JPH11224729A - Connector having fitting completion display mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector having a fitting completion display mechanism which is free from mistaken recognition of the fitting completion, durable, and highly reliable. SOLUTION: A connector having a fitting completion display mechanism is provided with a rod 30 slidable in a fitting direction, a movable member 50 to receive the rod 30, and a bolt case 15 including a cavity 90 to store them. The movable member 50 includes a displacement structure 40. The displacement structure 40 is provided with an inwardly projecting first cam part 56 and outwardly projecting second cam part 57 at an end of an elastic beam 52. The first can part 56 covers a tip part 33 of the rod 30 before fitting. When the fitting is advanced, the displacement structure 40 is transferred from the closed condition to the opened condition to display the complete fitting to the counter connector through the cooperative action of the cam action between the tip part 33 of the rod 30 located inside the displacement structure 40 and the first cam structure 56, and the cam action of a cam wall 70 in the cavity 90 located outside the displacement structure 40 and the second cam part 57.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector with a fitting completion display mechanism which can confirm the completion of fitting with a mating connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of this type of connector with a fitting completion display mechanism is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-1774. The disclosed connector mates with a flexible arm formed at a predetermined position in the housing and a display rod slidably located inside the flexible arm. Prior to mating, the flexible arm is placed in a closed position hiding the end of the display rod. When the connector is mated with the mating connector, the display rod displaces the flexible arm outward to be in an open state. At this time, the end of the display rod is exposed to the outside, so that the completion of the mating can be confirmed. The display rod is supported by the housing via a spring. When the mating with the mating connector is released, the display rod returns to its original position, and the flexible support arm is returned to the closed state by its own spring force. It is.

[0003]

A problem with the above-mentioned connector with a fitting completion display mechanism is that the displacement of the flexible arm is not clear. That is, according to the disclosed connector, the display rod is not completely closed in the closed state, and the flexible arm is gradually displaced outward as the display rod is slid. Therefore, the operator cannot clearly know the time when the fitting is completed, and there is a possibility that an operator who is in the middle of the fitting is erroneously recognized as being completely fitted.

[0004] In addition, according to the connector mating completion display mechanism described above, when returning from the open state to the closed state, it is configured to return to the original state by its own spring force. There is a possibility that the flexible arm is slackened due to the influence of the above, and the indication of the fitting base state is likely to be erroneously recognized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector with a fitting completion display mechanism that is durable and has high reliability in displaying the fitting without erroneously recognizing the fitting completion.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a rod slidable in a fitting direction and a displacement structure which is closed before fitting and is placed so as to hide the end of the rod. When the rod is completely fitted, the rod is slid, the displacement structure is displaced and the rod is exposed and the rod is exposed, and a fitting completion display mechanism having a fitting completion display mechanism capable of confirming complete fitting is provided. In the connector, the displacement structure includes:
The rod is placed between the rod and a cam member located on the opposite side of the rod in a direction substantially intersecting with the mating direction with the mating connector, and the closed state is established by a cam action with both the cam member and the rod. It is characterized by being displaced between the open state.

Preferably, the fitting completion display mechanism has a housing body, and the cam member is formed integrally with the housing, that is, fixedly formed.

Preferably, the displacement structure is provided on a movable member which is spring-biased with respect to the housing body and is slidable in a direction parallel to the fitting direction. Before the fitting with the mating connector, the movable member is urged in a direction opposite to the fitting direction and is surrounded.

Preferably, the housing is provided with guide means for guiding the sliding of the movable member.

[0010] Preferably, the displacement structure is urged outward in a closed state before fitting.

Preferably, the rod is configured to engage with the displacement structure at a distal end, and an inclined surface is formed at the distal end of the rod.

Preferably, the displacement structure includes an elastic beam extending substantially in a longitudinal direction and a cam located at an end thereof.
The cam includes a closure that overlaps the distal end of the rod.

Preferably, the cam portion includes a first cam portion projecting inward and engaging with the distal end portion of the rod, and a second cam portion projecting outward and engaging with the cam member.

Preferably, the rod is provided with a temporary holding structure for floatingly holding the movable member so that the movable member can slide relative to each other.

[0015] Preferably, the rod is disposed so as to penetrate the movable member. The penetrating portion of the rod has a substantially rectangular cross section.

Preferably, in the displacement structure, the same closed state as before the fitting is substantially maintained during the fitting due to the cam action of both the cam member and the distal end of the rod. It is configured to shift from the closed state to the open state corresponding to the completely fitted state within a relatively short stroke range. In other words, the range of the stroke length of the rod corresponding to the state transition between the closed state and the open state is configured to be minimized.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a connector with a fitting completion display mechanism according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a connector 10 with a fitting completion display mechanism (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a connector) 10 has a substantially rectangular connector housing 11 and a bolt case 15. The bolt case 15 is located on the rear end 13 side opposite to the fitting end 12 to be fitted with the mating connector. Bolt case 1
Reference numeral 5 is located substantially at the center of the connector housing 11 and receives a bolt (not shown) extending through the connector housing 11. The bolt has a low insertion force (LI
F) Used for mating. The bolt case 15 is a housing body for accommodating each component of a fitting completion display mechanism described later so that completion of fitting between the connectors by bolts can be confirmed. The connector housing 11 is configured such that the mating connector housing can access the mating completion display mechanism. A similar configuration is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-50678.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a fitting completion display mechanism fitted to the bolt case.

Referring to FIG. 2, the fitting completion display mechanism 100 is shown.
Has a rod 30, a movable member 50 that penetrates and receives the rod 30, a pair of coil springs 80, and a cavity 90 formed in the bolt case 15.

The rod 30 has a substantially cylindrical first portion 31.
And a second portion 32 having a substantially rectangular cross section. Second part 3
The two end portions 33 meet a pair of inclined surfaces 33a forming an obtuse angle. On the outer surfaces on the top and bottom sides of the second portion 32, retaining protrusions 34a and 34b for holding the movable member 50 so as to be able to slide freely by a relatively short dimension are formed. The configuration of the bottom outer surface is not shown, but is symmetrical with respect to the top configuration shown.

The movable member 50 includes a base 51 and the base 51.
And a displacement structure 40 that includes a pair of elastic beams 52 that project in a direction substantially orthogonal to and that can be elastically displaced. The base 51 has a substantially rectangular opening 58 at the center. The side edges of the opening 58 are defined by a pair of relatively narrow beams 53. It should be noted that the pair of beams 53 forms a wide portion 59 wider than other portions near the center of the base portion 51.
The opening 58 is for receiving the rod 30 described above, and when the opening 58 receives the rod 30, the beam 53 and the retaining projections 34a and 34b can be engaged. When the rod 30 slides in the opening 58 as described above, the opening 58
In addition, since the second portion 32 of the rod 30 has a substantially complementary cross-sectional shape and dimension, the rotation of the rod 30 is prevented. Base 51
Outside the opening 58, a pair of spring support posts 54 projecting in the same direction as the displacement structure 40 are formed. The spring support post 54 engages one end of the coil spring 80. Base 5
A pair of arms 55 is formed at both ends of the first arm 55. Arm 5
5 shows a movable member 50 with a cavity 90 of the bolt case 15.
The protrusion 91 in the cavity 90
Is to be engaged. The displacement structure 40 has, on the free end side of the elastic beam 52, first and second cam portions 56 and 57 that protrude inward and outward directions perpendicular to the length direction of the elastic beam 52. It should be noted that the cam portions 56 and 57 are wider than the elastic beam 52. First
The operation of the second cam portions 56 and 57 will be apparent in the following description.

The cavity 90 has the above-mentioned protrusion 91 on the side wall, and further has a concave groove 92 for receiving the wide portion 59 defined by the beam 53 of the base 51. The concave groove 92 functions to guide the sliding of the movable member 50. As shown, the cavity 90 is provided at a position near the bolt receiving hole 99 of the bolt case 15.

FIGS. 3 to 5 are sectional views showing the arrangement of the fitting completion display mechanism after assembly and the operation of each member.

FIG. 3 shows the arrangement of each member before fitting. With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, assembly of each member will be briefly described first. The rod 30 shown in FIG. 2 is engaged with the movable member 50 in advance. That is, the movable member 50 receives the second portion 32 of the rod 30 in the opening 58, and the beam 53 and the retaining projections 34a, 34b are engaged, whereby the rod 30 prevents the movable member 50 from being removed. On the other hand, a pair of coil springs 80 are arranged in the cavity 90 of the bolt case 15 in advance. The coil spring 80 is fixed to a pair of spring support posts 71 provided in the cavity 90. Thereafter, the movable member 50 and the rod 30 engaged with each other are inserted into the cavity 90, and the movable member 5
The arms 55 of the base 51 of the
1 and the spring 80 is engaged with the spring supporting post 54 of the movable member 50 at this time. Thus, each member is maintained in the cavity 90. As can be understood from FIG. 3, at this time, the movable member 50 is urged toward the fitting surface side, that is, the end 93 side by the pair of coil springs 80, and the arm 55 and the projection 91 are brought into contact with each other. .

The above-described spring supporting post 71 protrudes from a cam wall (cam member) 70 protruding into the cavity 90. In the state shown in FIG. 3, the cam wall 70 is
The elastic beam 52 is pressed inward by abutting the second cam portion 57 of the “0”. As a result, the first cam portion 56 comes into contact with the inclined surface 33a of the distal end portion 33 of the rod 30 and pushes the distal end portion 33 toward the end 93, and at the same time, the distal end portion 83 of the rod 30 is at the end opposite to the fitting side. The tip 33 is hidden so that it cannot be confirmed from the side 94. That is, the first cam portion 56 also functions as a closing portion that closes the distal end portion 33 of the rod 30 before completely fitting. The rod 30 is usually colored differently from the movable member 50 and the rod 30 is
By not being able to see from the side 4, the operator can confirm that the fitting with the mating connector has not been performed.

FIG. 4 shows a state during the fitting. The fitting with the mating connector is performed by the rotation of the above-mentioned bolt (not shown). When the mating with the mating connector progresses, the part P of the housing of the mating connector becomes the first portion 31 of the rod 30.
Is pushed in the direction of arrow A, which is the fitting direction. At this time, the first cam portion 56 located at the end of the pair of elastic beams 52 of the displacement structure 40 is
To keep it closed because it is pushed inward. Therefore, the tip portion 33 of the rod 30 is
The movable member 50 is pushed to move to the end 94 side via 6. It is understood from FIG. 4 that the movable member 50 is moved against the biasing force of the coil spring 80.

FIG. 5 discloses the state of each member at the time when the fitting is completed. When the rod 30 is pushed out to the vicinity of the position where the mating with the mating connector is completed, the second cam portion 5 is pushed outside the first cam portion 56 of the movable member 50 pressed by the rod 30.
7 exceeds the position of the cam wall 70. Therefore, the elastic beam 52 of the displacement structure 40 can be displaced outward. At this time, the elastic beam 52 is displaced so as to be forcibly opened outward by the cam action of the inclined surface 33a of the rod 30 and the first cam member 56 in addition to its own spring force. Therefore, the displacement structure 40 is in an open state, and the inclined surface 33a of the rod 30 is exposed from between the pair of elastic beams 52 in the open state. It should be noted that the rod 30 moves relatively largely with respect to the movable member 50 and reaches the position where the distal end 33 of the rod 30 overlaps the first cam member 56. As described above, since the rods 30 of different colors are exposed between the first cam members 56 with respect to the movable member 50, the operator can confirm the complete fitting of the connectors.

The important point is that the elastic beam 5 of the displacement structure 40
The second point is that the transition from the closed state to the open state is performed in a very short time when the connectors are completely fitted. It should be noted that the first cam portion 56 of the displacement structure 40 is completely closed in the middle of the fitting shown in FIG. 4, as can be understood particularly with reference to both FIG. 4 and FIG. That is, when the fitting with the mating connector proceeds, the rod 30 is pushed and slid in the direction of the arrow A, but the displacement structure 40 includes the rod 30 and the first cam portion 5.
6 and the cam function of the cam wall 70 and the second cam portion 57, both in the sliding stroke length of the rod 30, extremely near the position where complete engagement with the mating connector occurs in the sliding stroke length. The state changes from the closed state to the open state at a stretch during a short stroke. Therefore, the possibility that the worker mistakenly recognizes the fitting table state is extremely small.

When the connection between the mating connector and the connector 10 is released, the bolt is rotated in reverse. Thereby, the mating connector is separated from the connector 10, and the force for pressing the rod 30 is removed. At this time, the movable member 50 is biased toward the end 93 by the pair of coil springs 80 as described above, and is provided on the displacement structure 40 of the movable member 50 in a completely fitted state as understood from FIG. Since the first cam portion 56 is positioned so as to overlap the tip portion 33 of the rod 30, the first cam portion 56 of the displacement structure 40 of the movable member 50 moves the tip portion 33 of the rod 30 in the direction opposite to the arrow A in FIG. Press in the direction. Accordingly, the rod 30 is returned toward the end 93 together with the movable member 50. Also in the returning process of the rod 30, the first cam portion 56 of the displacement structure 40 corresponds to the process in which the complete engagement with the mating connector is released. It should be noted that the transition to. This is because when the movable member 50 is returned toward the end 93, the second cam portion 57 acts on the cam wall 70 to push the first cam portion 56 inward. The first cam portion 56 moves smoothly along the inclined surface 33a of the tip portion 33 of the rod 30. Thereafter, the distal end portion 33 of the rod 30 is continuously pressed by the first cam portion 56 of the movable member 50 moved by the urging force of the coil spring 80. Thereby, the fitting completion display mechanism 1
00 is returned from the state of FIG. 5 to the position before fitting in FIG. 3 via the state of FIG. Due to the action of the coil spring 80, even when the resin interface near the first cam portion 56 partially melts and has adhesiveness due to, for example, use in a high-temperature environment for a long time, the bonded portion is securely separated and the original portion is removed. Is returned to the state before fitting.

FIGS. 6 to 8 are sectional views similar to FIGS. 3 to 5, showing a fitting completion display mechanism according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

A fitting completion indicating mechanism 200 according to the second preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is also provided on a bolt case 215 similar to the bolt case 15 shown in FIG.
In the bolt case 215, the rod 230, the rod 23
The movable member 250 has a pair of coil springs 280 and a cavity 290 formed to receive the movable members 250. These components operate basically as in the first preferred embodiment.

That is, as will be understood with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, when the connector housing P of the mating connector pushes the rod 230 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 7 from the state shown in FIG. The first cam portion 256 at the tip of the elastic arm 252 is pushed through the inclined surface 233a to push the rod 2
The movable member 250 is pushed into the cavity 290 together with 30. When the rod 230 is further pushed and moved, the second cam portion 257 of the movable member 250 exceeds the cam wall 270 located on the inner wall of the cavity 290, so that the elastic beam 252 can be displaced outward. As shown in FIG. 8, the elastic beam 252 is displaced so as to be forcibly opened outward by the first cam portion 256 being pushed by the rod 230 in addition to its own spring force. It is exposed to the outside from the side position. The rod 230 is connected to at least the first cam portion 25 of the elastic beam 252.
Since the color is different from that of No. 6, the completion of the fitting can be confirmed.

Conversely, when the mating with the mating connector is released, the coil spring 280 pushes the movable member 250 back. At this time, the cam wall 270 acts to forcibly close the elastic beam 252. The movable member 250 receiving the urging force of the coil spring 280 pushes the rod 230 back when the first cam portion 256 of the elastic beam 252 comes into contact with the inclined surface 233a of the rod 230, so that all members return to the position shown in FIG. Is returned.

The difference from the first preferred embodiment is that the elastic beam 252 of the movable member 250 serving as the displacement structure 240 is provided solely on one side of the rod 230.
On the other side where the elastic beam 252 is not provided, a fixed wall 297 is provided.
Are formed integrally with the bolt case 215. Fixed wall 2
On the other side where the 97 is provided, no bending displacement space of the elastic beam 252 is required, so that the fitting completion display mechanism 200 can be realized with relatively small dimensions in the first preferred embodiment.
In particular, it should be noted that the fixed wall 297 also acts as a guide when the rod 230 is slid.

As described above, the connector with a mating completion display mechanism according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, this is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention. Various modifications and changes are possible.

[0038]

According to the connector with a mating completion display mechanism of the present invention, the displacement structure is provided between the rod and the cam member located on the opposite side in a direction substantially intersecting with the mating direction with the mating connector. It is characterized by being displaced between the closed state and the open state by the cam action of both the cam member and the rod, so that the displacement structure of the fitting completion indicating mechanism shifts from the closed state to the open state. Or the opposite state transition can be guided very accurately, and particularly when the rod is slid, the stroke length corresponding to the state during the state transition can be made extremely short. It is possible to accurately confirm the complete mating without misidentifying the complete mating of the connector. Further, according to the above-described configuration, even when the fitting and releasing operations are performed a plurality of times, the displacement structure is forcibly displaced by the cam action, so that the display is extremely accurate, and the display is extremely accurate in a plurality of operations or in a high temperature environment. It has sufficiently high reliability even when used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a connector with a fitting completion display mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a fitting completion display mechanism fitted to a bolt case.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a fitting completion display mechanism according to the first preferred embodiment in a state before fitting.

4 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 3, showing the fitting completion display mechanism of FIG.

5 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 3, showing the fitting completion display mechanism of FIG. 3 in a fitting completed state;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a fitting completion display mechanism according to a second preferred embodiment in a state before fitting.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 6, showing the fitting completion display mechanism of FIG.

8 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 6, showing the fitting completion display mechanism of FIG. 6 in a fitting completed state;

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Connector with Fitting Completion Display Mechanism 30, 230 Rod 40, 240 Displacement Structure 70, 270 Cam Member (Cam Wall) 100, 200 Fitting Completion Display Mechanism

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A rod slidable in a fitting direction and a displacement structure which is closed before fitting and is placed so as to hide an end of the rod, and the rod is completely fitted with a mating connector. Is slid, the displacement structure is displaced to an open state and the rod is exposed, and thereby a connector with a fitting completion display mechanism having a fitting completion display mechanism capable of confirming complete fitting, wherein the displacement structure is The rod is placed between the rod and a cam member located on the opposite side of the rod in a direction substantially intersecting with the mating direction with the mating connector, and the closed state is established by a cam action with both the cam member and the rod. A connector with a fitting completion display mechanism, characterized in that the connector is displaced between the open state and the open state. 2. The connector with a fitting completion display mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said fitting completion indicating mechanism includes a housing body, and said cam member is formed integrally with said housing body. . 3. The displacement structure is provided on a movable member which is urged against the housing body and is slidable in a direction parallel to a fitting direction. The connector with a fitting completion display mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the connector is urged and placed in a direction opposite to a fitting direction before the fitting. 4. The fitting completion indication mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the rod is configured to engage with the displacement structure at a distal end, and an inclined surface is formed at the distal end of the rod. connector. 5. The displacement structure includes an elastic beam extending substantially in a longitudinal direction and a cam located at an end of the elastic beam, and the cam engages a closing portion overlapping the distal end of the rod. The connector with a fitting completion display mechanism according to claim 1. 6. A first cam portion which projects inward and serves as the closing portion engaging with the distal end portion of the rod;
6. The connector with a fitting completion display mechanism according to claim 5, wherein a second cam portion that projects outward and engages with the cam member is fitted.