting 12 is in the half-inserted state.

Even when the female terminal fitting 12 is in the half-inserted state, the lance 14 is slightly bent into the lance bending space 1 because the engaging projection 14A partially enters the lance hole 12A.
It may happen that it projects into the area 6. But,
Since the abutting surface 22A of the half-insertion detecting portion 22 is formed at a right angle to the insertion direction, the abutting surface 22A has a small amount even if the protrusion amount of the lance 14 into the lance bending space 16 is small. The lance 14 will surely hit the lance 14, and even in such a case, the half insertion can be reliably detected.

As described above, according to the connector of this embodiment, the retainer 20 is held in the correct insertion posture by the engagement between the guide portions 21A and 21B and the guide groove 17, so that the posture of the retainer 20 is misaligned. It is possible to prevent erroneous detection of half insertion due to

In this embodiment, the position of the half-insertion detecting portion 22 is set at a position retracted from the leading portions 21A and 21B, corresponding to the fact that the lance 14 is arranged on the front end side of the guide groove 17. . By disposing the lance 14 near the front end portion, the lance hole 12A is provided in the box-shaped main body portion 12B of the female terminal fitting 12 having a relatively high strength, which is located rearward of the main body portion 12B. This means that the engaging force between the female terminal fitting 12 and the lance 14 is higher than that in the case where a lance hole is provided in a relatively low-strength barrel portion (not shown) arranged, and the reliability of engagement is excellent. are doing.

By disposing the half-insertion detecting portion 22 so as to retract from the leading portions 21A and 21B in this manner, the tip of the half-insertion detecting portion 22 becomes the abutting surface 22A perpendicular to the insertion direction and the half-insertion detection is performed. It has been realized that both the improvement of accuracy and the ease of insertion into the guide groove 17 by forming the tapered surface 24 at the tips of the leading portions 21A and 21B are realized.

In this embodiment, since the retainer 20 is formed in a vertically symmetrical shape, the connector housing 1
It is excellent in workability because it is not necessary to consider the vertical direction of the retainer 20 when it is attached to 0.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition to the above, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

(1) In the above embodiment, the tip of the half insertion detecting portion 22 of the retainer 20 is arranged at a position retracted from the tips of the leading portions 21A and 21B. Since it is relatively determined by the position of the lance with respect to the depth of the guide groove on the housing side, the positional relationship between the half insertion detecting portion and the leading portion is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiment. , Can be set arbitrarily.

(2) Although the female connector has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention can be applied to a male connector.

(3) In the above embodiment, the retainer 20 has both the function of detecting the half insertion of the female terminal fitting 12 and the function of double locking the female terminal fitting 12, but the present invention is not limited to this. It can also be applied to the case where the retainer is removed from the connector housing after performing only half insertion detection without performing double locking.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a horizontal sectional view of a connector housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1 in a state where a female terminal fitting and a retainer are attached to a connector housing

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the connector housing.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a retainer.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a retainer is mounted at a main locking position.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state where the half-insertion of the female terminal fitting is detected.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a conventional example.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a retainer erroneously detects half insertion in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector housing 12 ... Female terminal metal fitting 13 ... Cavity 14 ... Lance 16 ... Lance bending space 17 ... Guide groove (posture guide part) 20 ... Retainer 21A, 21B ... Leading part (posture guide part) 22 ... Half insertion detection part 24 ... Tapered surface

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A connector housing having a cavity for accommodating a terminal fitting, and when the terminal fitting provided in the connector housing is inserted, it is elastically deformed toward a lance bending space to allow passage of the terminal fitting. By inserting a retainer having a lance that engages with the lance later and having a half-insertion detecting portion that can enter the lance bending space into the connector housing, the half-insertion detecting portion is inserted into the lance bending space. In the one in which the half-insertion state of the terminal fitting is detected by hitting the protruding lance, the half-insertion detecting portion is provided in the retainer and the connector housing as the retainer is inserted into the connector housing. Insertion of the retainer into the housing before hitting the lance in the lance bending space Connector, characterized in that the orientation guide portion for regulating is provided a. 2. The attitude guide portion includes a leading portion provided on the retainer and protruding toward the tip side of the half insertion detecting portion, and a guide groove provided on the connector housing into which the leading portion can be fitted. The connector according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein a taper surface for guiding the insertion into the guide groove is formed at the tip of the leading portion.