JPH09283219A - Imperfect fitting preventing connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the reliability of an imperfect fitting preventing connector by detecting the imperfect fitting condition with a compressing spring, which is provided in a female connector, at the time of fitting a male and a female connectors to each other. SOLUTION: In a female connector 4, a slide lock 10 is inserted for lock from a front of a lock arm 12. When both a female and a male connectors 4, 5 are pushed so as to be fitted to each other, a lock claw 7 enters inside of a locking gate plate 8 so as to deform a front part of the lock arm 12, and the slide lock 10 is pushed downward through an inclined surface 16 and while slid on a male housing 13, and moved forward so as to abut on an abutment part 15. The lock arm 12 is moved forward more in the condition that the forward movement of the slide lock 10 is hindered, and the lock arm 12 compresses a compressing spring 11. At this stage, since a female housing 9 is pushed backward by the energizing force of the compressing spring 11, and the imperfect fitting condition can be thereby detected. When the fitting is advanced more, an engagement hole 17 is locked with the abutment hole 15, and perfectly fitted by a lock mechanism 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pair of male and female half-fitting prevention connectors having a half-fitting prevention function used in electric systems of automobiles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of half-fitting prevention connectors have been known. For example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-819
The one disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 67 is known. A conventional half-fitting prevention connector 51 shown in FIG. 8 has a male pin contact 52 and a female socket contact 5 inside.
The compression spring 56 biased in the anti-fitting direction is attached to one female connector 55 of the pair of female / male connectors 55, 54 provided with 3, and locked across both female / male connectors 55, 54. A mechanism 57 is provided.

The other male connector 54 is surrounded by a top plate 58, a bottom plate 59, and a side plate 60, and has a box shape with an opening in the front and back. A plurality of pin contacts 52 are housed inside. Then, the female connector 55 is provided so that it can be fitted therein, and the plurality of socket contacts 53 accommodated in the female connector 55 are fitted in the pin contacts 52 to be electrically connected. Further, a notch is provided in the central portion of the side plates 60 on both sides, and a flexible locking piece 61 as a part of the lock mechanism 57 is formed integrally with the side plate 60 in the notch toward the front. There is. This locking piece 6
The front end of 1 is disposed slightly behind the front end of the side plate 60. A locking claw 62 is provided on the front end of the locking piece 61 so as to project inward.

Further, spring accommodating portions 63 for supporting and accommodating the rear end of the compression spring 56 are provided on both sides of the one female connector 55. Then, the spring accommodating portion 63
A spring guide rod 64 is provided inside so as to project toward the fitting direction. Further, a box-shaped movable cover 65, which is opened in the front and rear, is provided on the outer periphery of the female connector 55 so as to be slidable in the front and rear. Spring accommodation portions 66 are also provided on both sides of the movable cover 65 so as to cover the outer peripheral portion of the spring accommodation portion 63. The front end of the compression spring 56 urges the front end of the spring accommodating portion 66 forward. A locking groove 70 as a lock mechanism 57 is provided on both side plates of the female connector 55. The long hole 6 provided on the top plate of the movable cover 65
7 and the projection 68 provided on the top plate of the female connector 55 regulates the forward sliding of the movable cover 65 by the urging force of the compression spring 56.

The half-fitting prevention connector 51 having the above-mentioned structure is constructed such that when a pair of female and male connectors 55 and 54 are fitted to each other,
First, after the front portion of the female connector 55 is fitted into the male connector 54, the locking claw 62 rides on the side plate 69 of the female connector 55 while bending the locking piece 61 outward. Then, the tip of the locking piece 61 and the locking claw 62 are brought into contact with the front end surface of the spring accommodating portion 66, so that the movable cover 65 is moved rearward while compressing the compression spring 56.

A pair of female and male connectors 55, 54
When the fitting is further advanced, the compression spring 56 is further compressed, the locking claw 62 is locked in the locking groove 70, the bending of the locking piece 61 is returned to the original state, and the front end of the locking piece 61 is restored. Is separated from the front end surface of the spring accommodating portion 66. Then, when the pressing force for fitting the connector is loosened or released, the movable cover 65 is returned to its original position by the urging force of the compression spring 56, and the female / male connectors 55, 54 are in the completely fitted state. become.
At the same time, the pin contact 52 and the socket contact 53
Is also in a completely fitted state. Since the outer surface of the side plate 60 is in contact with the inner surface of the spring accommodating portion 66, the locking piece 61 cannot be bent outward. Therefore, the locking claw 6
2 does not come off from the locking groove 70, and the female / male connectors 55 and 54 are completely locked by the locking mechanism 57.

However, before the locking claw 62 of the lock mechanism 57 is locked in the locking groove 70, that is, the pair of female / male connectors 5
In the semi-fitted state of 5, 54, if the pressing force at the time of fitting is loosened or released, it is pushed back by the urging force of the compression spring 56, so that it is prevented from being left in the semi-fitted state.

[0008]

However, in the above-described conventional half-fitting prevention connector 51, the male connector 54 is often fixed to the vehicle body side, and hard synthetic resin such as glass-filled resin, which is less flexible. Since it is often made of a material, the locking piece 61 of the lock mechanism 57 bends outward each time the pair of female / male connectors 55, 54 are fitted and connected, and the tip of the locking piece 61 is fixed. Since the compression spring 56 is compressed by pressing the front end surface of the spring accommodating portion 66 of the movable cover 65, there is a risk of fatigue failure when repeatedly operated, and there is a problem of low reliability.

Further, in order to release the pair of female / male connectors 55 and 54 which are fitted and connected to each other, the movable cover 65 is pulled to the rear of the female connector 55 against the biasing force of the compression spring 56, and the locking piece is pulled. It is necessary to bend 61 to separate the locking claw 62 from the locking groove 70, which causes a problem of poor workability. On the contrary, when the movable cover 65 is pushed rearward by an unexpected external force, the locking claw 62 is disengaged from the locking groove 70 and the fitting of the female / male connectors 55, 54 is released. Further, since spring accommodating portions are required on both sides, there is a problem that it is not suitable for a small-sized connector for connecting a small number of male and female contacts because it becomes large. Further, it is not preferable to provide a flexible locking piece on the male connector on the vehicle body side, and a housing structure as simple as possible is desired.

The object of the present invention was made in view of the above problems, and it is possible to prevent the pair of female / male connectors from being left in a half-fitted state at the time of mating connection, and to break the locking mechanism. There is no fear of
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a half-fitting prevention connector that can reduce the size of the housing.

[0011]

The above object is the semi-fitting prevention connector according to claim 1, wherein a pair of female and male connectors each having a proper number of male and female contacts inside are fitted and locked. In the half-fitting prevention connector, a lock mechanism for locking, a sliding body that slides on one outer surface of the housing of the female / male connector, and an elastic member that urges the sliding body in an anti-fitting direction are provided. A flexible lock arm having one lock member of a lock mechanism at the front and formed on the outer surface of the one housing, and the one lock member on the front outer surface of the other housing of the female / male connector. The other locking member of the locking mechanism to be locked and an abutting portion with which the front end of the sliding body abuts are provided, and the sliding body is flexible, and the locking member of the one locking member is provided. Flexible underneath, Serial can be solved by half-fitting prevention connector, characterized in that is slidably disposed between one of the housing outer surface and said locking arm inner surface.
The half-fitting prevention connector according to claim 2, wherein an inclined surface is provided on the lock arm side of the sliding body, and an engagement hole that is engaged with the abutting portion is provided. This can be solved by the half-fitting prevention connector according to claim 1.

According to the half-fitting prevention connector having the above structure,
The elastic member biased in the anti-fitting direction prevents the female / male connector from being left in a semi-fitted state, and the male connector is brought into contact with the other locking member of the locking mechanism and the sliding body. Since it has a simple structure with no abutting portion and no flexible portion, it can be manufactured with a hard synthetic resin having high durability and can be easily miniaturized. In order to release the male / female connector from the completely fitted state, pull the sliding body backward and then press the other lock member inward, so workability during maintenance etc. should be improved. You can Further, even if the rear end of the sliding body is pushed rearward by an unexpected external force, the friction force acts on the lock mechanism by the elastic member, so that the female / male connector is fitted unless the other lock member is artificially pressed inward. Is not canceled and safety can be improved.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a half-fitting prevention connector of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. 1 is an exploded perspective view having a partial cross section showing an example of a half-fitting prevention connector of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a lock arm and a sliding body in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a female connector in FIG. FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view, FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the male connector in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 5 to 7 are operation explanatory views in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, a half-fitting prevention connector 1 of this embodiment is a pair of female / male connectors each having a female socket contact 2 and a male pin contact 3 in a housing. A lock mechanism 6 composed of connectors 4 and 5 for locking the female and male connectors 4 and 5, a slide lock 10 which is a sliding body capable of sliding on the outer surface of the female housing 9 of the female connector 4, and the slide. A compression spring 11, which is an elastic member that biases the lock 10 in the anti-fitting direction, is provided. The lock mechanism 6 includes a locking claw 7 which is a lock member provided at the front end of a lock arm 12 which is provided flexibly on the outer surface of the female housing 9, and the other provided on the outer surface of the front end of the male housing 13. Gate plate 8 which is the lock member of
It consists of

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the slide lock 1
0 is slidably sandwiched between the outer surface of the female housing 9 and the lower surface of the lock arm 12, and at least the front portion has flexibility, and a flexible space is provided on the front upper surface on the lock arm 12 side. An inclined surface 16 is provided for ensuring.
Further, the contact portion 15 is provided near the front end of the slide lock 10.
An engaging hole 17 for engaging with is provided. In addition, the base portion 1 of the lock arm 12 is provided on both side surfaces of the slide lock 10.
A locking projection 19 that is locked to the locking receiving portion 12b of 2a is provided, and a finger contact recess 14 having a serrated cross section for release is provided near the rear end of the upper surface.

The locking claw 7 of the lock arm 12 has an upper surface sloping surface 7a for smoothly locking the locking gate plate 8 on the upper surface thereof when the mating male connector 5 is fitted, and a slide lock. The lower inclined surface 7b is provided to further secure the upward flexibility of the front part of 10. Further, the compression spring 11 is provided on the outer rear surface of the female housing 9 so that the lock arm 1
The slide-lock-side spring accommodating concave portion is accommodated in a housing-side spring accommodating concave portion 9a provided at a position corresponding to the lower part of the reference numeral 2 in a partially exposed state, and also accommodates a part on the lower surface side of the slide lock 10. 10a is provided.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a packing 18a is attached to the outer periphery of the portion of the female housing 9 surrounding the socket contact 2, and a rubber plug 18b is attached to the electric wire W at the rear end of the socket contact 2. , Male housing 1
It is sandwiched between the male housing 13 and the inner peripheral surface of the male housing 13 at the time of fitting with the socket 3 to prevent water and the like from entering the socket contact 2 and the pin contact 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, on the outer surface of the male housing 13 on the side of the locking gate plate 8, the front end of the slide lock 10 is abutted and a contact portion 15 for locking the engaging hole 17 is provided. There is. This contact portion 15
The front and rear surfaces in the fitting direction are formed in an inclined shape in consideration of the fitting and releasing properties of the connectors.

In the present embodiment having the above-mentioned structure,
The fitting operation of the half-fitting prevention connector 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. First, the slide lock 10 is fitted and inserted from the front side of the lock arm 12,
The locking projections 19 on both sides of the lock arm 12 are at the base portion 1 of the lock arm 12.
It is set by being locked by a lock receiving portion 12b provided on 2a. Then, the female and male connectors 4 and 5 are pressed against each other with their front end faces facing each other, whereby mutual fitting is started. As shown in FIG. 5, when the mutual fitting progresses, the locking claw 7 gets into the inside of the locking gate plate 8 and the lock arm 1
Since the front portion of 2 is bent downward, the slide lock 10 is pushed downward through the inclined surface 16 and moves forward while sliding on the male housing 13, and the front end is brought into contact with the contact portion 15. .

When the female housing 9 is further pushed forward, the slide lock 10 is prevented from moving forward,
Since the lock arm 12 moves forward, the compression spring 11 is compressed. At this time, if the forward pressing force of the female housing 9 is loosened or released, the female housing 9 is pushed rearward by the biasing force of the compression spring 11, so that it is possible to immediately detect that the female housing 9 is in an incompletely fitted state. it can. Therefore, the half-fitting state of the female / male connectors 4 and 5 is surely prevented, so that the reliability of the half-fitting prevention connector can be improved.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, when the fitting of the female and male connectors 4 and 5 progresses, the locking claw 7 comes out to the rear end edge of the locking gate plate 8, so that the bending of the lock arm 12 is restored. Returning to the state, the lower surface separates from the inclined surface 16. And the female housing 9
When a pressing force is applied to the front of the slide lock 10, the front end portion of the slide lock 10 bends upward due to the urging force of the compression spring 11, and the contact portion 15
Get over. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the engaging hole 17 is locked to the abutting portion 15, the bending of the slide lock 10 is returned to its original state, and the female housing 9 is slightly returned by the compression spring 11 so that the female and male housings are returned. The lock mechanism 6 completely fits 9 and 13. Slide lock 1 in this state
Even if 0 is pushed back by an unexpected external force, the compression spring 11
Since the urging force of the lock mechanism 6 becomes stronger, the frictional force of the lock mechanism 6 increases. Therefore, the fitting between the female and male connectors 4 and 5 cannot be released unless the locking claw 7 is artificially pressed downward. Therefore,
Further, a highly reliable half-fitting prevention connector can be obtained.

In order to release the fitting between the female and male connectors 4 and 5, first, the finger-holding recess 14 of the slide lock 10 is pulled rearward to disengage the locking hole 17 from the contact portion 15,
The front end of the slide lock 10 contacts the rear end of the contact portion 15. Therefore, if the locking claw 7 is pressed downward to release the locking with the locking gate plate 8, the fitting of the female / male connectors 4 and 5 is easily released by the urging force of the compression spring 6. This releasing work can be easily performed by one worker, and the work efficiency can be improved.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the compression spring 6 biased in the anti-fitting direction prevents the female / male connectors 4, 5 from being left in the semi-fitted state. At the same time, since the male housing 13 made of hard synthetic resin has a simple housing structure without a portion that bends during fitting or unfitting work, the reliability and durability of the half-fitting prevention connector are improved, and It is possible to reduce the size of the housing.

[0023]

As described above, according to the half-fitting prevention connector of the present invention, a flexible lock arm having one lock member of the lock mechanism at the front and formed on the outer surface of the one housing. And the other lock member of the lock mechanism that locks the one lock member on the front outer surface of the other housing of the female / male connector, and the abutting portion with which the front end of the sliding body abuts. The moving body is flexible, is flexible under one of the lock members, and is slidably arranged between the outer surface of the one housing and the inner surface of the lock arm. Therefore, the elastic member biased in the anti-fitting direction prevents the female / male connector from being left in a semi-fitted state, and the male connector abuts on the other lock member of the lock mechanism and the sliding body. Since the contact portion is provided, the housing structure is simple, and there are no flexible parts. Therefore, the housing has excellent durability and the housing can be easily downsized. Therefore, the reliability of the half-fitting prevention connector can be improved.

Further, since the slanted surface is provided on the lock arm side of the sliding body and the engaging hole for engaging with the abutting portion is provided, it is possible to easily bend to the lock arm side. Therefore, the connector fitting can be smoothly performed, and the engagement hole is locked to the abutting portion, so that the sliding body can be reliably held.

To release the female / male connector from the completely fitted state, the sliding member may be pulled backward and then the other locking member may be pressed inward, which facilitates the releasing work during maintenance. It is possible to improve the workability. Further, even if the rear end of the sliding body is pushed backward by an unexpected external force, the friction force acts on the lock mechanism by the elastic member, so the female / male connector is fitted unless the other lock member is artificially pressed inward. Is not released. Therefore, the reliability of the half-fitting prevention connector can be further improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a half-fitting prevention connector of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a lock arm and a sliding body of the female connector in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the female connector in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the male connector in FIG.

5 is an operation explanatory view showing a fitting start state in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view showing a fitting state in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory view showing a fitting completed state in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a conventional half-fitting prevention connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Half-fitting prevention connector 2 Socket contact 3 Pin contact 4 Female connector 5 Male connector 6 Lock mechanism 7 Locking claw (Lock member) 8 Locking gate plate (Lock member) 9 Female housing (One housing) 10 Slide lock (Sliding lock) Moving body 11 Compression spring (elastic member) 12 Lock arm 13 Male housing (other housing) 15 Contact portion 16 Inclined surface 17 Engagement hole

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A lock mechanism for fitting and locking a pair of female and male connectors, each of which has a proper number of male and female contacts inside, and a slide for sliding the housing outer surface of one of the female and male connectors. A half-fitting prevention connector including a moving body and an elastic member for urging the sliding body in an anti-fitting direction, wherein one locking member of the locking mechanism is provided at a front side and is formed on an outer surface of the one housing. The flexible lock arm, the other lock member of the lock mechanism that locks the one lock member to the front outer surface of the other housing of the female / male connector, and the front end of the sliding body are in contact with each other. An abutting portion is provided, the sliding body is flexible, and is flexible below the one lock member, and slides between the one housing outer surface and the lock arm inner surface. Placed possible Half-fitting prevention connector according to claim Rukoto. 2. The half-fitting prevention according to claim 1, wherein an inclined surface is provided on the lock arm side in front of the sliding body, and an engagement hole for engaging with the abutting portion is provided. connector.