JPH08330013A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a connector whose manufacturing costs can be reduced. CONSTITUTION: In a case 2, a retainer 21 is formed to project toward the front on the upper side of lances 8, 9, and an engaging projection part 22 is formed on the opposite side of the retainer 21 with respect to the lances 8, 9. The retainer 21 is formed in such a length that its tip is engaged with the engaging projection part 22. The retainer 21 is held in the bent state that its tip is engaged with the engaging projection part 22 and bent, and it is disposed between the lances 8, 9. The lances 8, 9 are engaged with the retainer 21, so that the bending of the lances 8, 9 is limited.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to an electric connector for connecting electric wires.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a connector 50 shown in FIG. 5, for example, has been used as an electric connector (hereinafter, simply referred to as a connector) for connecting electric wires. A terminal accommodating portion 52 is formed in a case 51 of the connector 50, and a terminal 54 attached to the tip of an electric wire 53 by crimping or the like is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 52.

An engaging recess 55 is formed on the side surface of the terminal 54 so that the terminal 54 engages with a lance 56 formed in the terminal accommodating portion 52. When the terminal 54 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 52, the lance 56 bends to allow the terminal 54 to be inserted. Then, the terminal 54 becomes the terminal accommodation portion 52.
When it is housed in the terminal 54, the engaging recess 55 of the terminal 54 and the lance 56 engage with each other to prevent the terminal 54 from coming off.

Further, the case 51 has a retainer housing portion 5
7 is formed, and the retainer 5 is formed in the retainer receiving portion 57.
8 is press-fitted. The retainer 58 prevents the lance 56 from bending and the terminal 54 from coming off. That is, the retainer 58 press-fitted into the retainer accommodating portion 57 engages with the lance 56 and restricts the bending of the lance 56. As a result, the engagement recess 55 of the terminal 54 engages with the lance 56, and the terminal 54 is prevented from coming off.

[0005]

By the way, the retainer 5
8 is manufactured separately from the case 51, and is inserted into the retainer accommodating portion 57 in the terminal assembling process. Therefore, it is necessary to separately prepare a mold for manufacturing the case 51 and a mold for manufacturing the retainer 58, and there is a problem that the manufacturing cost increases accordingly. Further, when the case 51 and the retainer 58 are manufactured by one molding machine, it is necessary to replace the mold,
There is a problem in that a work for replacement is required and a manufacturing cost is increased.

When the connector 50 is supplied to the step of assembling the terminal 54, the case 51 and the retainer 58 are provided.
It is necessary to supply the same number of and, and it is troublesome to manage the number. Therefore, the retainer 58 may be press-fitted to the position shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 5, temporarily assembled to the case 51, and then supplied to the step of assembling the terminal 54. In this case, the temporarily assembled retainer 58 does not restrict the bending of the lance 56, so that the terminal 54 can be assembled. By temporarily assembling the retainers 58 to the case 51, the same number of cases 51 and retainers 58 can be supplied to the step of assembling the terminal 54. However, since a process for temporarily assembling the retainer 58 to the case 51 is additionally required, and the number of processes increases, there is a problem that manufacturing cost increases.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector capable of reducing the manufacturing cost.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that a case and a terminal formed in the case and having a terminal attached to the tip of an electric wire are inserted. An accommodating portion, a lance formed in the terminal accommodating portion, which allows insertion of the terminal, engages with an engaging portion formed in the terminal to lock the terminal, and either the upper or lower side portion of the lance. The gist of the present invention is to provide a retainer that is formed on one side and is bent from the outside of the case and that engages with the lance to limit the bending of the lance.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the connector according to the first aspect, an engaging portion is formed on the side opposite to the retainer with respect to the lance, and the tip of the retainer engages with the engaging portion. The gist is that it is held in a bent state.

The invention described in claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2.
In the connector described in the item (1), the gist is that the case has an insertion opening into which a jig for bending the retainer is inserted.

[0011]

Therefore, according to the invention described in claim 1, the retainer is formed on either one of the upper and lower sides of the lance,
It is bent from the outside of the case and engages with the lance to limit the bending of the lance.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the engaging portion is formed on the side opposite to the retainer with respect to the lance, and the retainer is held in a bent state by engaging the engaging portion with the tip. It

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the case is formed with an insertion opening, and the retainer is bent and formed by a jig inserted through the insertion opening.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment embodying the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.
It will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 1
A case 2 is provided in the. The case 2 is made of resin and formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. As shown in FIG. 3, the case 2 includes a terminal accommodating portion 3 having a circular cross section.
4 are formed. The terminal accommodating parts 3 and 4 are
A rubber plug accommodating portion 5 is formed to communicate with each other at the open end (right end in FIG. 3). Rubber plug engaging portions 6 and 7 are formed on the inner surface of the opening of the rubber plug housing portion 5.

Lances 8 and 9 are formed on the inner surfaces of the terminal accommodating portions 3 and 4, respectively. As shown in FIG. 3, when the terminals 10 and 11 are inserted, the lances 8 and 9 are bent by the inserted terminals 10 and 11 to the positions shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.
Allow insertion of 1. Then, when the terminals 10 and 11 are inserted to the predetermined positions, the lances 8 and 9 return to the positions shown by the solid lines in FIG. When the returned lances 8 and 9 are moved to the right side of FIG.
The terminals 10, 11 are locked by engaging with the engaging recesses 12, 13 of the terminals 10, 11.
It is designed to prevent slipping out.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the terminal 1
0 and 11 are attached to the tips of the electric wires 14 and 15 by a connecting method such as crimping and are electrically connected to the core wires of the electric wires 14 and 15. The electric wires 14 and 15 are inserted into the rubber plug 16. When water droplets or the like enter the case 2, the water droplets or the like may corrode the terminals 10 and 11 or short-circuit between the terminals 10 and 11. Therefore, the rubber plug 16 is provided to prevent water droplets and the like transmitted through the electric wires 14 and 15 from entering the case 2. The rubber stopper 16 is press-fitted into the rubber stopper accommodating portion 5 when the terminals 10 and 11 are inserted into the case 2. Then, the rubber stopper 16 engages with the rubber stopper engaging portions 6 and 7 formed on the inner surface of the rubber stopper housing portion 5. Therefore, the rubber plug 16 is locked by the rubber plug engaging portions 6 and 7, and the rubber plug 16 is prevented from coming off.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, insertion holes 17, 18 are formed on the left side surface of the case 2, and the insertion holes 17, 18 are formed.
The outside of the case 2 and the terminal accommodating portions 3 and 4 communicate with each other by 18. A male terminal (not shown) is inserted into the insertion holes 17 and 18, and the inserted male terminal and the terminals 10 accommodated in the terminal accommodating portions 3 and 4,
11 is electrically connected.

The insertion holes 17 and 18 are connected to each other by a connecting portion 19 so that the lances 8 and 9 can be confirmed from the front side of the case 2 as shown in FIG. The communication part 19 is vertically recessed near the center thereof to form an insertion port 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, a retainer 21 is formed on the upper side of the lances 8 and 9 so as to project toward the front (rightward in FIG. 2). The retainer 21 is provided at a position arranged between the lances 8 and 9 when bent. An engaging projection 22 is formed on the opposite side of the retainer 21 with respect to the lances 8 and 9. Retainer 21
Is formed to have a rectangular cross section. The retainer 21 has a jig 23 as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG.
When inserted along the upper surface, the jig 23 bends in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. Engaging projection 22
Is formed on the side opposite to the retainer 21 with respect to the lances 8 and 9. The engaging projection 22 is formed at a position where the tip of the bent retainer 21 can be engaged.

As shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 2, the retainer 2
1 is held in a state in which the tip thereof is engaged with the engaging convex portion 22 and is bent and bent. As shown in FIG. 4, the retainer 21 held in a bent state is arranged between the lances 8 and 9. Then, the lances 8 and 9 are engaged with the retainer 21, and the lances 8 and 9 are engaged.
The flexure of the is limited.

Next, the connector 1 constructed as described above.
The operation of will be described. Connect terminals 10 and 11 to connector 1
In the assembling step, the connector 1 in which the retainer 21 is formed on either one of the upper and lower sides of the lances 8 and 9 of the case 2 is supplied. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately manage the number of cases 2 and the number of retainers 21.

In the step of assembling the terminals 10 and 11, first, the rubber plug 16 is press-fitted into the rubber plug accommodating portion 5 and attached to the tips of the electric wires 14 and 15 by a connecting method such as crimping. 11 are prepared. FIG.
As shown in FIG.
The rubber plug 16 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portions 3 and 4 of the connector 1. At this time, the lances 8 and 9 are shown in FIG.
Bend to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line, and
Allow insertion of 1.

When the terminals 10 and 11 are inserted to the predetermined positions, the lances 8 and 9 return to the positions shown by the solid lines in FIG. 3, and the returned lances 8 and 9 and the terminal 1 are returned.
The engaging recesses 12 and 13 of 0 and 11 are engaged with each other.

Next, the operator inserts the jig 23 along the upper surface of the insertion opening 20, bends the retainer 21, and engages the tip of the retainer 21 with the engaging projection 22. Then, the retainer 21
Is held in a bent state and is arranged between the lances 8 and 9. The lances 8 and 9 are arranged on the retainer 2 arranged.
By engaging with 1, the deflection of the lances 8, 9 is limited. As a result, the engaging recesses 12 of the terminals 10 and 11 are
Since 13 is securely engaged with the lances 8 and 9, the terminals 10 and 11 are prevented from coming off.

By the way, in the case of so-called semi-insertion in which the terminals 10 and 11 are not inserted into the terminal accommodating portions 3 and 4 to the predetermined positions, respectively, the lances 8 and 9 are connected to the terminal 1
It is pushed by 0 and 11 and remains at the positions shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. In this case, even if the retainer 21 is bent by inserting the jig 23 into the insertion port 20,
As a result, the retainer 21 bent by engaging with the lances 8 and 9 located at the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line cannot insert the jig 23 to a predetermined position. Therefore, the half insertion of the terminals 10 and 11 can be detected by confirming whether or not the jig 23 has been inserted to the predetermined position. Then, by inserting the terminals 10 and 11 again, the terminals 10 and 11 can be surely inserted into the terminal accommodating portions 3 and 4 of the case 2.

As described above, according to the connector 1 of this embodiment, the lances 8 and 9 for locking the terminals 10 and 11 are provided.
A retainer 21 is formed on the upper side of the retainer 21, and an engaging protrusion 22 is formed on the opposite side of the retainer 21 with respect to the lances 8 and 9. Then, in the process of assembling the terminals 10 and 11, the retainer 21 is bent by the jig 23 inserted from the insertion opening 20, and the tip of the retainer 21 is engaged with the engaging convex portion 22, and the retainer 21 is held in a bent state. To be done. Then, the retainer 21 is arranged between the lances 8 and 9, and the retainer 21 restricts the bending of the lances 8 and 9 to prevent the terminals 10 and 11 from coming off. As a result, since the retainer 21 is formed at the same time as the case 2, it is sufficient to prepare one mold for manufacturing the connector 1, and it is not necessary to prepare two molds as in the conventional case.
The manufacturing cost can be reduced accordingly.

Further, the connector 1 is connected to the terminals 10, 11
When supplying to the process of assembling the
Since 1 is integrally formed, it is not necessary to manage them separately. In addition, since the process of temporarily assembling the retainer 21 to the case 2 is not necessary, it is possible to suppress an increase in manufacturing cost accordingly.

The present invention may be modified as follows, and in that case, the same operation and effect can be obtained. 1) In the above embodiment, the retainer 21 is formed in a square cross section, but may be formed in any cross sectional shape such as a circular cross section.

2) In the above embodiment, the connector 1 having the two terminal accommodating portions 3 and 4 is embodied, but it may be embodied as a connector having one or three or more terminal accommodating portions. . In such a case, it goes without saying that retainers, the number of which corresponds to the number of lances for preventing the terminal inserted into the terminal accommodating portion from coming off, are formed on either one of the upper and lower sides of the lance of the case.

3) In the above embodiment, the engaging projection 22 is formed on the opposite side of the retainer 21 with respect to the lances 8 and 9 to hold the retainer 21 in a bent state, but the retainer 21 is bent. It may be carried out by press-fitting between the lances 8 and 9 in this state and omitting the engaging convex portion 22.

4) In the above embodiment, the engaging projection 22 is formed as the engaging portion to hold the retainer 21 in a bent state, but a concave portion may be formed and held.

Although the respective embodiments of the present invention have been described above, technical ideas other than the claims which can be understood from the respective embodiments will be described below together with their effects. A) In the connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the case 2
The terminal housings 3 and 4 are communicated with the rubber plug housing 5
Is formed, and the rubber plug 16 in which the electric wires 14 and 15 are inserted is accommodated. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent water droplets or the like from entering the case 2.

(B) In the connector described in (a) above, rubber plug engaging portions 6 and 7 for locking the rubber plug 16 are formed on the inner surface of the rubber plug housing portion 5. According to this structure, the rubber plug 16
It is possible to prevent the slipping out.

[0034]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a connector capable of reducing the manufacturing cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a connector according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1 showing an inserted state of the terminal.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1 showing an engaged state of the retainer.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a conventional connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... Case, 3, 4 ... Terminal accommodating part, 8, 9 ... Lance, 10, 11 ... Terminal, 12, 13 ... Engagement concave part as an engaging part, 14, 15 ... Electric wire, 20 ... Insertion port, 21
... Retainer, 22 ... Engagement convex portion as an engagement portion.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A case (2) and a terminal accommodating portion (3) into which a terminal (10, 11) formed in the case (2) and attached to the tip of an electric wire (14, 15) is inserted. 4) and formed inside the terminal accommodating portion (3, 4) to allow insertion of the terminals (10, 11),
Lances (8, 11) which engage with the engaging portions (12, 13) formed on the terminals (10, 11) to lock the terminals (10, 11).
9) and either one of the upper and lower sides of the lance (8, 9) and is bent from the outside of the case (2) and engages with the lance (8, 9) to engage the lance (8, 9). ) And a retainer (21) for limiting the deflection of the connector. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein an engaging portion (22) is formed on an opposite side of the retainer (21) with respect to the lance (8, 9), and the retainer (21) has a tip end thereof. Is engaged with the engaging portion (22) and is held in a bent state. 3. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the case (2) has an insertion opening (20) into which a jig (23) for bending the retainer (21) is inserted. Connector.