JPH09306592A - Fitting structure of connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a backlash between a female connector and a male connec tor in fitting and clearly detect the completion of fitting. SOLUTION: This fitting structure of connectors is composed in a manner wherein boss parts 13a, 13b are formed in side walls 11a, 11b of a housing 11 constituting a female connector 2 and a gap between the housing 11 and the counter part housing is eliminated by elastically deforming a fitting part formed in a housing constituting a male connector at the time of fitting the male connector in the counter part female connector 2 and at the same time moderate feeling can be obtained at the time of fitting.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector suitable for connecting a wire material such as a wire harness, and more particularly to a connector fitting structure for fitting a male connector and a female connector without rattling. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Usually, a large number of electronic devices are mounted on a vehicle or the like for various controls. Therefore, various connectors for connecting the electronic devices to the wire harness and various connectors for relaying the wire harness are frequently used. ing.

An example of a conventional connector will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. The female connector housing 31 shown in FIG. 7 is provided with a fitting portion 35 for fitting with the male connector housing 32. Inside the fitting portion 35, a female terminal is provided although not shown. ing.

On the other hand, a hood portion 34 for inserting and fitting the fitting portion 35 is formed in front of the male connector housing 32, as shown on the left side of FIG. Further, on the inner wall 34a of the hood portion 34, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, two guide ribs 36 are integrally formed on the inner wall surface at a predetermined interval for each two. The guide rib 36 has a uniform shape as shown in FIG. 9 (a), is arranged in parallel with the fitting direction of the fitting portion 35 and the hood portion 34, and has a rear end on the bottom portion of the hood portion 34. As they reach, the starting ends of the guide taper portions 37 formed at the respective tips extend to the vicinity of the inlet end 39 of the hood portion 34. As shown in FIG. 9 (b), the guide rib strip 36 is formed in an arcuate transverse shape, and the rib tip 38 at the apex is fitted to the fitting portion 3.
5 is in point contact with the outer wall.

When the female connector housing 31 and the male connector housing 32 are fitted together, the guide taper portion 37 guides them to the tip of the fitting portion 35. Next, the fitting portion 35 is introduced between the guide rib strips 36 and inserted so as to slide, and the fitting portion 35 held by the guide rib strips 36 and the hood portion 34 are fitted together.

[0006]

In the conventional connector described above, both the female connector housing 31 and the male connector housing 32 are formed by integrally molding synthetic resin. For this reason, there are product tolerances, warpage during molding, and the like, so the gap between the two is set to be large. Therefore, rattling occurs at the time of fitting, and thus the guide rib strip 36 is formed to prevent the rattling. However, the warp of the hood portion 34 and the dimensional tolerance affect the accuracy of the guide rib strip 36. Moreover, in the case where the guide rib 36 has a structure that interferes with the female connector housing 31, the click feeling is lost when the connector is fitted, and the completion of fitting or the like cannot be clearly sensed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector fitting structure which eliminates rattling when fitting a male connector and a female connector and can clearly detect the completion of fitting.

[0008]

The above-mentioned problems relating to the present invention are solved by the connector fitting structure shown in 1) and 2) below. 1) The connector fitting structure according to claim 1, wherein the female connector having connector terminals provided in the housing and the male connector having connector terminals provided in the housing are fitted together, In a connector fitting structure in which a locking lock portion provided in the housing is locked in a fitting lock hole provided in the housing, when the female connector and the male connector are fitted, the housing is A projecting boss portion that elastically deforms is provided on a side wall forming the housing. 2) The fitting structure for a connector according to claim 2, wherein in the fitting structure for the connector according to claim 1, the formation position of the boss portion is the male connector of the locking lock portion. It corresponds to the position where it is flexibly deformed when it is fitted.

According to the connector fitting structure described in the item 1), when the female connector and the male connector are fitted together, the housing tip of the male connector first comes into contact with the boss portion. Then, by further pushing in the housing of the male connector, the housing is elastically deformed by the boss portion so as to bulge outward, thereby preventing rattling. Further, according to the connector fitting structure described in the item 2), the locking lock portion is flexibly deformed in response to an increase in resistance due to the deformation of the housing, and when the fitting is completed, the locking lock is obtained. The part is locked in the fitting lock hole, and the completion of fitting can be sensed accurately by a response.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a connector fitting structure to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a female connector showing an embodiment of a connector fitting structure of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a male connector which is a mating connector, and FIG. 3 is a connector fitting. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a form in the middle of joining, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a fitting form of the connector, and FIG. It is a figure.

The connector fitting structure 1 according to the present embodiment
Is composed of the female connector 2 shown in FIG. 1 and the male connector 3 shown in FIG. First, the structure of the female connector 2 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. A locking lock portion 12 provided on the upper side surface of a housing 11 integrally molded of synthetic resin and a semispherical shape at approximately the center of the side walls 11a and 11b. The bosses 13a and 13b provided and the energization opening 14
And a female connector terminal 15 (see FIG. 4) connected to the end of the electric wire 16 is fitted in the housing 11.

A base portion of the locking lock portion 12 is formed integrally with the housing 11, and the locking lock portion 12 is formed.
The male connector 3 has flexibility as a whole, and is provided at the tip of the locking portion 12 and has a locking projection 12a, which will be described later.
It is elastically and detachably locked to one end of the. Further, the pressing portion 12b releases the locked state of the locking projection 12a by displacing the locking lock portion 12 by applying a pressing force with fingers or the like when releasing the fitted state.

Guide portions 17a, 17b are provided on both sides of the locking lock portion 12 at a predetermined interval. The guide portions 17a and 17b perform a guide action when the female connector 2 and the male connector 3 are fitted together, and the guide action will be described together with the fitting action.

The boss portions 13a and 13b are provided to allow the female connector 2 and the male connector 3 to be fitted together without rattling. The rattling prevention function is a fitting operation. It will be described in detail together with.

In the male connector 3 shown in FIG. 2, a male connector terminal 22 connected to an end of an electric wire 28 is fitted and inserted in a housing 21 integrally molded of synthetic resin. Front end side, that is, female connector 2
Is projected into the opening 24 of the large-diameter fitting portion 23.

The opening 2 is provided inside the fitting portion 23.
The two ribs 25a, 25b are provided downward at a position corresponding to the upper side of the No. 4, and the fitting portion 23 and the rib 25a,
Three gaps 26a, 26b and 26c are formed by 25b. Of these three gaps, the gaps 26 on both sides
The guide portions 17a and 17b are inserted into the a and 26c when the female connector 2 is fitted, and the locking lock portion 12 is inserted into the central gap 26b. A fitting lock hole 27 is formed in the longitudinal direction on the upper side of the fitting portion 23, and the fitting lock hole 27 and the gap 26b communicate with each other.

Next, the fitting operation of the female connector 2 and the male connector 3 will be described. When connecting the female connector 2 and the male connector 3, the front end of the female connector 2, that is, the front end having the opening 14 is inserted into the fitting portion 23 of the male connector 3. At this time, the guide portions 17a and 17b formed on the female connector 2 are inserted into the gaps 26a and 26c formed on the male connector 3, and the locking portion 1 for locking is formed.
2 is inserted into the gap 26b.

As a result, the female connector terminal 15 (see FIG. 4) on the female connector 2 side and the male connector terminal 22 on the male connector 3 side are positioned, and the female connector 2 is fitted as it is. When pushed into the mating portion 23, the boss portions 13a and 13b formed on both side surfaces of the female connector 2 come into contact with the end portion of the fitting portion 23 as shown in FIG. At this point,
As shown in FIG. 4, since the locking projection 12a abuts on the front end of the fitting portion 23, a sense of resistance such as a bump is felt together with the abutment on the boss portions 13a and 13b.

Looking at the shape of the fitting portion 23 from the insertion of the female connector 2 to the contact of the boss portions 13a and 13b with the end portion of the fitting portion 23, as shown in FIG. The inner wall of 23 and the female connector 2 are in close contact with each other. Therefore, in combination with the guide action of the guide portions 17a and 17b, the fitting action, in other words, the insertion is smoothly performed. Then, the end portion of the fitting portion 23 has the boss portion 13
When it comes into contact with a, 13b, that is, at the time shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a feeling of resistance comes to be felt, but if the force is further applied without stopping the insertion at this point,
The fitting portion 23 rides over the boss portions 13a and 13b and is pushed outward in accordance with the height of the boss portions 13a and 13b as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, a restoring force that restores the original shape is generated in the fitting portion 23 when it is expanded, and the female connector 2 is pressed against the fitting portion 23.

Further, in addition to the above-mentioned action, the locking projection 12a is pushed into the fitting portion 23, so that the locking lock portion 12 is provided.
As the whole is flexed and deformed downward from the state shown in FIG. 4, there is no backlash between the female connector 2 and the male connector 3. When the fitting operation is further continued from this state, the locking projection 12a elastically projects into the fitting lock hole 27, and it can be detected that the insertion is completed.

That is, in the connector fitting structure shown in the present embodiment, the female connector 2 and the male connector 3 are provided.
When fitting and, the guide parts 17a and 17b are inserted and the subsequent fitting action is performed with a low resistance feeling, then the insertion into the predetermined position is sensed with an increased resistance feeling, and then the locking lock is applied. Completion of fitting can be detected by a moderation feeling when the portion 12 elastically returns and the locking projection 12a is fitted into the fitting lock hole 27.

From the time when the feeling of resistance increases, the gap between the female connector 2 and the male connector 3 is the fitting portion 23.
It will be eliminated by the deformation of and will be able to be fitted without rattling. In this way, since a sense of moderation can be obtained in a stepwise manner at the time of insertion, there is no erroneous recognition that fitting is completed during insertion, and incomplete fitting can be prevented in combination with no backlash.

Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various embodiments are possible. For example, the boss portion is not limited to a hemispherical shape, and may be a semielliptic shape or a rib-shaped protrusion.

[0024]

As described above, the connector fitting structure according to the present invention is the connector fitting structure according to claim 1, wherein the female connector and the male connector are fitted together. Further, a protruding boss portion that elastically deforms the housing is provided on a side wall forming the housing. Therefore, when the female connector and the male connector are fitted to each other, the housing of the male connector bulges outward due to the boss portion and is deformed. Therefore, the fitting surfaces of both the female connector and the male connector can be securely fitted without rattling.

Further, in the connector fitting structure according to a second aspect of the present invention, the position where the boss portion is formed corresponds to the position where the locking lock portion is flexibly deformed when fitted to the male connector. . Therefore, at the time of fitting, an increase in resistance from the time of contact with the boss portion and a bending deformation of the locking lock portion can be combined to accurately detect the completion of fitting with a moderation sensation. It is possible to reliably prevent defects and the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a female connector showing an embodiment of a connector fitting structure of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a male connector that is a mating connector.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a form in which the connector is being fitted.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a fitting form of the connector.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a deformed state of the housing by the boss portion in the fitted state of the connector.

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway side view showing the configuration of a conventional connector.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a hood portion.

9 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing the shape of the guide rib strip in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Connector Fitting Structure 2 Female Connector 3 Male Connector 11, 21 Housing 12 Locking Locking Part 12a Locking Protrusion 13a, 13b Boss 14, 24 Opening 15,22 Connector Terminal 17a, 17b Guide Part 23 Fitting Joint 27 Locking hole for fitting

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A locking lock portion provided in the housing is formed by fitting a female connector having connector terminals provided in the housing with a male connector having connector terminals provided in the housing. In a connector fitting structure that is locked in a fitting lock hole provided in, a projecting boss portion that elastically deforms the housing when the female connector and the male connector are fitted,
A connector fitting structure, which is provided on a side wall of the housing. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a position where the boss portion is formed corresponds to a position where the locking lock portion is flexibly deformed when fitted to the male connector. Mating structure.