JPH11144801A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve work efficiency of installing an electronic equipment and to prevent defective connection. SOLUTION: It is a pair of a male connector 20 and a female connectors 10, connecting an electronic equipment 1 installed to installation hole of instrument panel to a wire harness wired inside of the instrument panel. A female connector 10 providing a plane contact plate terminal 16 around the electronic equipment 1 is provided, and an opening 13 is formed by cutting an upper wall 12 of a receptacle 11 of the female connector 10 and fitting concave grooves 14 and guide pins 17 are provided on both sides of it, and, the male, connector 20 providing plane contact spring terminals 26 in the neighborhood around the installation hole of the instrument panel is provided so as to waver freely, and fitting convex rails 24 corresponding to the fitting concave grooves 14 and guide holes 27 that the guide pins 17 are inserted are provided on its both sides. And fitting condition of the male connector 20 and the female connector 10 can be observed when the electronic equipment 1 is installed to the installation holes of the instrument panel.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector for connecting an electrical component mounted on an instrument panel (instrument panel) of a vehicle to a wire harness routed in the instrument panel, and more particularly to a connector for an electrical component. The present invention relates to a connector capable of improving the efficiency of mounting work and preventing poor connection.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to improve the electrical connection between an electrical component mounted on an instrument panel and a wire harness routed inside the instrument panel, the present applicant has proposed an instrument panel as shown in FIGS. (Japanese Patent Application No. 8-121999) has been proposed.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional instrument panel wire harness device including an electrical component, an instrument panel, an air duct, and an instrument panel harness. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view showing a connector holder provided on the air duct and a male connector provided on the instrument panel harness. FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a state in which a male connector is attached to the connector holder.

In FIG. 7, reference numerals 111 and 112 denote a center cluster unit and a meter unit which are electrical components.
On the back side of these electrical components 111 and 112, a male connector (standby connector) 140 of the instrument panel harness 140 is provided.
A female connector (not shown) connected to B is protruded.

Reference numeral 120 denotes an instrument panel which is a large-sized resin molded product. At the center and right side of the instrument panel 120 in the drawing, mounting holes 121 and 122 for the electric components 111 and 112 are formed. Air outlets 123 and 124 for air conditioners with flow rate adjusting fins are provided at both left and right ends.

Reference numeral 130 denotes an air duct which is a large-sized resin molded product similarly to the instrument panel 120.
Assembled to 0. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, mounting holes 121, 1 of the instrument panel 120 of the air duct 130 are provided.
22, a frame-shaped connector holder 1 for holding the male connector 140B of the instrument panel harness 140 is provided.
30A are integrally formed.

On the front wall of the connector holder 130A,
A stepped connector fitting port 131 is opened, and engagement claws 132 for holding the male connector 140B are provided below both sides of the connector fitting port 131. In addition, a boss 133 that is fitted into a hole 125 formed on the back surface of the instrument panel 120 protrudes from a flange-shaped upper surface of the connector holder 130A.

Returning to FIG. 7, harness 140 for instrument panel
Is constituted by a flexible printed circuit board 140A, and as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, each end of the flexible printed circuit board 140A is folded back to form a housing 141A.
, The male connector 140B is formed.

Further, the housing 1 of the male connector 140B is provided.
Six spring pieces 142 are integrally formed on the upper, lower, left and right sides of 41. When the male connector 140B is attached to the connector fitting opening 131, each spring piece 142 elastically contacts the inner wall surface of the connector holder 130A, and the male connector 1
40B is supported movably up, down, left and right.

In the conventional wire harness device having such a configuration, the instrument panel harness 140 is routed in the air duct 130, and the air duct 130 is connected to the instrument panel 120.
Assemble to.

Next, the mounting holes 121 of the instrument panel 120,
When the electrical components 111 and 112 are attached to the connector 122, the female connectors of the electrical components 111 and 112
It is connected to the male connector 140B positioned by the 30 connector holders 130A.

In this case, even when the air duct 130, which is a large resin molded product, has a dimensional error and the connector holder 130A is slightly displaced, the male connector 140B moves up, down, left and right at the time of fitting with the female connector. Thus, such a displacement can be corrected.

[0013]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional wire harness device for the instrument panel, the male connector 140B, which is a standby connector, is located at the back of the mounting holes 121, 122 of the instrument panel 120, and the male connector 140B corresponding thereto is not provided. Are provided on the back side of the electrical components 111 and 112, so that when the electrical components 111 and 112 are mounted in the mounting holes 121 and 122, the female connector and the male connector 140B are provided.
Could not be visually confirmed. For this reason, it is difficult to align the two connectors, and the electrical component 1
There has been a situation in which the work efficiency when attaching 11, 11 to the instrument panel 120 is poor.

The electrical components 111 and 112 are connected to the instrument panel 1.
If it is possible to visually confirm the fitting state of both connectors when attaching to the connector 20, it is possible to reliably prevent poor connection, which is convenient.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when mounting electrical components on an instrument panel, it is possible to visually confirm the mutual positional relationship and fitting state, thereby improving work efficiency and improving connection. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector capable of preventing failure.

[0016]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector for connecting an electrical component mounted in a mounting hole of an instrument panel to a wire harness routed in the instrument panel. A pair of male and female connectors,
One of these male and female connectors was provided near the periphery of the mounting hole of the instrument panel, the other connector was provided at the periphery of the electrical component, and the electrical component was attached to the mounting hole of the instrument panel. At this time, the male and female connectors are configured to be fitted to each other.

According to such a configuration, since the male and female connectors are provided on the peripheral edge of the mounting hole of the instrument panel and the peripheral edge of the electrical component, the electrical component can be connected while visually confirming the positional relationship between the two connectors. It can be mounted in the mounting hole of the instrument panel, and the work efficiency can be improved.

In the connector according to the present invention, an opening is formed by cutting out an upper wall of a receiving portion of the female connector, and when the electrical component is mounted in a mounting hole of the instrument panel, the opening is formed through the opening. The male and female connectors are configured to be visually visible in the fitted state.

According to such a configuration, the fitting state of the male and female connectors can be visually confirmed through the opening provided in the receiving portion of the female connector, and the connection failure can be prevented. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, each terminal of the male and female connectors is a surface contact terminal, and fitting male and female connectors are provided on both sides of one of the connectors. The connector has a configuration in which fitting ridges corresponding to the fitting recesses are provided on both sides of the connector.

According to such a configuration, since each terminal of the male and female connectors is a surface contact terminal, the male and female connectors can be reduced in thickness. Thereby, both connectors can be easily provided on the peripheral portion of the mounting hole of the instrument panel and the peripheral portion of the electrical component, and both connectors can be smoothly fitted when the electrical component is mounted on the mounting hole.
In addition, even if an opening is provided in the receiving portion of the female connector, and each terminal is configured as a surface contact terminal, the fitting force of the fitting concave ridge and the fitting convex ridge allows the two connectors to have sufficient force. Can be combined.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the connector wherein two guide pins are provided on both sides of one of the male and female connectors, and the guide pins are inserted on both sides of the other connector. The hole is formed.

According to such a configuration, when the electrical component is mounted in the mounting hole of the instrument panel, the alignment of the male and female connectors becomes easy. Further, by visually confirming the insertion state of the guide pins and the guide holes, the fitting state of both connectors can be known.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the insertion side of the guide hole has a diameter larger than that of the guide pin, and the connector of the sixth aspect expands the insertion side of the guide hole right and left. It has an elliptical configuration.

Since the insertion side of the guide hole is made larger in diameter than the guide pins, the guide pins are guided by the guide holes even when the positions of both connectors are slightly shifted when the male and female connectors are fitted, so that both connectors are connected. They can be fitted together.

In the case where the insertion side of the guide hole is formed in an elliptical shape that spreads left and right, it is possible to compensate for the positional deviation between the left and right connectors, and to squeeze the electrical components left and right.
The connection between the two connectors can be easily released.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the distal end of the guide pin has a conical tapered portion.
According to such a configuration, the guide pin can easily enter the guide hole, and in particular, in combination with the configuration of the fifth or sixth aspect, the displacement of the male and female connectors can be more effectively compensated.

[0028] The connector according to the eighth aspect is configured such that one of the male and female connectors is swingably provided near a peripheral portion of a mounting hole of the instrument panel. According to such a configuration, in combination with the configuration of the fifth to seventh aspects, the displacement of the male and female connectors can be compensated over a wide range.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the connector, at least one surface contact terminal of the male and female connectors is pressed toward a mating surface contact terminal by a spring material. According to such a configuration, the surface contact terminals of the male and female connectors can be contacted in a stable state, and electrical connection failure can be reliably prevented.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the connector, the spring member is a leaf spring having a V-shape or an inverted V-shape, and the plurality of surface contact terminals are collectively pressed by the spring material toward the mating surface contact terminal. The configuration is as described above. According to such a configuration, connection failure of a plurality of surface contact terminals can be efficiently prevented with a simple configuration.

[0031]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a partial sectional plan view of the connector, and FIG. 2B is a front view of a male connector constituting the connector. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of an electrical component provided with a female connector constituting the connector.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A, the connector of this embodiment is an electrical component 1 such as an air conditioner or an audio device.
, And a male connector 20 provided in a mounting hole of an instrument panel (not shown) to which the electrical component 1 is mounted.

The female connector 10 is integrally provided on the upper surface of the peripheral portion of the casing 1A of the electrical component 1.
A receiving portion 11 is a space using the thickness of A. The receiving portion 11 is different from that of a normal female connector in that an opening 13 is formed by cutting off an upper wall 12. In addition, fitting recesses 14, 14 each having a U-shaped cross section or an inverted U-shape are provided on both side edges of the opening 13.

A plurality of terminal receiving grooves 15 are formed side by side on the bottom wall of the receiving portion 11.
5 accommodates surface contact plate terminals 16 respectively. Each surface contact plate terminal 16 is connected to a power supply line, a signal line, and the like (not shown) inside the electrical component 1.

On both sides of the receiving portion 11, substantially cylindrical guide pins 17, 17 are respectively protruded, and each of the tips of the guide pins 17, 17 has a conical tapered portion 17.
a and 17a.

The external shape of the electrical component 1 is in conformity with the mounting hole of the instrument panel. When the electrical component 1 is completely pushed into the mounting hole, the metal clip 1B shown in FIG. The electrical component 1 is locked inside the instrument panel and held in the mounting hole.

Returning to FIG. 1, the male connector 20 is provided near the periphery of the mounting hole of the instrument panel, and when the electrical component 1 is mounted in the mounting hole, the receiving portion 11 of the female connector 10 is provided.
To be fitted.

The housing 21 of the male connector 20 includes a substantially rectangular housing body 22 corresponding to the receiving portion 11 of the female connector 10 and side blocks 23 integrally formed on both sides of the housing body 22. ing.

On both sides of the housing body 22, receiving portions 1 are provided.
Fitting ridge 2 having a triangular cross section to be fitted to the fitting ridge 14
4, 24 are provided. A plurality of terminal accommodating grooves 25 are formed on the lower surface of the housing main body 22 side by side, and each terminal accommodating groove 25 accommodates a surface contact spring terminal 26, respectively.

Guide holes 27, 27 corresponding to the guide pins 17, 17 of the female connector 10, respectively, are formed in the side blocks 23, 23. As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), each guide hole 27, 27 has an elliptical opening 27a, 27a extending on the insertion side, and the opposite side has the same diameter as the guide pin 17, 17. It has a circular opening, and the entire hole has a substantially cone shape.

On the upper surfaces of the side blocks 23, 23, elastic support portions 28, 28 are integrally formed, respectively.
The male connector 20 is swingably supported by the elastic support portions 28, 28.

Next, the fitting operation of the connector according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to (c) and (d). FIG.
(D) is a series of partial cross-sectional side views showing the fitting operation of the connector of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the female connector 1
The electrical component 1 is pushed into the mounting hole of the instrument panel while visually confirming the relative positional relationship between the male connector 20 and the male connector 20. Then, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the female connector 1
The zero guide pins 17, 17 are inserted into the guide holes 27, 27 from the elliptical openings 27a, 27a.

Here, even when the position of the male connector 20 is slightly shifted due to a molding error of the instrument panel, which is a large-sized resin molded product, the tapered portions 17a of the guide pins 17, 17 are formed by the guide holes 27, 17a. 27 oval openings 2
7a, 27a, the male connector 20 swings to the left and right, and the guide pins 17, 17 are inserted into the guide holes 27, 27.
Inserted securely into

As the electrical component 1 is pushed into the mounting hole, as shown in FIG.
Are guided by the guide holes 27, 27, and the housing main body 22 of the male connector 20 is aligned with the receiving portion 11 of the female connector 10.

Thereafter, the female connector 10 and the male connector 20
When the electrical component 1 is completely pushed into the mounting hole while visually confirming the fitting state of the two, the connectors 10 and 20 are also completely fitted as shown in FIG.

According to the connector of this embodiment, the female connector 10 is provided on the upper peripheral edge of the electrical component 1 and the male connector 20 is provided near the peripheral edge of the mounting hole of the instrument panel. The electrical component 1 can be mounted in the mounting hole while visually confirming the positional relationship between the mounting parts 20 and 20, thereby improving the working efficiency.

When the electrical component 1 is mounted in the mounting hole, the fitting state between the female connector 10 and the male connector 20 can be visually confirmed through the opening 13 provided in the receiving portion 11, and the connection failure can be confirmed. Prevention can be achieved.

Since the surface contact plate terminal 16 and the surface contact spring terminal 26 are used for each terminal of both connectors 10, 20, these male and female connectors can be made thin. This makes it easier to provide both connectors 10 and 20 at the upper peripheral edge of the electrical component 1 and near the peripheral edge of the mounting hole of the instrument panel, and when the electrical component 1 is mounted to the mounting hole, the two connectors 10 and 20 are smoothly connected. Can be fitted. An opening 13 is provided in the receiving portion 11 of the female connector 10,
In addition, even when the terminals 16 and 26 are configured as surface contact terminals, the connectors 10 and 20 can be coupled with a sufficient force by the fitting force between the fitting concave ridge 14 and the fitting convex ridge 24. .

Guide pins 17, 17 of female connector 10
The guide holes 27 of the male connector 20 and the guide holes 27 of the male connector 20 facilitate positioning of the female connector 10 and the male connector 20 when the electrical component 1 is mounted in the mounting hole of the instrument panel. The guide pins 17, 17 and the guide hole 2
By visually checking the insertion state of the connectors 7 and 27, it is possible to know the fitted state of the connectors 10 and 20.

Since the insertion sides of the guide holes 27, 27 are formed as elliptical openings 27a, 27a which spread left and right, even if the positions of the connectors 10, 20 are slightly shifted left and right, the guide pins 17 can move the guide holes 27, 27. And the connectors 10 and 20 can be fitted to each other. Further, by twisting the electrical component 1 attached to the mounting hole to the left and right, it is possible to easily release the engagement between the connectors 10 and 20.

By forming the tips of the guide pins 17, 17 into conical tapered portions 17a, 17a, the guide pins 17, 17 can easily enter the guide holes 27, 27, and the insertion side of the guide holes 27, 27 can be adjusted. In combination with the elliptical openings 27a, 27a, the displacement between the connectors 10, 20 can be more effectively compensated.

Since the female connector 10 is swingably provided near the periphery of the mounting hole of the instrument panel, the positional deviation between the connectors 10 and 20 can be compensated over a wide range.

Next, a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 (a) and 6 (b). FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6A is a sectional view of a main part of a male connector constituting the connector, and FIG. 6B is a sectional view of a principal part of a female connector constituting the connector.

In these drawings, the connector of the present embodiment includes a plurality of surface contact spring terminals 26, 2 of the male connector 20.
6 are connected to the female connector 10 by a substantially L-shaped leaf spring 29D.
At the same time to the surface contact plate terminal 16 side.
A plurality of surface contact plate terminals 16, 16.
The structure is such that the male connector 20 is collectively pressed toward the plurality of surface contact spring terminals 26 by a substantially inverted leaf spring 19D.

Specifically, a spring accommodating portion 29A for accommodating a leaf spring 29D is integrally formed above the surface contact spring terminals 26 of the housing main body 22 constituting the male connector 20. The leaf spring 29D accommodated in the spring accommodating portion 29A collectively presses the plurality of surface contact spring terminals 26 via the movable substrate 29B. Movable substrate 29
B is provided with a partition wall 29C for insulating the surface contact spring terminals 26, 26.

On the other hand, below the surface contact plate terminals 16, 16,... Of the casing 1A in which the female connector 10 is provided,
A spring housing portion 19A for housing the leaf spring 19D is integrally formed, and the leaf spring 1 housed in the spring housing portion 19A is formed.
9D is provided with a plurality of surface contact plate terminals 1 via a movable substrate 19B.
6, 16 ... are pressed at once. Similarly to the above, the movable board 19B is provided with a partition wall 19C for insulating the surface contact plate terminals 16, 16,....

According to the connector of this embodiment having such a configuration, each contact spring terminal 2 of the male connector 20 is provided.
, 26,... And the surface contact plate terminals 16, 1 of the female connector 10.
6 can be brought into contact with each other in a stable state, and electrical connection failure can be reliably prevented.

Further, a U-shaped or inverted-shaped leaf spring 29 is provided.
D, 19D, a plurality of surface contact spring terminals 26, 26.
16... Can be pressed at once, and poor connection can be efficiently prevented.

The connector of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, contrary to the first embodiment, the female connector 10 may be provided near the periphery of the mounting hole of the instrument panel, and the male connector 20 may be provided above the periphery of the electrical component 1.

The female connector 10 and the male connector 20
May be provided anywhere on the periphery of the electrical component 1 or the mounting hole of the instrument panel as long as the positional relationship and the fitted state are visible.

Further, in the second embodiment, the leaf springs 29D, 19D are provided without the movable substrates 29B, 19B.
, And a plurality of surface contact spring terminals 26, 26,... And surface contact plate terminals 16, 16,.
In this case, the surface contact spring terminals 2 of the leaf springs 29D and 19D
, And the contact surfaces with the surface contact plate terminals 16, 16, ... are provided with partition walls 29C, 19C that insulate them from each other.

[0064]

As described above, according to the connector of the present invention, when the electrical components are attached to the instrument panel, the mutual positional relationship and the fitted state can be visually checked, thereby improving the working efficiency and the connection. Failure can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a partial cross-sectional plan view of the connector, and FIG. 2B is a front view of a male connector included in the connector.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of an electrical component provided with a female connector constituting the connector.

FIGS. 4A to 4D are a series of partial cross-sectional side views showing a fitting operation of the connector according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a sectional view of a main part of a male connector constituting the connector, and FIG. 6B is a sectional view of a principal part of a female connector constituting the connector.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional instrument panel wire harness device including an electrical component, an instrument panel, an air duct, and an instrument panel harness.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view showing a connector holder provided on the air duct and a male connector provided on the instrument panel harness.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a state where a male connector is attached to the connector holder.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrical component 1A Casing 1B Clip 10 Female connector 11 Receiving part 12 Upper wall 13 Opening 14 Fitting recess 15 Terminal receiving groove 16 Surface contact plate terminal 17 Guide pin 17a Taper part 19A Spring storage part 19B Movable board 19C Partition wall 19D Leaf spring 20 Male connector 21 Housing 22 Housing main body 23 Side block 24 Fitting ridge 25 Terminal receiving groove 26 Surface contact spring terminal 27 Guide hole 27a Elliptical opening 28 Elastic support portion 29A Spring storage portion 29B Movable board 29C Partition wall 29D Plate spring

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A pair of male and female connectors for connecting an electrical component mounted in a mounting hole of an instrument panel to a wire harness routed in the instrument panel, wherein one of these male and female connectors is connected. Is provided near the periphery of the mounting hole of the instrument panel, and the other connector is provided at the periphery of the electrical component.When the electrical component is mounted in the mounting hole of the instrument panel, the male and female connectors are fitted together. A connector comprising: 2. An opening is formed by cutting out an upper wall of a receiving portion of the female connector, and when the electrical component is mounted in a mounting hole of the instrument panel, the male and female connectors are fitted through the opening. A connector characterized in that the combined state can be visually checked. 3. Each of the male and female connectors is a surface contact terminal, fitting recesses are provided on both sides of one of the male and female connectors, and the terminals are provided on both sides of the other connector. 3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a fitting ridge corresponding to the fitting ridge is provided. 4. A male and female connector having a guide pin protruding on both sides of one of the connectors, and two guide holes into which the guide pins are inserted on both sides of the other connector. Item 5. The connector according to any one of Items 1 to 3. 5. The connector according to claim 4, wherein the insertion side of said guide hole has a larger diameter than said guide pin. 6. The connector according to claim 4, wherein the insertion side of the guide hole has an elliptical shape extending right and left. 7. The connector according to claim 4, wherein a tip portion of said guide pin is a conical tapered portion. 8. The connector according to claim 4, wherein one of said male and female connectors is swingably provided in the vicinity of a peripheral portion of a mounting hole of said instrument panel. 9. The connector according to claim 3, wherein at least one surface contact terminal of said male / female connector is pressed toward a mating surface contact terminal by a spring material. 10. The spring member is a U-shaped or inverted V-shaped leaf spring, and the plurality of surface contact terminals are collectively pressed toward the mating surface contact terminal by the spring material. The connector described.