JPH10162896A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make locking and make unlocking difficult. SOLUTION: A elastically vending piece 14 is provided on a male connector housing 10, and a hood part 21 and a locking protuberance 24 are provided on a female connector housing 20. When fitting both connector housing 20, 21, after going through a condition wherein the elastically bending piece 14 is bent and then the connectors are fitted right, the elastically bending piece 14 is engaged with the locking protuberance 24, so that they are locked. In this condition, the elastically vending piece 14 and the locking protuberance 24 are hidden in the hood part 21, and further the piece 14 cannot be unlock by operating directly with hands or fingers, therefore, locking can not be released carelessly.

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 locking means for locking a pair of connector housings in a fitted state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 11 shows a connector of this type. This is achieved by forming an elastic bending piece 2 in the female connector housing 1 and forming a locking hole 5 in the hood portion 4 of the male connector housing 3. After elastic deformation occurs, the projection 2A and the locking hole 5 are engaged with each other,
As a result, both connector housings 1 and 3 are locked so as not to be detached. When the two connector housings 1 and 3 are detached from each other, the operating portion 2B formed on the elastic bending piece 2 is pressed with a finger to bend the elastic contact piece 2 so as to be released from the locking hole 5 and unlock. Then, the connector housings 1 and 3 are separated from each other in this state. That is, in such a connector, in order to improve the workability, the connector is locked only by fitting the two connector housings 1 and 3, and the operation portion 2B provided to be exposed from the hood portion 4 is manually operated. Thus, the lock can be easily released.

[0003]

By the way, for example, in an electric vehicle, not only a low voltage circuit of about 12 volts but also a high voltage circuit of several hundred volts is provided. In this high voltage circuit, a connector is used as means for connecting electric wires. A connector structure for locking the housings in a fitted state is employed. However, it is not desirable that the lock is easily released particularly in a high-voltage circuit, and thus it can be said that the conventional lock mechanism has room for improvement.

Therefore, as a connector suitable for a high-voltage circuit, a method of fixing both connector housings with screws or bolts after fitting both connector housings and locking them is considered. However, such a locking means has a disadvantage that the operation for locking is extremely troublesome. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can be easily locked but cannot be easily unlocked.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a pair of connector housings that can be fitted to each other, and the two connector housings are locked in a fitted state with the fitting operation of the pair of connector housings. And a lock means, wherein the lock means is provided at a position where the lock cannot be released by direct operation of a finger. The invention according to claim 2 includes a pair of connector housings that can be fitted to each other, and a lock unit that locks the two connector housings in a fitted state in accordance with the fitting operation of the pair of connector housings, The connector housing is characterized in that a cover is provided to cover the lock means so that the lock means cannot be unlocked by direct operation of a finger.

[0006]

Actions and effects of the present invention

<Claim 1> Simply by fitting a pair of connector housings together, both connector housings are locked in the fitted state by the locking means. In the fitted state, the lock cannot be released by direct operation of the fingers, so that the pair of connector housings does not easily come off. <Claim 2> Just by operating a pair of connector housings, both connector housings are locked in the fitted state by the locking means. When the locking means is locked inside the cover, the locking means cannot be unlocked by direct operation of the fingers, so that the pair of connector housings does not easily come off.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

<First Embodiment> Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector according to the present embodiment includes a male connector housing 10, a female connector housing 20, and locking means for locking the two connector housings 10, 20 in a fitted state. The male connector housing 10 has a fitting portion 1 that projects cylindrically forward.
The fitting portion 11 includes a rod-shaped male terminal fitting 12.
Is protruding. An electric wire 13 is connected to the male terminal fitting 12 and extends from the rear end face of the male connector housing 10 to the outside. On the outer periphery of the fitting portion 11 of the male connector housing 10, an elastic bending piece 14 constituting a locking means is formed. The elastic bending piece 14 has a shape which rises from a position near the front end of the fitting portion 11 and extends rearward in a cantilever manner, and is capable of elastic bending in the radial direction. In the center of the elastic bending piece 14 in the width direction, a jig entering portion 14A which is notched so as to be inclined forward and downward from the upper surface to the front surface is formed. A jig 30 for releasing the locked state between the elastic bending piece 14 and the locking projection 24 is engaged with the jig entry portion 14A.

The female connector housing 20 has a hood 21 projecting forward in a cylindrical shape, and a cylindrical female terminal 22 which can be fitted with the male terminal 12 is projected into the hood 21. . An electric wire 23 is connected to the female terminal fitting 22 and extends from the rear end face of the female connector housing 20 to the outside. The hood portion 21 surrounds the fitting portion 11 and the elastic bending piece 14 in a fitting state with the male connector housing 10, and has an arc portion 21A that can be aligned with the outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion 11, A box-shaped cover portion 21B capable of accommodating the elastic bending piece 14. Elastic bending piece 14
Is covered, the gap between the cover portion 21B and the outer periphery of the fitting portion 11 is small, and is set to be small enough to prevent insertion of fingers as well as hands.

An elastic bending piece 1 is provided on the ceiling surface of the cover 21B.
Locking projection 2 which can be locked with the locking member 4 and constitutes locking means.
4 are formed. The locking projections 24 are provided on the elastic bending pieces 14 during the process of fitting the two connector housings 10 and 20 together.
24A and corresponding connector housing 1
0 and 20 have a locking surface 24 </ b> B that locks to the distal end surface of the elastic bending piece 14 when the fitting is completed. In addition, locking projection 2
Numeral 4 is positioned so as to be aligned with the jig entry portion 14A of the elastic bending piece 14, and has a narrower width than the jig entry portion 14A. Therefore, during the fitting process of the two connector housings 10, 20, the locking projection 24 enters the jig entry portion 14A and corresponds to the inclined surface 14B.

In the rear end face of the cover 21B, there is formed a die hole 25 for extracting a die (not shown) for forming the locking projection 24. The mold release hole 25 corresponds to the jig entry portion 14A of the elastic bending piece 14 in a state where both connector housings 10 and 20 are locked. Reach the jig entry part 14A.
Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When the two connector housings 10 and 20 are fitted together, the hood 21 is externally fitted to the fitting portion 11, and positioning in the circumferential direction is performed by positioning means (not shown) such as engagement of a projection and a groove. And both connector housings 10, 20
Press. Then, the locking projection 24 is moved to the jig entry portion 14.
A, and comes into contact with the inclined surface 14B.
Due to the pressing force acting on 4B, the elastic bending piece 14 is elastically bent so as to escape from the locking projection 24. When the two connector housings 10 and 20 are in a properly fitted state,
The locking projection 24 comes off the upper surface of the elastic bending piece 14, and the elastic bending piece 14 elastically returns, as shown in FIG.
4 and the distal end surface of the elastic bending piece 14 are locked. The engagement between the locking projection 24 and the elastic bending piece 14 locks the two connector housings 10 and 20 in a fitted state.

In this state, the engaging portion between the elastic bending piece 14 and the locking projection 24 is concealed by the cover portion 21B. The finger cannot directly touch the elastic bending piece 14. Therefore, it is impossible for an operator to operate the elastic bending piece 14 with his or her finger to release the lock. When releasing the lock, the jig 30 is inserted into the die-cutting hole 25, the tip of the jig 30 is brought into contact with the inclined surface 14B of the jig entry portion 14A, and this is pushed down. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the elastic bending piece 14 bends so as to be disengaged from the locking projection 24, whereby the lock is released. When the connector housings 10 and 20 are slightly separated from each other while maintaining this state, the locking projection 24 comes into contact with the upper surface of the elastic bending piece 14, and thereafter, the jig 30 is removed and the connector housings 10 and 20 are removed. 20 may be separated.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the lock is applied only by a one-action operation for fitting the two connector housings 10 and 20 together.
Excellent fit / lock operability. In addition, since the lock cannot be released with the hand or finger of the operator, the two connector housings 10 and 20 are reliably prevented from being accidentally detached. Further, in the present embodiment, the unlocking operation by the jig 30 is performed by using the die removal hole 25 generated when the locking projection 24 is formed, so that a jig different from the die removal hole 25 is inserted. As compared with the case where the holes are opened on the upper surface of the cover 21B, for example, a decrease in the strength of the cover 21B is avoided.

Further, a notch (a jig entry portion 14A) is provided in the elastic bending piece 14 and a tapered surface 24A is formed in the locking projection 24.
Excessive bending when the elastic bending piece 14 undergoes elastic bending with the fitting / removal of 0 is prevented. Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the locking means is configured differently from the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and thus the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and
The description of the operation and the effect is omitted. The locking means in the second embodiment includes an elastic bending piece 44 provided on the male connector housing 40 and a locking projection 54 provided on the female connector housing 50.

The elastic bending piece 44 is formed on the outer periphery of the fitting portion 41, rises from the rear end of the fitting portion 41, and has a shape protruding forward in a cantilever manner. The central portion in the width direction of the elastic bending piece 44 is cut out in a region excluding its front end, and the front end of the cutout 44A is a locking surface 44B that can be engaged with the locking projection 54. Further, a cover 45 that covers the elastic bending piece 44 is integrally formed on the outer surface of the fitting portion 41. The cover 45 rises in a square shape, and its front and rear surfaces are opened.

On the other hand, in the female connector housing 50, the hood portion 51 has a semicircular portion 51A fitted externally to the fitting portion 41 and a rectangular cover portion 51 fitted externally to the cover 45.
B. The locking projection 54 projects forward from the rear end face of the cover 51B, and has a projection 55
Are formed. The projection 55 has a locking surface 55A that engages with the locking surface 44B of the elastic bending piece 44, and a tapered surface 55B that can push up the tip of the elastic bending piece 44 upward. A jig insertion hole 56 for inserting the unlocking jig 60 is formed on the rear end surface of the cover 51B. Note that the jig insertion hole 56 also serves as a die removal hole when the protrusion 55 is formed.

The jig 60 has a pair of push-up portions 61 protruding forward, and an elongated knob portion 62 protruding rearward. The distal end of the push-up portion 61 is a dive portion 61A having an inclined upper surface, and the base upper surface of the push-up portion 61 is a push-up surface 61B rising in an arc shape.
Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When the two connector housings 40 and 50 are fitted, the semicircular portion 51A of the hood portion 51 and the cover 51
B and the connector housings 40 and 50 are pressed while externally fitting and positioning in the circumferential direction. Then, the locking projection 54 enters between the fitting portion 41 and the elastic bending piece 44, and the tapered surface 55B comes into contact with the leading edge of the elastic bending piece 44 from below, and the pressing force from the tapered surface 55B causes Elastic bending occurs so that the elastic bending piece 44 rides on the projection 55. Then, when the connector housings 40 and 50 are in a properly fitted state, the elastic bending piece 44 is disengaged from the projection 55 and elastically returns. As shown in FIG. 5, the locking surface 44B between the projection 55 and the elastic bending piece 44, 55A are engaged with each other, so that both connector housings 40 and 50 are locked in the fitted state.

In this state, the elastic bending piece 44 and the projection 55
The engaging portion is concealed by the cover 45 and the cover portion 51B, and the inside thereof is narrow, so that the worker cannot directly touch the elastic bending piece 44 with a hand or a finger. Therefore, it is impossible for an operator to operate the elastic bending piece 44 with his / her finger or finger to release the lock. When releasing the lock, the jig 60 is inserted into the jig insertion hole 56 and the
1A is sunk under the elastic bending piece 44 and the jig 6
Insert 0 deeply. Then, the push-up surface 61B abuts against the lower edge of the distal end of the elastic bending piece 44, and pushes up the elastic bending piece 44 along the arc. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6, the elastic bending piece 44 comes off the projection 55 and the lock is released. Thereafter, the connector housings 40 and 50 may be separated while keeping this state.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the lock is applied only by a one-action operation of fitting the two connector housings 40 and 50 together.
Excellent fit / lock operability. In addition, since the lock cannot be released with the hand or finger of the operator, the two connector housings 40 and 50 are reliably prevented from being accidentally detached. When the two connector housings 40 and 50 are separated from each other, the elastic bending piece 44 is covered with the cover 45.
Problems such as deformation upon hitting 0 are prevented.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Embodiment 3
Differs from the first embodiment in that the connector housing has a different configuration. In the first embodiment, the male connector housing 10 and the female connector housing 20
In contrast to the single-pole type connector provided with the male terminal fittings 12 and the female terminal fittings 22, the connector of the third embodiment has a male terminal fitting (not shown) and a female terminal fitting (not shown). )
Are provided two by two.
The male connector housing 70 and the female connector housing 75 are generally square. On the upper surface of the female connector housing 75, an elastic bending piece 14 having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is integrally provided. On the other hand, the hood portion 71 of the male connector housing 70 has a cover portion 72 capable of accommodating the elastic bending piece 14, and the first embodiment is provided on the ceiling surface of the cover portion 72.
A locking projection 24 having the same configuration as that of FIG. Since other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment,
About the same structure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description of structure, an effect | action, and an effect is abbreviate | omitted.

<Fourth Embodiment> Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment,
In the second embodiment, the connector housing has a different configuration. While the second embodiment is a one-pole type connector having one male terminal fitting 12 and one female terminal fitting 22 in the male connector housing 40 and the female connector housing 50, the one according to the fourth embodiment is used. Is a two-pole type connector provided with two male terminal fittings (not shown) and two female terminal fittings (not shown). Also,
Male connector housing 80 and female connector housing 85
Has a square shape as a whole. On the upper surface of the female connector housing 85, the elastic bending piece 44 having the same configuration as that of the second embodiment is provided.
And the cover 45 are provided integrally. On the other hand, the hood portion 81 of the male connector housing 80 has a cover portion 82 that can be fitted to the cover 45, and a locking projection 54 having the same configuration as that of the second embodiment is formed on the back end surface of the cover portion 82. The other configuration is the same as that of the second embodiment, and thus the same configuration is denoted by the same reference numeral, and the description of the structure, operation, and effect is omitted.

<Fifth Embodiment> Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The fifth embodiment is different from the fourth embodiment in the configuration of the locking means. In the fourth embodiment, the cover 45 is provided on the female connector housing 85. On the other hand, in the fifth embodiment, the cover 45 is not provided, and the elastic bending piece 44 is provided.
Is exposed. In the male connector housing 80, the hood portion 83 has a square shape that allows only the female connector housing 85 to be fitted, and a cover portion 84 that opens on both front and rear surfaces is formed on the upper surface thereof. Inside the cover portion 84, a projection 55 projecting from the outer surface of the hood portion 83 is formed. This projection 55
Has the same configuration as the projection 55 provided at the tip of the locking projection 54 of the fourth embodiment.
5B. The escape groove 8 is provided on the upper surface of the hood portion 83 to avoid interference with the base end of the elastic bending piece 44.
3A is formed. Since other configurations are the same as those of the above-described fourth embodiment,
The same reference numerals are given and the description of the structure, operation and effect is omitted.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) In the above embodiment, the number of poles of the terminal fitting is one or two.
Although the case of poles has been described, the present invention can be applied to the case of three or more poles.

(2) In each of the above embodiments, the elastically bendable elastic piece and the inflexible locking portion may be provided on the connector housing on the opposite side of the male and female sides from the above embodiment. Good. (3) In the above embodiment, the unlocking operation by the jig is performed by using the die release hole.
A dedicated jig insertion hole may be opened on the upper surface of the cover or the upper surface of the cover separately from the die-release hole. (4) In the above embodiment, as a means for positioning the locking means so that the locking means cannot be unlocked by a direct operation of a hand or a finger, a cover formed on the outer surface of the connector housing or a hood portion to which a mating connector housing can be fitted. According to the present invention, the locking means is arranged. However, according to the present invention, the locking means is covered by a member other than the cover and the hood portion shown in the above embodiment, or the locking means is housed inside the connector housing. Other measures can be taken.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which both connector housings are detached in a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a state where both connector housings are fitted and locked in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state where a lock is released in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a state in which both connector housings are detached in the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a state in which both connector housings are fitted and locked in the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state where a lock is released in the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which both connector housings are detached in the third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which both connector housings are detached in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a state in which both connector housings are detached in the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state where both connector housings are fitted and locked in the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway side view showing a fitting state of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Male connector housing 14 ... Elastic bending piece (locking means) 20 ... Female connector housing 21 ... Hood part 24 ... Locking protrusion (locking means) 40, 70, 80 ... Male connector housing 44 ... Elastic bending piece (locking means) 45: Cover 50, 75, 85: Female connector housing 54: Locking projection (locking means) 71: Hood

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A device comprising: a pair of connector housings that can be fitted to each other; and locking means for locking both connector housings in a fitted state in accordance with a fitting operation of the pair of connector housings. The connector is provided at a position where the lock cannot be released by direct operation of a finger. 2. A connector comprising: a pair of connector housings that can be fitted to each other; and locking means for locking the two connector housings in a fitted state in accordance with the fitting operation of the pair of connector housings. A connector, wherein the housing is provided with a cover that covers the lock means so that the lock means cannot be unlocked by direct operation of a finger.