JPH11167948A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simply, surely detect the half inserted state of a retainer. SOLUTION: A retainer 31 can be inserted from an inserting groove 36 on one side surface of a male housing 21 and locked in a temporary locking position, where the insertion and removing of a male side terminal fitting are allowed and a proper locking position engaging with the male side terminal fitting. When the retainer 31 is in the temporary locking position, an operating plate 34 is protruded from the insertion surface. A cover 61 for covering the locked part when both housings 1, 21 are properly fit is formed openably in the male housing 21. A regulating piece 69 extended to the rear of the inserting groove 36 along the inserting surface of the retainer 31 is protruded from a cover 61. When both housings 1, 21 are fit, although the cover 61 must be opened, if the retainer 31 is in a half inserted state state, the regulating piece 69 abut against the protruded part of the retainer 31, the cover 61 cannot be opened, and thereby, the half inserted state of the retainer 31 is detected.

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 retainer for locking a terminal fitting.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a connector of this type, those shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 are known. In brief, the male and female housings a and b are provided with retainers c and d, respectively, which can be inserted from both upper and lower surfaces, and the retainers c and d are held at the temporary locking positions as shown in FIG. The terminal fittings e and f are inserted and are primarily locked by the lances g and h. Then, retainers c and d
Is pushed into the final locking position (for the female side, see the chain line in the figure), the engaging projections i, j of the retainers c, d are locked to the rear surfaces of the jaws of the terminal fittings e, f. The terminal fittings e and f are locked in a double retaining state.

During the above operation, the retainers c and d
When the terminal fittings e and f are in the half-inserted state, the engaging projections i and j hit the main body of the terminal fittings e and f, even if the user forgets to push them into the final locking position or performs the pushing operation. Due to the inability to do so, the retainers c and d may be stopped at a position before reaching the final locking position. In this case, since the retainers c and d are in a floating state, they can be distinguished by visual inspection. However, in the case of a small connector, the possibility of being overlooked cannot be denied because the amount of the floating is small.

[0004]

However, in the case of the female connector on the left side, the female connector is fitted into the hood portion k of the mating male connector. Therefore, if the retainer c is in a floating state, it will be shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, when the two connectors are fitted together, the projecting portion of the retainer c hits the hood k to restrict the fitting, whereby it is possible to detect that the retainer c is in a half-inserted state. On the other hand, in the case of the male connector, it is not expected that the retainer d which has floated up at the time of the mating operation of the connector collides with the counterpart.
There is a problem that it is difficult to detect half-insertion of an object. The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances,
An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily and reliably detect half-insertion of a retainer.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector housing in which a terminal is inserted, and the terminal is inserted into the connector housing to lock the terminal. A connector having a cover that is openable and closable on the connector housing, the cover having a half-inserted state in which the retainer remains at a position just before the retainer is properly attached. In this case, a feature is provided in which a restricting portion for restricting displacement in the opening and closing direction is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the restricting portion is provided along an insertion surface of the retainer in the connector housing, and when the retainer is in a half-inserted state, the difference is made. It is characterized in that the displacement of the cover is regulated by the regulation portion hitting a portion protruding from the insertion surface.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the restricting portion is provided so as to protrude inside the connector housing, and the retainer is in a half-inserted state and is locked to the terminal fitting. When the portion is retracted from the normal position, the displacement of the cover is regulated by the regulation portion hitting the locking portion.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second or third aspect of the present invention, the cover is always urged in a closing direction by an urging means, and the retainer is in a half-inserted state. In one case, the feature is that the displacement is regulated by the contact of the regulating portion with the retainer while the cover is displaced in the opening direction.

[0009]

<Operation and Effect of the Invention><Invention of Claim 1> When the retainer is in the half-inserted state, the displacement in the opening and closing direction is regulated by the contact of the regulating portion provided on the cover with the retainer.
With this, it is detected that the retainer is in the half-inserted state. <Invention of Claim 2> When the retainer is in a half-inserted state, the displacement of the cover is regulated when the restricting portion that is to be displaced along the insertion surface of the retainer hits a portion protruding from the insertion surface of the retainer. Since the restricting portion is outside, the half-insertion can be detected visually.

[0010] When the retainer is in the half-inserted state, the restricting portion that is to be displaced in the housing hits the locking portion that is displaced from the proper position, thereby restricting the displacement of the cover. Since the restricting portion is hidden in the connector housing, the appearance is clear. <Invention of Claim 4> Both connector housings are fitted together with the cover opened after the retainer is mounted. At this time, when the retainer is in the half-inserted state, the opening operation of the cover is restricted, and it is detected that the retainer is in the half-inserted state.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. <First Embodiment> FIGS. 1 to 7 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
An embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, a female connector F and a male connector M that are fitted to each other are provided, and the present invention is applied to the male connector M side. In the following description, the ends of both connectors F and M that are fitted to each other will be referred to as the front.

First, the female connector F will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the female connector F includes a female housing 1 formed of a synthetic resin material in a block shape. Three cavities 2 shown in the female housing 1
Are formed side by side, and the female terminal fittings 4 connected to the terminals of the electric wires 3 are inserted into the respective cavities 2 from behind, and the metal lances 5 are formed in the locking step portions 6 formed in the cavities 2. , So that it is primarily locked in a retaining state.

A retainer mounting hole 8 is formed in the lower surface of the female housing 1 so that a retainer 10 can be mounted therein. The retainer 10 is formed with an engagement protrusion 11 that can be engaged with the jaw portion 4A of the female terminal fitting 4. The detailed description is omitted. In this state, the engagement protrusion 11 is retracted to the lower surface side of the cavity 2 so that the insertion of the female terminal fitting 4 is allowed as described above.
After the female terminal fitting 4 is inserted, when the retainer 10 is pushed into the final locking position held by the final locking piece 13, the engaging projection 11 protrudes into the cavity 2 and the female terminal fitting 4 The female terminal fitting 4 is double-locked so as to be fitted into the rear surface of the jaw portion 4A so as not to come off.

Here, when the retainer 10 is held at the temporary locking position, a part of the retainer 10 projects from the lower surface of the female housing 1, and the male housing 2 will be described later.
When fitted into the first hood portion 23, it abuts against the tip of the hood portion 23 and further fitting is restricted, whereby it is possible to easily detect that the retainer 10 is in the half-inserted state. I have.

A lock arm 15 is formed on the upper surface of the female housing 1 so as to be bent from the front end toward the rear end. A pressing portion 16 is provided on the upper surface of the lock arm 15, and
A pair of lock projections 17 are formed to protrude from both side edges slightly forward of the pressing portion 16.

Next, the male connector M will be described.
The male connector M includes a male housing 21 also formed of a synthetic resin material, and a hood 23 into which the above-described female housing 1 is fitted on a front surface of a main body 22.
Is provided. Similarly, three cavities 24 are formed in the main body 22 in the horizontal direction, and a male terminal fitting 26 connected to the end of the electric wire 25 is inserted into each of the cavities 24 from the rear. 2
When the tab 7 is locked to the locking step 28 formed in the cavity 24, the tab 29 is prevented from coming off and housed in a state of protruding into the hood 23.

A retainer 31 can also be mounted on the male housing 21 to secondarily lock the male terminal fitting 26 inserted into the cavity 24 as described above. Retainer 3
1 is formed on an upper surface of an elongated substrate 32 with an engagement projection 33 that can be engaged with the jaw 26A of the male terminal fitting 26, and formed with an operation plate 34 for pressing operation rising at one end of the substrate 32. Have been.

On the other hand, an insertion groove 36 for the retainer 31 is formed on the front surface of the main body 22 of the male housing 21. As shown in FIG. 3, the insertion groove 36 is
The substrate insertion portion 37 into which the cavities can be inserted is formed up to the position of the opposite side surface so as to cross the bottom of each cavity 24, and the side wall partitioning each cavity 24 has Is formed. On the surface of the main body 22 into which the retainer 31 is inserted, there is formed a housing 39 into which the operation plate 34 can be fitted flush.

On the lower surface of the substrate 32 of the retainer 31, one lock projection 41 is protruded. On the other hand, the bottom surface of the board insertion portion 37 is provided with a
Book locking grooves 42 and 43 are formed. The front side (left side in FIG. 3) is the temporary locking groove 42, and the rear side (right side) is the main locking groove 43. Then, the retainer 31 is inserted into the insertion groove 36, and the lock protrusion 41 is moved to the temporary locking groove 4 on the front side.
2, the retainer is locked in the temporary locking position shown in FIG. At this time, the operation plate 34 of the retainer 31 is in a state of protruding from the side surface of the main body 22, and
The engaging projection 33 is retracted to the side of the cavity 24 so that the male terminal fitting 26 can be inserted and removed. On the other hand, when the lock projection 41 is fitted into the final locking groove 43 on the back side, the retainer 31 is locked at the full locking position shown in FIG. Here, the engagement projections 33 protrude into the respective cavities 24 while the operation plate 34 is fitted flush with the accommodation portion 39.

In the ceiling portion of the hood 23 described above,
An accommodation room 51 opened at the front is provided.
A pressed member 52 is fitted therein so as to be freely slidable in the front-rear direction. The pressed member 52 is operable to be pressed by a pressing portion 16 of a lock arm 15 provided on the female housing 1 at the time of a fitting operation of the two housings 1 and 21, and a compression member provided on the rear surface side. It is biased forward by two return springs 53 composed of coil springs, and the movement is stopped by a locking portion 54 provided on the ceiling surface. The front end portion of the bottom surface of the storage chamber 51 is open, and the lock projection 17 of the lock arm 15 can be locked on the rear surface while riding on the inner surface of the wall 55 formed from both side edges thereof. A locking projection 56 is formed.

A short terminal 58 is mounted in the space above the portion where the cavity 24 is provided in the main body 22. The short terminal 58 is formed by folding a conductive metal plate so as to have a U-shaped cross section. The short terminal 58 has its upper surface fixed and the folded portion facing the back. The lower surface of the short terminal 58 is branched into three corresponding to the number of the male terminal fittings 26 to be accommodated, and a contact portion 60 bent downward in a mountain shape is formed at the tip of each branch piece 59. Have been. Then, in the assembled state, the contact portion 60 of each branch piece 59 is connected to the male terminal fitting 26.
Each of the male terminal fittings 26 is brought into contact with a tab 29 protruding into the hood portion 23 of the hood 23, thereby preventing a potential difference between the male terminal fittings 26 from occurring. On the other hand, when both housings 1 and 21 are fitted, each branch piece 5
Numeral 9 is elastically pushed up by the female housing 1 and is separated from the tab 29 so that the male terminal fittings 26 are made non-conductive (see FIG. 5).

The male housing 21 has two housings 1,
Cover 6 for covering and protecting the lock portion 21
1 is attached. Specifically, this cover 61 slightly straddles the upper surface of the male housing 21 in the left-right direction, and
The upper end 3 can be covered over both side surfaces slightly deeper from the front. This cover 61
Are bearing holes 62 formed on the left and right side edges on the rear end side.
Is rotatably supported by being fitted to a pin 63 protruding from the male housing 21. At the rear end of the cover 61, an operation section 64 is formed, and as shown in FIG.
An urging spring 67 made of a compression coil spring is mounted between a spring receiver 65 provided on the back surface of the main body 4 and a spring receiver 66 provided on the upper surface of the main body 22. A revolving force in the counterclockwise direction in the figure is urged to the cover 61 by the elasticity of the cover 61, and the cover 61 is held in a closed state by hitting the upper surface of the male housing 21. On the other hand, the operation unit 64
When the is pressed, the cover 61 is opened against the elasticity of the urging spring 67 as shown in FIG. 5, so that the mating female housing 1 can be fitted into the hood portion 23.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, one side of the rear end of the cover 61 extends along the side of the male housing 21 into which the retainer 31 is inserted.
In addition, a restriction piece 69 extending to the rear of the insertion groove 36 of the retainer 31 is integrally formed.

The first embodiment has the above structure, and its operation will be described below. First, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, when the retainer 31 is inserted into the insertion groove 36 of the male housing 21, the lock projection 41 fits into the temporary locking groove 42 as shown in FIG. As a result, the retainer 31 is held at the temporary locking position. Here, the engagement protrusion 33 is retracted to the side of the cavity 24. When the male terminal fitting 26 is inserted into the cavity 24 in such a state, it is primarily locked by the metal lance 27 as shown in FIG. 2, and the tab 29 of the male terminal fitting 26 protrudes into the hood portion 23 and is short-circuited. 58, and respectively contact the corresponding branch pieces 59.

Subsequently, when the retainer 31 is further pushed in,
As the lock projection 41 fits into the final locking groove 43, the locking projection 41 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2B, the engagement protrusion 33 is pushed into the cavity 24 and locked behind the jaw 26A of the male terminal fitting 26 (see FIG. 2). , And is secondarily locked. On the other hand, also on the female connector F side, the female terminal fitting 4 is similarly inserted and double-locked by the retainer 10.

When the two housings 1 and 21 are fitted,
First, the operation unit 64 is pressed to open the cover 61. If the retainer 31 is properly pushed down to the full locking position, the operation plate 34 of the retainer 31 is flush with the accommodation portion 39, and as shown by the chain line in FIG.
Rotation of the cover 61 is allowed while 9 passes over the surface of the operation plate 34.

When the female housing 1 is fitted into the hood portion 23 of the male housing 21 with the cover 61 opened, the locking protrusion of the lock arm 15 is provided during the fitting operation as shown in FIG. The lock arm 15 is elastically deformed upward by the climbing of the locking projection 56 so that the pressing portion 16
Are fitted while pushing the pressed member 52 against the elasticity of the return spring 53.

When the two housings 1 and 21 are properly fitted, the lock projection 17 goes over the locking projection 56, so that FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, the lock projection 15 is locked to the rear surface of the locking projection 56 while the lock arm 15 is being restored and deformed.
The pressed member 52 is locked in the proper fitting state, and is returned to the front position by the restoring elasticity of the return spring 53. Further, the cover 61 is closed by the elasticity of the urging spring 67,
The front of the lock portion 21 will be closed.

In the above description, both housings 1, 21
If the fitting operation is interrupted before is properly fitted, FIG.
Since the lock arm 15 receives a force in the return direction due to the restoring elasticity of the return spring 53, the female housing 1 is ejected outward, and the two housings 1, 21 remain in a half-fitted state, as shown in FIG. Being placed is avoided.

In the above, the retainer 31 is connected to the male housing 21.
Although the case where the male terminal fitting 26 is attached to the regular final locking position has been described, for example, even if the retainer 31 is forgotten to be pushed into the final locking position or the pushing operation is performed, the male terminal fitting 26 is In the half-inserted state, the engaging projection 3
3 cannot hit the main body of the male terminal fitting 26 and cannot be pushed in, so that the retainer 31 may be stopped at the temporary locking position. The case where the connectors F and M are fitted in such a state will be described below.

In the state where the retainer 31 is in the temporary locking position, as shown in FIG.
4 protrudes from the side surface of the male housing 21.
Therefore, when the operation portion 64 is pressed to fit the connectors F and M to open the cover 61, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. Since the operating plate 34 and the substrate 32 project from the rear, the cover 61 cannot be opened. Therefore, the fitting operation of both connectors F and M cannot be performed. With this, the operator can detect that the retainer 31 is not mounted at the final locking position. In the first embodiment, since the place where the regulating piece 69 abuts on the operation plate 34 of the retainer 31 can be visually observed from the outside, it can be more clearly determined that the retainer 31 is in the half-inserted state.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This second
In the embodiment, the restricting piece 71 for detecting half insertion of the retainer 31 is provided in a form accommodated in the male housing 21. That is, from the rear surface of the rear end of the cover 61, 2
The regulating piece 71 of the book hangs down and is integrally formed. More specifically, both regulating pieces 71 are provided with through-grooves 72 formed in the main body 22.
To the bottom position of the cavity 24, and hangs down along the inside of both side walls of the central cavity 24. When the cover 61 is in the closed state, as shown in detail in FIG. 10, the hanging lower end of the regulating piece 71 reaches a position immediately behind the passage area of the engaging projection 33 of the retainer 31, and the cover 61 When the is rotated to the open position, the hanging lower end of the regulating piece 71 can move forward integrally. Other structures are the same as those in the first embodiment, and portions having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. Second
The operation of the embodiment is as follows. Both connectors F, M
When the cover 61 is fitted, the operating portion 64 is pressed.
When the retainer 31 is properly held at the final locking position shown in FIG. 9B when the cover is opened, the engaging projection 33 of the retainer 31 is positioned in front of the rotation area of the regulating piece 71 of the cover 61. , The cover 61 can be opened and closed as it is.

On the other hand, when the retainer 31 is held at the temporary locking position shown in FIG. 9A, the engaging projection 33 of the retainer 31 is retracted to the side of the cavity 24, that is, the restriction is made. It is located in front of the lower end of the piece 71. Therefore, when the operation portion 64 is pressed to open the cover 61, the lower end of the regulating piece 71 is
The cover 61 cannot be opened because of abutting against the first engaging projection 33 from behind. Therefore, similarly, the fitting operation of the two connectors F and M cannot be performed, so that the operator can detect that the retainer 31 is not mounted at the full locking position. In the second embodiment, since the regulating piece 71 is housed in the male housing 21, the appearance is clear.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above with reference to 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 half-inserted state of the retainer is detected by restricting the rotation of the cover to the open position. However, the rotation is restricted during the return from the open position to the closed position. , It is also possible to detect half insertion. (2) If the cover is provided on the female connector, the present invention can be applied to the female connector.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a state before both connectors are fitted.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the retaining operation of the retainer.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an opening and closing operation of a cover.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which both connectors are in the process of being fitted;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where both connectors are properly fitted.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state where half-insertion of the retainer is detected.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a male connector according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the retaining operation of the retainer.

FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged sectional view of a male connector.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional example before fitting of both connectors.

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where half insertion of the female retainer is detected.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Female housing (other housing) 15 ... Lock arm 21 ... Male housing 26 ... Male terminal fitting 31 ... Retainer 33 ... Engagement protrusion (locking part) 34 ... Operation plate 36 ... Insertion groove 61 ... Cover 62 ... bearing hole 63 ... pin 67 ... urging spring (urging means) 69 ... regulating piece (regulating part) 71 ... regulating piece (regulating part)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A connector having a connector housing into which a terminal fitting is inserted, a retainer inserted into the connector housing to lock the terminal fitting, and a cover provided on the connector housing so as to be openable and closable. A connector, wherein the cover is provided with a restricting portion that restricts displacement in the opening and closing direction by hitting the retainer when the cover is in a semi-inserted state where the retainer remains at a position just before being properly attached. 2. The restricting portion is provided along an insertion surface of the retainer in the connector housing, and the restricting portion contacts a portion protruding from the insertion surface when the retainer is in a half-inserted state. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the displacement of the cover is regulated by this. 3. When the restricting portion is provided to protrude inside the connector housing, and when the retainer is in a half-inserted state and a locking portion for locking to the terminal fitting is retracted from a regular position, The connector according to claim 1, wherein the displacement of the cover is regulated by contacting the stopper with the stopper. 4. The cover is always urged in a closing direction by an urging means, and when the retainer is in a half-inserted state, the regulating portion hits the retainer in the process of displacing the cover in the opening direction. 4. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the displacement of the connector is regulated.