JPH11195454A - Electric connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make an incomplete coupling state of mutual mating housings clear. SOLUTION: This connector comprises a female type housing 3 having a locking protrusion 11, and a male type housing 21 having a locking arm 37 engaging with the locking protrusion 11 and engaging female type housing 3. A slider 22 moving backward by the action of the female type housing 3, and a wire work spring 23 deforming by the action of a slider 22, a hold member 24 holding the rear portion of the wire work spring 23, and an engage portion 42 engaging with the hold member 24 are provided on the male type housing 21. Before the housing connectors 1, 2 are completely coupled with each other, the hold member 24 and the engage portion 42 are engaged with each other, the wire work spring 23 is deformed by the force of the slider 22 so that the locking protrusion 11 releases the engagement between the hold member 24 and the engage portion 42 in the case of the engagement of the locking protrusion 11 and the locking arm 37.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric connector for electrically connecting wires of a wire harness, for example.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional electric connector of this type comprises a pair of connectors which can be connected to each other, and the housing of each connector accommodates a connection terminal having a wire connected to a rear portion thereof. The one housing and the other housing are provided with a locking projection and a locking arm, respectively, which are engaged when the housings are completely connected.

[0003]

However, even when the housings are not completely connected to each other, that is, even when the locking projections and the locking arms are not engaged, the connection terminals may be electrically connected to each other. In such a case, the housings may be separated from each other due to vibration or the like, and conduction between the connection terminals may be impaired, which may lead to an accident.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems,
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector capable of clarifying an incompletely connected state between housings.

[0005]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector having a first housing having a locking arm and a locking engaging portion which engages with the locking arm. An electrical connector comprising the first housing and a second housing coupled with the first housing, wherein the first housing has a slider that moves rearward by the action of the second housing, and the slider has a rearward movement that moves the slider. An elastic member that deforms with the force and biases the slider forward, a pressing member that presses the elastic member, and the pressing member until the housings are engaged with each other by the locking arm and the locking engaging portion. Locking means for locking, and release means for releasing the pressing member after the engagement and releasing the urging force of the elastic member against the slider. And butterflies.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiment. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment, in which an electric connector comprises a female connector 1 and a male connector 2 which can be connected to each other, and a female housing 3 of the female connector 1.
Has a rear terminal housing portion 4 and a front hood portion 5. In the terminal receiving hole 6 of the terminal receiving portion 4, a male connection terminal 8 to which the electric wire 7 is connected at the rear portion is received via a wire seal 9, and is engaged by the locking arm 10 so as not to get out of the terminal receiving hole 6. Has been stopped. On the inner surface of the upper wall of the hood portion 5, a locking projection 11 acting on a locking arm and a holding member, which will be described later, of the male connector 2 is formed. The front surface 11a of the locking projection 11 is the front surface 5a of the hood portion 5. Is located slightly behind. A guide groove 12 for guiding a slider of the male connector 2, which will be described later, and a locking projection 14 for locking a seal member 13 disposed at the back of the hood 5 are formed on inner surfaces of both side walls of the hood 5. Are formed.

As shown in an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2, the male connector 2 has a male housing 21, a slider 22 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the front part of the male housing 21 so as to be movable back and forth, and a male connector 21. A wire spring 23 disposed on the upper surface of the rear part of the mold housing 21 so as to be movable back and forth and for urging the slider 22 forward.
And a pressing member 24 arranged to be able to move back and forth behind the wire-working spring 23, a cover 25 laid over the pressing member 24, and a front engaged with the front portion of the male housing 21. A holder 26 is provided.

The lower part of the male housing 21 is a terminal housing 3
The female connection terminal 34 to which the electric wire 33 is connected to the rear portion is accommodated in the terminal accommodation hole 32 of the terminal accommodation portion 31 via the wire seal 35, and is pulled out of the terminal accommodation hole 32 by the locking arm 36. Not locked. On the outer surface of the upper wall of the terminal housing 31, a locking arm 37 having a locking projection 37a and capable of engaging with the locking projection 11 of the female housing 3 is provided. A gap is provided between the terminal accommodating portion 31 and the locking arm 37, and a pressing piece of the slider 22 described below is arranged. Guide protrusions 38 for guiding the slider 22 are provided on the outer surfaces of both side walls of the terminal accommodating portion 31, and the slider 22 is locked at a front portion of the guide protrusion 38 to prevent the slider 22 from moving forward. A locking projection 38a for regulating is provided.

On the outer surface of the upper wall at the rear of the terminal housing 31, there is provided a housing chamber 39 for housing the entire wire-working spring 23 and the lower part of the holding member 24 so as to be movable back and forth. The housing chamber 39 protrudes from the rear surface of the terminal housing 31, and a first guide groove 40 at the center for guiding the holding member 24 is provided on a lower wall of the housing chamber 39, and a second guide groove 40 on one side wall side. Guide groove 4
1 is provided. A locking portion 42 for locking the pressing member 24 is formed in a bridge shape between the locking arm 37 and the storage chamber 39. A cover hole 43 used to support the cover 25 in a hinge shape is formed in the vicinity of the side of the locking portion 42, and an outer wall of the side wall of the storage chamber 39 is used to lock the cover 25. A cover projection 44 to be used is formed.

The slider 22 has a cylindrical portion 51 fitted outside the terminal housing portion 31 of the male housing 21, and a pressing piece 52 for pressing the wire spring 23 is provided above the cylindrical portion 51.
Are formed. This pressing piece 52 is used for the male housing 2.
1 enters below the locking arm 37, and
Is pressed. On the front surface of the tubular portion 51,
Two upper projecting pieces 53 and one lower projecting piece 54 pressed by the hood section 5 of the female housing 3 are provided.
The outer surface of both side walls of the cylindrical portion 51 has a groove 55a, and the protrusion 55 can enter the guide groove 12 of the female housing 3.
A guide groove 56 for guiding the guide projection 38 of the male housing 21 and a locking groove 56a for locking the locking projection 38a are formed on the inner surfaces of both side walls of the cylinder upper portion 51.

The wire spring 23 is provided with a pressing piece 5 of the slider 22.
And an arc-shaped portion 23a pressed by the
3a has left and right reduced diameter portions 23b extending from both ends so as to be reduced in diameter mutually, and has a shape symmetrical to the axis of the male housing 21. The wire spring 23 is accommodated in the accommodating chamber 39 of the male housing 21 so as to be able to move back and forth with the arcuate portion 23a facing forward, and the reduced diameter portion 23b is guided by the pressing member 24.

The holding member 24 has a sliding plate 61 which is housed in the housing chamber 39 of the male housing 21 so as to be movable back and forth.
On the upper surface of the sliding plate 61, a pressing projection 62 pressed by a finger or the like is provided, and on the front surface of the pressing projection 62, a flexible piece 63 is provided facing forward. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line AA of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line, and a guide portion 64 that guides the reduced diameter portion 23b of the wire-working spring 23 so as to increase the diameter is formed on the lower surface of the sliding plate 61. Also, the sliding plate 61
Are provided on the lower surface of the male housing 21 with guide projections 65 and 66 respectively fitted in the first guide groove 40 and the second guide groove 41.
Is provided. A locking projection 67 is provided on the upper surface of the front portion of the flexible piece 63 to be locked by the locking portion 42 of the male housing 21. The vertical rear surface 67a of the locking projection 67
Is engaged with the front surface of the locking portion 42 of the male housing 21,
The inclined front surface 67b of the locking projection 67 is the female housing 3
Is pressed downward by the lock projection 11.

The cover 25 is provided on the male housing 21.
A cover window 71 is formed at the center of the cover plate 71 to guide the pressing protrusion 62 of the pressing member 24 in the front-rear direction. At the front of the cover plate 71, two hinge projections 73 are provided to be engaged with the cover holes 43 of the male housing 21. On the left and right outer surfaces of the cover plate 71, the cover for the male housing 21 is provided. A locking frame 74 that engages with the projection 44 is formed.

Here, in the initial state of the male connector 2 that is not connected to the female connector 1, the holding member 24 is
9, the locking projection 67 of the pressing member 24 is locked by the locking portion 42. The rear portion of the wire spring 23 is positioned in front of the guide portion 64 of the holding member 24. Further, the engaging projection 38a of the male housing 21 is engaged with the engaging groove 56a of the slider 22, so that the slider 22 is positioned at the forefront of the male housing 21, and the pressing piece 52 of the slider 22 is connected to the locking arm. 37, it is in contact with the wire-working spring 23.

The connection terminal 8 and the male housing 2
1, slider 22, wire spring 23, holding member 24,
The cover 25, the connection terminals 34, and the like are formed so as to act as follows when the female connector 1 and the male connector 2 are connected.

(1) As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the female connector 1 is connected to the male connector 2 in the initial state, the hood portion 5 of the female housing 3 enters the outside of the slider 22, and The front surface 5a of the hood portion 5 contacts the upper and lower projecting pieces 53, 54 of the slider 22.

(2) When the female connector 1 and the male connector 2 are further connected, the female housing 3 moves the slider 22 backward as shown in FIGS. Flex the arm 37 downward. At this time, since the locking projection 67 of the holding member 24 is locked to the locking portion 42, the wire spring 23 is pressed by the pressing piece 52 of the slider 22 and is driven backward. Further, the contact pressure between the connection terminals 8 and 34 increases. Then, the reduced diameter portion 23b of the wire spring 23 is connected to the guide portion 64 of the holding member 24.
, And the elastic force is accumulated in the wire spring 23.

Accordingly, when the force applied to the female connector 1 and the male connector 2 is reduced in this state, the diameter reducing portion 23b of the wire spring 23 acts to reduce the diameter, and the wire spring 23 returns. As a result, the wire work spring 23 is
2, the female housing 3 is pushed back to clarify the incompletely connected state between the female connector 1 and the male connector 2.

(3) Then, when the female connector 1 and the male connector 2 are finally connected, the locking projection 11 becomes the locking projection 37a of the locking arm 37 as shown in FIGS.
, The locking arm 37 is restored and engages with the locking projection 11. At this time, the connection terminals 8 and 34 are sufficiently connected. At the same time, the locking projection 11 presses the front surface 67 b of the locking projection 67 of the holding member 24 downward, and removes the locking projection 67 from the locking portion 42. As a result, the holding member 24 and the wire spring 23 are in a free state, and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11, the holding member 24 is driven rearward by the elastic force of the wire spring 23, and the female connector 1 and the male connector 2 are completely connected without being urged by the wire spring 23. . In order to return the male connector 2 to the initial state, the pressing member 24 may be pushed in the direction B.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the male connector 2. The free end of the locking arm 37 ′ of the male housing 21 ′ of the male connector 2 ′ has a holding member 24 ′ in an initial state. A second locking projection 37b for locking the locking projection 67 'is provided in addition to the locking projection 37a.
The upper end of the second locking projection 37a is in contact with the bottom of the flexible piece 63 of the holding member 24 '. The pressing member 24 'is locked to the locking portion 42 of the male housing 21' with the second locking projection 37b therebetween.

When the female connector 1 and the male connector 2 'are connected, the pressing piece 52 of the slider 22 presses the wire spring 23 and, as shown in FIG.
7 'is bent downward, and the second locking projection 37b is disengaged downward from between the locking portion 42 and the locking projection 67'. As a result, the pressing member 24 'moves rearward, and the locking projection 67'.
Abuts on the locking portion 42.

When the female connector 1 and the male connector 2 'are finally connected, the locking projection 11 rides over the locking projection 37a of the locking arm 37' as shown in FIG. Is restored to engage with the locking projection 11. At the same time, the second locking projection 37b presses the locking projection 67 'upward, and removes the locking projection 67' from the locking portion 42. Other operations of this modified example are the same as those of the previous embodiment, and the effects are the same as those of the previous embodiment.

[0023]

As described above, in the electrical connector according to the present invention, the first housing includes a slider which moves backward by the action of the second housing, an elastic member which is deformed by the action of the slider, and an elastic member. The resilient member includes a holding member for holding down, locking means for locking the holding member until the housings are completely connected to each other, and releasing means for releasing the holding member after the housings are completely connected to each other. Is completely deformed by the action of the second housing and the slider before it is completely connected, and the elastic force is accumulated. Therefore, when the forces applied to the housings before the housings are completely connected to each other disappear, the elastic force of the elastic member acts to push out the second housing from the first housing, and the housings are not connected to each other. Clarify the fully connected state. Further, since the release means releases the pressing member after the housings are completely connected to each other, the elastic member is restored to a free state, and the second housing is not pushed out of the first housing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the male connector.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory view.

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view.

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory view.

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view.

FIG. 9 is an operation explanatory view.

FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory view.

FIG. 11 is an operation explanatory view.

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified example of the male connector.

FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory view.

FIG. 14 is an operation explanatory view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Female connector 2, 2 'Male connector 3 Female housing 11 Locking projection 21, 21' Male housing 22 Slider 23 Wire-working spring 23a Arc-shaped part 23b Reduced diameter part 24, 24 'Press member 25 Cover 37, 37 'Locking arm 37a Locking protrusion 37b Second locking protrusion 42 Locking part 52 Pressing piece 63 Flexible piece 64 Guide part 67, 67' Locking protrusion

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An electrical connector comprising: a first housing having a locking arm; and a second housing having a locking engagement portion engaged with the locking arm and coupled to the first housing. A first housing, a slider that moves rearward by the action of the second housing, an elastic member that deforms with the rearward movement of the slider and urges the slider forward; A holding member for holding the elastic member, locking means for locking the holding member until the housings are engaged with each other by the locking arm and the locking engagement portion, and releasing the holding member after the engagement to release the holding member. A release means for releasing the urging force of the elastic member against the slider. 2. The locking means comprises a locking portion formed in the first housing, and a locking projection provided on the pressing member via a flexible piece and locked to the locking portion. Item 1
Described in the electrical connector. 3. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a wire-working spring including an arc-shaped portion and a reduced-diameter portion extending from both ends of the arc-shaped portion so as to approach each other. 4. The pressing member is provided with a guide portion for guiding the reduced diameter portion of the wire-working spring so as to increase its diameter.
An electrical connector according to claim 1. 5. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein said releasing means is said locking engagement portion, and said locking projection is pressed to release said locking projection from said locking portion. 6. The release means is a release projection provided at a free end of the locking arm, and the release projection is formed between the locking portion and the locking projection while the locking arm is not bent. Between the locking portion and the locking projection when the locking arm is bent, and when the locking arm is restored, the locking projection is separated from the locking portion. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the electrical connector is detached.