WO2014017121A1

WO2014017121A1 - Connector

Info

Publication number: WO2014017121A1
Application number: PCT/JP2013/058012
Authority: WO
Inventors: 雅美酒井
Original assignee: 住友電装株式会社
Priority date: 2012-07-25
Filing date: 2013-03-21
Publication date: 2014-01-30
Also published as: JP2014026762A; JP5910882B2

Abstract

A connector is provided with: a female terminal (20) having a connecting section (25) into which a corresponding male terminal (10) is inserted and connected; a housing (40) having a cavity (41) into which the female terminal (20) is inserted from the rear, locked into place by a lance (45), and accommodated; a lock piece (35) that is provided inside the connecting section (25) of the female terminal and that latches with and elastically locks to the male terminal (10) when a predetermined portion of said male terminal (10) is inserted; a follower section (38) that is provided to both edges of the lock piece (35); a cam section (53) that is formed on both of the facing walls of a cavity (41), engages with the follower section (38) when a housing (40) moves in the rearward direction from a state in which the female/male terminals (20, 10) are locked, and causes the lock piece (35) to be elastically displaced in a lock release direction; and a rattle-stopping section (52) that is formed on the rear portion of the cam section (53) and that is in contact with each follower section (38) of the lock piece (35) in a state in which the female/male terminals (20, 10) are locked.

Description

connector

The present invention relates to a connector of a type in which male and female terminals are locked to each other and kept in a connected state.

As an example of this type of connector, the one described in Patent Document 1 below is known. This is provided with a female terminal provided with a connection portion to which the other male terminal is inserted and connected, and a female housing having a cavity in which the female terminal is inserted from the rear side and retained by a lance and retained. A lock piece provided with a locking projection engageable with a locking hole provided in the male terminal is elastically resiliently provided in the connection portion of the female terminal, and the lock piece is unlocked in the female housing. It is the structure equipped with the releasing member which can be elastically bent in the direction.

When such a connector is fitted to the other device-side connector, the other male terminal is inserted into the connection portion of the female terminal housed in the female housing while elastically bending the lock piece, and is locked when the predetermined amount is inserted. With the movement of the piece, the locking projection is fitted and locked in the locking hole, that is, the male and female terminals are maintained in the connected state.
On the other hand, in order to release the connection of both terminals, the lock piece is pressed by the release member to release the lock, and the connection of both terminals is subsequently released by pulling the female housing backward.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-14775

In the above-mentioned prior art, in particular, since the structure of the portion for releasing the lock by the lock piece is such that the separately formed release member is retrofitted to the female housing, extra work is required for assembly. In addition, since it is necessary to lead to an increase in the size of the female housing and to push the release member and to pull the female housing, it can not be said to be a simple operation, and further improvement has been desired.
The present invention has been completed based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to ensure the disconnection between male and female terminals after securing a simple structure and operability. is there.

The connector according to the present invention comprises a female terminal having a connection portion to which a mating male terminal is inserted and connected, a connector housing having a cavity in which the female terminal is inserted from the rear and retained by a lance and held therein; A lock piece which is provided in the connection portion of the terminal and which is resiliently locked and locked to the female terminal when the male terminal is inserted by a predetermined amount, a follower portion provided on both side edges of the lock piece, and Formed on opposite side walls of the cavity, the connector housing is engaged with the follower portion as the male and female terminals are locked and is moved rearward to elastically displace the lock piece in the unlocking direction. When the cam portion and the follower portions of the lock piece are in contact with each other in a state where the male and female terminals are locked and are formed behind the cam portion, respectively, Having characterized in that the parts, are provided.

When the connector is fitted on the other side from the state where the female terminal is held off and accommodated in the cavity of the connector housing, the mating male terminal elastically displaces the lock piece in the connection portion of the corresponding female terminal. While being inserted while being inserted by a predetermined amount, the lock piece is back-displaced and locked by locking to the male terminal, that is, the male and female terminals are maintained in the connected state. From this state, when the connector housing is pulled backward, the lock piece is elastically displaced in the lock release direction by the follower portion of the lock piece engaging with the cam portion, and the lock between the two terminals is released. The terminal is dissociated from the other male terminal.

When the male and female terminals are in the connected state, if the female terminal is accommodated in the cavity with rattling, the connector housing is pivoted when it is pulled, in other words, the female terminal May roll in the cavity, which may cause the lock piece to twist and only one follower unit may engage with the cam unit, resulting in a so-called cantilevered condition that the lock may not be released reliably There is.
On the other hand, in the present invention, when the male and female terminals are in the connected state, the female terminals are rattling in the cavity, for example, rolling since the two follower parts of the lock piece are in contact with the respective stuffed parts. There is no room, and therefore, when the connector housing is pulled, the two follower parts of the lock piece engage with the cam part and are elastically displaced in a regular manner, so that the disconnection between the two terminals and the subsequent detachment of the two terminals are accurate and It will be done smoothly.

Also, the following configuration may be used.
(1) The terminal is a faston terminal, and the connection portion of the female terminal is formed in a flat cylindrical shape, while a bus bar which is tightly inserted into the connection portion is formed in a protruding manner on the male terminal The lock piece is provided on the bottom surface side of the connection portion of the female terminal so as to be elastically deformable in a form folded back from the front edge, and the bus bar of the male terminal is provided on the surface of the tip side of the lock piece. Locking projections are provided to fit in the open locking holes, and the follower portions are formed to project from both side edges on the tip end side of the lock piece, and both follower portions are formed on both sides of the connection portion. It projects through the plate towards the two side walls of the cavity.

The bus bar of the mating male terminal is inserted into the connecting portion of the female terminal while elastically deforming the lock piece, and when the predetermined amount is inserted, the lock piece returns and the engagement provided on the surface of the tip of the lock piece The male and female terminals are locked in the connected state by fitting the locking projection into the locking hole opened in the bus bar. At this time, the follower portions that are formed so as to project on the both side edges of the tip of the lock piece abut on the respective stuffed portions, thereby preventing the female terminal from rattling in the cavity. Therefore, when the connector housing is pulled, the lock piece is elastically bent in the unlocking direction properly.
In the Faston terminal, the bus bar of the male terminal is pressed into the connecting portion of the female terminal so that the connecting portion tends to swell and deform, so the connecting portion of the female terminal is generally accommodated with a clearance in the cavity However, the above structure allows the female terminal to be accommodated in the cavity without rattling. As a result, also for the faston terminal, the female terminal can be accommodated in the cavity without rattling, and hence the locking piece can be elastically flexed in the normal unlocking direction.

(2) The gap filling portion is formed in a horizontal posture at the same height position as the follower portion of the lock piece in the state where the male and female terminals are locked behind the cam portion.
The rolling of the female terminal in the cavity is suppressed by the two follower portions of the lock piece provided on the female terminal being applied to the corresponding butt-packed portions.

(3) The gap filling portion is formed continuously in a horizontal posture at a position lower than the follower portion of the lock piece in a state where the male and female terminals are locked behind the cam portion.
The lock piece provided on the female terminal is elastically pressed to the corresponding butted portion of the two follower portions with elastic displacement. The rolling of the female terminal in the cavity is strongly prevented.

According to the connector of the present invention, it is possible to reliably disconnect the male and female terminals after securing a simple structure and operability.

Front view of a female housing according to an embodiment of the present invention Same plan Same right side view Same vertical section Front view of female terminal Same plan Same right side view Sectional drawing which shows the insertion operation to the cavity of a female terminal Sectional view when the female terminal starts to engage with the lance Cross-sectional view of a state in which the lock piece of the female terminal has started engagement with the guide portion Cross-sectional view of the state in which the female terminal is in front of being locked by the lance Sectional view of the female terminal locked by the lance Sectional view when the female and male terminals are locked in the connected state Cross section in the unlocked state Graph showing terminal insertion force of female terminal Graph to compare characteristics of same terminal insertion force

Embodiment
One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, a connector for a headlamp of a vehicle is illustrated, and a female connector provided at an end of an electric wire drawn out from a lamp socket and a male connector provided at an end of an electric wire drawn out from a control box Are fitted and connected, and faston terminals are used for male and female terminals provided in each connector.

In the male connector, three faston-type male terminals 10 (see FIG. 13) provided with bus bars 11 at their tips are accommodated in a male connector housing (male housing) made of synthetic resin, although not shown in detail. The bus bars 11 of each male terminal 10 project forward from the front surface (fitting end surface) of the male housing in a predetermined arrangement.

The female connector has a structure in which three faston-type female terminals 20 are accommodated in a female connector housing 40 (female housing 40) made of synthetic resin.
In the female terminal 20, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, a connecting portion 25 connected to the bus bar 11 of the mating male terminal 10 described above is formed at the front end of the base 21 long in the front and rear direction. Behind the substrate 21 is provided a barrel portion 22 to which an end of the electric wire W is crimped.

More specifically, the above-described substrate 21 has a narrow end portion 21A at the front end side, and as shown in FIG. 5, it is cranked upward, outward and further upward from the left and right side edges of the narrow portion 21A. The side plates 26 are formed upright, the upper plates 27 are bent at a right angle so as to face each other at a predetermined distance from the upper edges of the side plates 26, and the sandwiching pieces 28 are bent at a right angle downward from opposing edges of both upper plates 27. The connection portion 25 is formed by being formed.

The lower side of the wide area in the connection portion 25 is the press-fit portion 29 of the bus bar 11, so the opening of the press-fit portion 29 almost equals the width of the bus bar 11 and the lower edge of the sandwiching piece 28 and the press-fit portion 29 The distance from the bottom surface left on both sides is set to a size slightly smaller than the thickness of the bus bar 11.
A lance hole 30 in which a lance 45 described later is fitted is formed in the narrow portion 21A of the substrate 21 constituting the bottom surface of the connection portion 25.

The barrel portion 22 has a structure in which a wire barrel 23 to which the end of the core wire Wa in the electric wire (coated electric wire) is crimped and an insulation barrel 24 to which the end of the coating Wb is crimped are vertically aligned. The trailing edge of the substrate 21 is continuously provided in an orthogonal posture.

The lock structure between the female terminal 20 and the male terminal 10 will be described first. As shown in FIG. 13, a locking hole 12 is opened at a position near the tip of the bus bar 11 provided in the male terminal 10.
A lock piece 35 is provided in the connection portion 25 on the female terminal 20 side. The lock piece 35 is formed by folding back a tongue piece formed so as to protrude from the tip end edge of the substrate 21 in a slightly upward posture toward the rear, and the tip of the lock piece 35 is shown in FIG. As shown, it extends to a position approximately at the center of the depth in the connection portion 25 and in a position where it has entered the press-fit portion 29. On the surface of the distal end portion of the lock piece 35, there is formed a locking projection 36 which is fitted and locked in the locking hole 12 opened in the bus bar 11 of the male terminal 10 described above.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the female housing 40 is formed in a slightly thick and short rectangular tube shape, and a cavity 41 for housing the above-mentioned female terminal 20 is formed on each of three sides thereof. ing. The cavities 41 are formed to extend in the front-rear direction so that the female terminals 20 can be inserted substantially tightly from the rear, and the bottom walls of the respective cavities 41 are formed to face the hollow portions 43 of the female housing 40 respectively. ing.
A terminal insertion port 42 into which the bus bar 11 of the mating male terminal 10 can be inserted corresponds to the front of the press-fit portion 29 in the connecting portion 25 of the female terminal 20 properly inserted in the cavity 41 on the front wall 41A of the cavity 41 It is formed as you do.

The bottom wall of the cavity 41 is provided with a lance 45 which is locked to the female terminal 20 to prevent it from coming off. The lance 45 is formed in a cantilever shape extending forward, and a protrusion 46 fitted to the lance hole 30 is formed on the top surface of the tip, and the tip side is elastically deformable in the vertical direction. The front of the lance 45 is grooved and opened, and can be used as an insertion groove 47 of a jig for releasing the locking.

On the ceiling surface of the cavity 41, a rib 48 for preventing erroneous insertion is formed which can enter into a gap between the opposing end edges of the left and right upper plates 27 in the connection portion 25 of the female terminal 20. Further, the rear end portion of the cavity 41 is formed so as to accommodate the barrel portion 22 of the female terminal 20 and open to the left side in a front view so as to be able to lead out the electric wire W in addition to being opened to the rear surface. (Lead port 49).

The female terminal 20 is inserted from behind into the corresponding cavity 41 in the female housing 40, and as shown in FIG. 9, after the folded portion 35A of the lock piece 35 hits the projection 46, it is pushed while elastically deforming the lance 45, When the end face of the connection portion 25 is pushed to a normal position where it reaches a position slightly before the front wall 41A, as shown in FIG. 12, the lance 45 reciprocates and the projection 46 fits into the lance hole 30, thereby female The terminal 20 is accommodated in the cavity 41 in a state in which the terminal 20 is prevented from coming backward.
Note that on the male connector side, the bus bars 11 of the three male terminals 10 protrude from the front surface (fitting end surface) of the male housing in an arrangement corresponding to the three cavities 41 in the female housing 40.

Next, the structure of the portion for releasing the lock between the female terminal 20 and the male terminal 10 will be described. On the lock pieces 35 provided on the connection portion 25 of the female terminal 20, projecting pieces 37 are formed flush with the left and right side edges of the tip end portion, and the projecting end portions of the respective projecting pieces 37 are connected to the connecting portion 25. It projects further outward than the left and right side faces of the press-fit portion 29 through the window hole 26A opened in the side plate 26 and the projecting end portion which is made the follower portion 38. In the natural state, as shown in FIG. 8, the follower portion 38 is in a diagonally upward position as in the case of the lock piece 35, and the proximal end of the follower portion 38 (left end in FIG. 8). Is bent in an arc shape to form a guiding portion 38A.

On the left and right side walls of the cavity 41, guide portions 50 capable of sliding contact with the left and right follower portions 38 provided at the tip of the lock piece 35 described above are formed in a step shape.
In FIG. 8, a region of the guide portion 50 that substantially functions by engaging with the follower portion 38 is a first tapered portion 51 formed in a row from the rear side, a straight portion 52, and a second taper. It is the section 53. The first tapered portion 51 is formed to have a downward slope of, for example, 15 degrees toward the front, and a straight portion 52 extends forward from the lower end of the first tapered portion 51 in a horizontal posture. From the front end of the second tapered portion 53, for example, the inclination angle is formed to be a downward slope of 20 degrees toward the front.
In the rear of the first tapered portion 51, a rear escape portion 54A extending horizontally from the upper end and then further upward is extended horizontally from the lower end to the front of the second tapered portion 53. The front relief portions 54B are respectively formed.
The second tapered portion 53 corresponds to a cam portion for unlocking as referred to in the present invention, and the straight portion 52 corresponds to a gap portion of the present invention.

With respect to the first taper portion 51, the straight portion 52, and the second taper portion 53 described above, the detailed formation position and the engagement timing with the follower portion 38 will be described in correspondence with the position of the lance 45 and the operation of the lance 45. .
The first tapered portion 51 is formed corresponding to the vicinity of the base end of the lance 45 in the depth direction, and as shown in FIG. 9, the folded portion 35 A of the lock piece 35 in the female terminal 20 is a protrusion of the lance 45 At the timing of hitting 46, the follower portion 38 is positioned slightly before hitting the first tapered portion 51. From this state, the follower portion 38 comes in contact with the first taper portion 51 when it is pushed forward by a predetermined distance while elastically deforming the lance 45 (FIG. 10).

When the pushing of the female terminal 20 proceeds and the projection 46 of the lance 45 moves near the front edge of the lance hole 30 as shown in FIG. 11, the follower portion 38 moves from the first tapered portion 51 to the straight portion 52. While the follower portion 38 slides along the straight portion 52, the lance 45 moves back and the projection 46 is fitted in the lance hole 30 (FIG. 12). At this time, the follower portion 38 is at a position immediately before engagement with the second tapered portion 53. When the female terminal 20 advances from this state, the follower portion 38 is in sliding contact with the second tapered portion 53 in the forward direction.

The present embodiment has a structure as described above, and its operation will be described subsequently.
The female connector is assembled as follows. Three electric wires W are prepared and subjected to terminal treatment for peeling off the core wires Wa. The end of the core wire Wa in each wire W is crimped to the wire barrel 23 of the female terminal 20 and the end of the sheath Wb is crimped to the insulation barrel 24. That is, the female terminal 20 is connected to the end of each wire W. The electric wire W is pulled out at a right angle from the rear end of the female terminal 20.

The female terminal 20 connected to the end of the wire W is inserted from the rear into the corresponding cavity 41 formed in the female housing 40, as shown by the arrow in FIG. When the insertion proceeds, as shown in FIG. 9, the folded portion 35A of the lock piece 35 provided on the connection portion 25 of the female terminal 20 once contacts the projection 46 of the lance 45, and at that time, provided at the tip of the lock piece 35. The left and right follower portions 38 remain slightly in front of the first tapered portion 51 in the guide portions 50 formed on the left and right side walls of the cavity 41.

Subsequently, when the female terminal 20 is pushed in, as shown in FIG. 10, the folded portion 35A of the lock piece 35 rides on the projection 46 and advances while elastically bending the lance 45, and the follower portion 38 is in the middle the first tapered portion By being in contact with it 51 and in sliding contact therewith, the lock piece 35 advances while being elastically bent at the same time. As shown in FIG. 11, when the protrusion 46 moves forward to near the front edge of the lance hole 30, the follower portion 38 moves from the first taper portion 51 to the straight portion 52, and thereafter the follower portion 38 slides the straight portion 52. By being in contact with the locking piece 35, the locking piece 35 and the lance 45 are advanced while being kept in a state of being elastically flexed by a predetermined amount.

When the female terminal 20 is pushed to a position where the lance hole 30 corresponds to the protrusion 46 of the lance 45, as shown in FIG. 12, the protrusion 46 is fitted to the front end side of the lance hole 30 while the lance 45 reciprocates. The female terminal 20 is retained and accommodated by being locked to the connector. At this time, the follower portion 38 of the lock piece 35 corresponds to the straight portion 52, and while the lock piece 35 is maintained in the elastically bent state, the follower portion 38 is pressed against the straight portion 52 by its resilience. It is in. The barrel portion 22 of the female terminal 20 is accommodated in the rear end portion of the cavity 41, and the electric wire W is led out from the outlet 49 of the left side wall.
The three female terminals 20 are retained and accommodated in the corresponding cavities 41 of the female housing 40 to complete the assembly of the female connector.

The female connector assembled as described above is fitted with the mating male connector. When both connectors are fitted, the bus bar 11 of the male terminal 10 projected from the male housing is inserted into the terminal insertion port 42 of the corresponding cavity 41 of the female housing 40 and is subsequently prevented from coming out in the same cavity 41 It is press-fit from the front into the press-fit part 29 of the connection part 25 of the female terminal 20 accommodated. The bus bar 11 is pushed while being elastically flexed downward at the tip end of the lock piece 35 by passing over the lock projection 36 provided at the tip of the lock piece 35 so that the male and female connectors are properly When fitted, the lock hole 12 of the bus bar 11 reaches the position of the lock projection 36 of the lock piece 35, and as shown in FIG. By being fitted to the front side of the locking hole 12 and locked to the front edge, both the

terminals

20 and 10 are locked in a non-releasable state.

At this time, the bus bar 11 of the male terminal 10 is press-fit into the press-fit portion 29 at the connection portion 25 of the female terminal 20, mainly between the sandwiching pieces 28 at the tip of the upper plate 27 and both sides of the bottom surface of the press-fit portion 29. By being elastically held between the male and

female terminals

20 and 10, the male and

female terminals

20 and 10 are electrically connected and locked in this connected state. At this time, the lock piece 35 is maintained in a slightly elastically bent state as in the case where the follower portion 38 abuts on the straight portion 52 and the female terminal 20 is held off by the lance 45 and accommodated in the cavity 41 There is.

In order to release the connection between the male and

female terminals

20 and 10 while disengaging the male and female connectors when performing maintenance, etc., from the state shown in FIG. When the female terminal 20 is coupled with the male terminal 10 and locked when pulled backward with a predetermined force or more, the female terminal 20 is advanced in the cavity 41. Along with this, the follower portion 38 of the lock piece 35 moves from the straight portion 52 to the second tapered portion 53 and slides along the second tapered portion 53.

Along with that, the follower portion 38 is pushed down, that is, the tip end side of the lock piece 35 is elastically bent further downward, and when the follower portion 38 advances to the vicinity of the lower end of the second tapered portion 53, as shown in FIG. The projections 46 of 35 are below the locking holes 12 of the bus bar 11, and the lock between the male and

female terminals

20, 10 is released. Therefore, when the female housing 40 is subsequently pulled backward, the female terminal 20 is also moved rearward together with the female housing 40 and is separated from the mating male terminal 10.

As described above, when the male and

female terminals

20 and 10 are locked in the connected state before the male and female connectors are disengaged, the left and right followers of the lock piece 35 provided on the connection portion 25 of the female terminal 20 are Since the portions 38 are elastically pressed against the straight portions 52 of the guide portions 50 provided on the left and right side walls of the cavity 41, for example, there is no room for the female terminal 20 to rattle within the cavity 41, for example, rolling. . Therefore, when the female housing 40 is pulled, both the follower portions 38 of the lock piece 35 elastically deform due to engagement with the corresponding second taper portions 53, and the locking projection 36 of the lock piece 35 is a mating member. As a result, the male and

female terminals

20 and 10 can be released from the locking holes 12 of the bus bar 11 reliably, and the disconnection between the male and

female terminals

20 and 10 and the subsequent detachment of the two

terminals

20 and 10 can be performed accurately and smoothly.
When removing the female terminal 20 from the cavity 41, a jig is inserted into the jig insertion groove 47 to forcibly bend the lance 45, thereby releasing the locking of the female terminal 20. You can get it by yourself.

Here, the terminal insertion force when the female terminal 20 is inserted into the corresponding cavity 41 of the female housing 40 will be described again as shown in FIG.
The terminal insertion force associated with the resistance of the lance 45 gradually increases when the folded portion 35A of the lock piece 35 hits the projection 46 of the lance 45 (timing Ta) as shown by the characteristic line Xa in the same figure. The peak value is reached when the folded back portion 35A rides on the protrusion 46 (timing Tc), gradually decreases and then maintained at a low constant value, and the lance 45 reciprocates and the protrusion 46 falls into the lance hole 30 (timing Tc) The insertion force is zero at Tf).

On the other hand, the terminal insertion force accompanying the engagement of the follower portion 38 of the lock piece 35 with the guide portion 50 causes the follower portion 38 to become the first tapered portion after the lance 45 begins to bend as shown by the characteristic line Xb in FIG. When it hits 51 (timing Tb), the insertion force gradually increases, reaches a peak at the end of the first taper portion 51 (timing Te), and gradually decreases as it moves to the straight portion 52. The above-described lance 45 is maintained at a low value until it locks into the lance hole 30 (timing Tf).
When the female terminal 20 further advances relatively from the above timing Tf in order to release the connection between the male and

female terminals

20 and 10, the follower portion 38 slides on the second tapered portion 53 to make the lock piece 35 more elastic. From bending, the terminal insertion force increases sharply.

Therefore, the total terminal insertion force accompanying the elastic bending of the lance 45 and the lock piece 35 is obtained from the combined force of the insertion force (characteristic line Xa) by the lance 45 alone and the insertion force (characteristic line Xb) by the lock piece 35 alone. , Characteristic line X in FIG.
Ultimately, the total terminal insertion force gradually increases from when the folded portion 35A of the lock piece 35 hits the protrusion 46 of the lance 45 (timing Ta), and the folded portion 35A rides on the protrusion 46 and further advances slightly A peak is reached in the vicinity (timing Td), and then it decreases extremely slowly following a relatively rapid decrease, and the lance 45 returns and the projection 46 falls into the lance hole 30 (timing Tf) Show the phenomenon of falling large. In addition, after the timing Tf which shows the time of disconnection, it increases rapidly.

The characteristic point of the characteristic line X described above is that the terminal insertion force is substantially constant at a relatively low value during a relatively long stroke before the projection 46 of the lance 45 falls into the lance hole 30. When it is locked, it falls from its fixed value sharply. The straight portion 52 is provided on a part of the guide portion 50 engaged with the follower portion 38 of the lock piece 35 as a means for suppressing the terminal insertion force to a substantially constant value, and the projection 46 of the lance 45 is a lance hole 30. The terminal insertion force is suppressed by the follower portion 38 slidingly contacting the straight portion 52 between the regions in the front side where it is dropped.

When this feature is viewed from the worker side, when the female terminal 20 is inserted into the cavity 41, after receiving a large insertion resistance at first, after passing a peak, it continues to receive a substantially constant low insertion resistance. Since the resistance decreases more sharply from the constant low resistance state when locked, it can be said that the female terminal 20 is locked by the lance 45 as a feeling that it is easy to feel.

Here, as a comparative example, one that does not have the straight portion 52 in configuring the rattling means, in light of the present embodiment, a region of the first taper portion 51 and the straight portion 52 is a gentle taper Taking an example formed by a part, the terminal insertion force is as shown by a characteristic line Y in FIG.
In the case of the comparative example, when the female terminal 20 is pushed from the time when it strikes the lance 45, between the follower portion 38 of the lock piece 35 and the tapered portion for stuffing are open for the first time. The insertion force is relatively small in order to bend and pass the lance 45 while the 20 is lifted, and when the follower portion 38 of the lock piece 35 abuts on the taper portion and slides along the taper portion in the middle (timing Tx) The total terminal insertion force gradually increases because the female terminal 20 gradually bends the lock piece 35 in addition to the resistance by the lance 45 increasing because the upward clearance is restricted. At a point where the lance 45 is depressed and locked (timing Tf), there is a phenomenon that the insertion force drops a little as the lance 45 loses its resistance.

That is, in the case of the comparative example (characteristic line Y), when it is locked by the lance 45, the terminal insertion force is only slightly dropped on the way to gradually increase, so it is extremely difficult to understand as the operator's feel. .
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described in detail above, when the locking force is locked by the lance 45, the locking force drops further due to the fact that the insertion force drops more sharply from the constant low terminal insertion force. You can get a clear sense of moderation when you stop.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when disconnecting the male and

female terminals

20 and 10 while disconnecting the male and female connectors from each other, the female housing 40 is simply pulled backward with a predetermined force or more. The follower piece 38 provided on the lock piece 35 of the female terminal 20 slides along the second tapered part 53 provided on the side wall of the cavity 41 so that the lock piece 35 is elastically bent and Then, the female terminal 20 is moved rearward together with the female housing 40 so as to be separated from the mating male terminal 10.
When the male and

female terminals

20 and 10 are locked in the connected state before the male and female connectors are disengaged, the left and right follower portions 38 of the lock piece 35 provided on the connection portion 25 of the female terminal 20 are There is no room for the female terminal 20 to rattle, eg, roll, in the cavity 41 because it is elastically pressed against the straight portions 52 provided on the left and right side walls of the cavity 41, respectively. Therefore, when the female housing 40 is pulled, both the follower portions 38 of the lock piece 35 elastically deform due to engagement with the corresponding second taper portions 53, and the locking projection 36 of the lock piece 35 is a mating member. As a result, the male and

female terminals

20 and 10 and the subsequent detachment of the two

terminals

20 and 10 can be performed accurately and smoothly.
That is, after securing a simple structure and operability, connection cancellation of male and

female terminals

20 and 10 can be performed reliably.

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.
(1) In the above embodiment, the structure is shown in which both follower portions of the lock piece are elastically pressed against the straight portion of the guide portion when rattling the female terminal, but both follower portions of the lock piece are illustrated. It may be a structure simply applied to the straight portion.
(2) The inclination angles of the first taper portion and the second taper portion in the guide portion are not limited to the angles exemplified in the above embodiment, but may be set to other angles in consideration of the insertion force of the female terminal .

(3) In the above-mentioned embodiment, although the female terminal illustrated the type which pulled out and connected in the direction which bent the electric wire 90 degrees and illustrated it may be a type which pulled out the electric wire straightly and connected.
(4) The terminal is not limited to the faston terminal exemplified in the above embodiment, but may be another type of terminal in which a female terminal and a male terminal are fitted and connected in the opposite direction.
(5) The present invention is not limited to the headlamp connector exemplified in the above embodiment, but can be widely applied to connectors for other uses.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Male terminal 11 ... Bus-bar 12 ... Locking hole 20 ... Female terminal 25 ... Connection part 26 ... Side plate 26A ... Window hole 35 ... Locking piece 36 ... Locking protrusion 38 ... Follower part 40 ... Female housing (connector housing)
41 ... cavity 45 ... lance 50 ... guide part 52 ... straight part (hatched part)
53 ... 2nd taper part (cam part)

Claims

A female terminal having a connection portion into which the other male terminal is inserted and connected;
A connector housing having a cavity in which the female terminal is inserted from the rear side and retained by the lancet;
A lock piece which is provided in the connection portion of the female terminal and which elastically locks and locks the male terminal when the male terminal is inserted by a predetermined amount;
Follower portions provided on both side edges of the lock piece,
Formed on opposite side walls of the cavity, the connector housing is engaged with the follower portion as the male and female terminals are locked from the locked state, and the lock piece is elastically displaced in the unlocking direction. And the cam unit
A butted portion in which the follower portions of the lock piece abut against each other in a state where the male and female terminals are locked and formed behind the cam portion;
A connector characterized in that is provided.
The terminal is a faston terminal, and the connection portion of the female terminal is formed in a flat cylindrical shape, while a bus bar which is tightly inserted into the connection portion is protrudingly formed on the male terminal
The lock piece is provided on the bottom surface side of the connection portion of the female terminal so as to be elastically deformable in a form folded back from the front edge, and is opened to the bus bar of the male terminal on the front surface of the lock piece. A locking projection fitted into the locking hole is provided, and
The follower portions are formed to project from both side edges on the tip side of the lock piece, and the both follower portions project through both side plates of the connecting portion and project toward the both side walls of the cavity. The connector according to claim 1.
The back stuffing portion is formed in a horizontal posture at the same height position as the follower portion of the lock piece in the state where the male and female terminals are locked behind the cam portion. The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2.
The gap filling portion is formed in a horizontal posture at a position lower than the follower portion of the lock piece in a state in which the male and female terminals are locked behind the cam portion. The connector according to claim 1 or 2.