JPS634376Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a locking mechanism for a connector or coupler used for connecting electrical terminals or connecting fluid hoses. This type of well-known locking mechanism was simply a mechanism in which a locking pawl protruding outward was locked into a locking hole provided in the locking arm. There was a risk of injury to fingers, etc., and the locking arm had to be lifted to unlock, making it difficult to operate with one hand. The present invention, on the other hand, prevents injury by making the protruding locking pawl project inward, but the locking arm must be pressed inward during the unlocking operation. However, when the male and female connectors are mated, the free end of the locking arm is inserted inside the female connector housing, making it difficult to press the lock to unlock the connector. Therefore, the present invention facilitates the unlocking operation by providing the female connector housing with a release arm that extends substantially outside the locking arm and has a free end on the same side as the free end of the locking arm. Various other features of the present invention are further illustrated by examples, but the idea of the invention is not limited to the examples only and should be broadly interpreted.

A cantilever-shaped locking arm 1 is integrally molded on the upper and outer walls of the male connector housing 2 shown on the right side of FIG. 1, rising from approximately the center and extending parallel to the outer wall to the left. The left end inner wall of a locking hole 7 provided between the legs of this locking arm engages with a locking claw 8 of a female connector housing 4, which will be described later. Second
When inserting the male connector housing 2 through the fitting opening 10 shown in the figure, the tip of the locking arm 1 comes into contact with the inclined surface of the locking claw 8, and as it advances further, it is pushed downward, so that this locking A gap is provided between the arm and the outer wall of the housing below the arm to allow the arm to descend when the arm is fitted.
In order to prevent the shape of the housing from expanding due to the provision of this gap, in this embodiment, the housing is constructed of a descending surface 13 that is connected by a surface that is inclined downward from the surface 12 of the housing on which the locking arm is planted. There is. On the other hand, protective walls 14 are provided on both sides of the locking arm with upward slopes from the surface 12, and the locking arm extends into the space formed by the descending surface 13. This protective wall 14 prevents foreign matter, such as electric wires connected to a connector, from being caught in this space, or from deforming the locking arm due to this. Note that the key protrusion 15 protruding from the side wall of the male connector housing engages with a key groove 16 provided inside the side wall of the female connector housing, which will be described later.
This is to regulate fitting. When used as a wire connector, necessary electrical terminals are implanted inside the electrical terminal connection hole 17 provided at the front, but this will be omitted for clarity. On the other hand, a cavity 5 is provided in the upper outer wall of the female connector housing 2 shown on the left side in FIG. 1 and in FIG. ing. The left ends of both legs are connected by a connecting part 11 that straddles a support beam 6 provided between both legs. The release arm made up of both legs and the connecting portion is bent by pressing the connecting portion 11 from above. The amount of deflection is such that the locking pawl 8 can be removed from the locking hole 7 of the locking arm. That is, when the male and female connectors are fitted, both legs of the locking arm 1 extend along the lower surface of both legs 9 of the release arm, so that the lock can be unlocked by pushing down the connecting portion 11. ing.

The supporting beam 6 that straddles the other connecting part is the outer wall 3
A leg is integrally implanted from the outer wall in the center of both voids 5, and the other leg is integrally fixed to the housing at the boundary between the outer wall 3 and a small outer wall 18 having a smaller diameter. Therefore, even if the connecting portion 11 is pushed down strongly, the locking claws 8 provided on the lower surfaces of the support beams do not move down together, and only the locking hole 7 moves down. In addition, since the locking arm as a whole is sunk into the cavity 5, and only the connecting portion 11 protrudes from the surface of the outer wall 3, there is little risk of it getting entangled with other foreign objects or being damaged. It's convenient.

The above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention not only embody the spirit of the present invention, but also are extremely good in both manufacture and use.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures are for explaining the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the male and female connector housings before fitting, and FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway sectional perspective view of the female connector housing. 1: Locking arm, 2: Male connector housing, 3: Outer wall, 4: Female connector housing,
5: Blank space, 6: Support beam, 7: Locking hole, 8: Locking claw, 9: Both legs, 10: Fitting opening, 11: Connecting part, 1
4: Protective wall, 15: Key protrusion, 16: Key groove.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] a male connector housing 2 having a flexible locking arm 1 fixed at one end to the outer wall of the male connector housing and extending in the direction of a mating female connector; an outer side of the male connector housing and the locking arm; In the locking mechanism of the male and female connector housing, which includes a female connector housing 4 having an outer wall 3 that fits into the female connector housing, a support beam 6 having cutout spaces 5, 5 on both sides and extending in the mating direction is provided. A locking pawl 8 that locks into the locking hole 7 provided in the locking arm is provided on the inner surface, and both legs 9, 9 are provided in the notch space, and a connecting portion is provided at the end opposite to the fitting opening 10. A cantilever-shaped flexible release arm is provided which is integrally connected by 11, and when the legs are pressed inward, the inner surfaces of both legs abut against the outer surface of the locking arm, causing the locking arms to move together. A locking mechanism for a connector housing, characterized in that the locking mechanism is configured to be pressed inward and disengage the locking pawl from the locking hole.