WO2014024981A1

WO2014024981A1 - Connector

Info

Publication number: WO2014024981A1
Application number: PCT/JP2013/071531
Authority: WO
Inventors: 隆志室; 雅幸齋藤
Original assignee: 矢崎総業株式会社
Priority date: 2012-08-09
Filing date: 2013-08-08
Publication date: 2014-02-13
Also published as: JP2014035945A; JP5947661B2; BR112015002002A2; CN104704686A

Abstract

A female housing (20) has: a first guide rail (25) that restricts the movement of a guide arm (13) in the up/down direction and guides the movement of the guide arm (13) towards the engagement direction; and a locking protrusion (29) that locks a lock arm (15) in the engaged state, and restricts the movement of a male housing (10) in the engagement direction.

Description

connector

The present invention relates to a connector.

A connector is known in which a male housing and a female housing are fitted to each other to electrically connect terminals housed in the housings (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-26769

First, a conventional connector will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a conventional connector.

The connector lock structure 110 is a structure for locking the male connector 112 and the female connector 122. The male connector 112 has a short cylindrical male hood portion 114, and a locking claw 116 projects from the outer surface of the male hood portion 114. The female connector 122 has a flexible short cylindrical female hood portion 124, and the female hood portion 124 is formed with a locking recess 126 for locking the locking claw 116. ing. When the female hood portion 124 is pressed and bent from the outer surface side, the locking claw 116 locked to the locking recess 126 can be unlocked.

In recent years, further miniaturization of connectors has been desired.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a connector that can be miniaturized.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the connector according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1) to (6).
(1) a male housing;
A cylindrical female housing that mates with the male housing;
A connector comprising:
The male housing is
A wall formed in a flat plate shape;
A guide arm extending from the wall portion so as to extend in a fitting direction that is a direction in which the male housing and the female housing are fitted;
A flexible lock arm extending from the wall so as to extend in the fitting direction;
Have
The female housing is
A first outer surface of the female housing and a second outer surface opposite to the first outer surface are sandwiched between the guide arm and the lock arm, and the first outer surface. When the male housing and the female housing are fitted in a state where movement of the female housing in the left-right direction, which is the direction in which the second outer surface and the second outer surface face each other, is restricted. Protrusively provided from the first outer surface for restricting the movement of the guide arm in the vertical direction that is perpendicular to the left and right directions and guiding the movement of the guide arm in the fitting direction. A first guide rail;
Projecting from the second outer surface, which locks the lock arm and restricts the movement of the male housing in the mating direction in a mated state in which the male housing and the female housing are mated. The provided locking projection,
Having a connector.
(2) A connector configured as described in (1) above,
The first guide rail has a restricting portion extending so as to extend in the up-down direction from the first guide rail,
The guide arm has a contact portion located between the restricting portion and the first outer surface during the fitting,
In the fitting state, movement of the guide arm in a direction away from the first outer surface is restricted by the contact portion coming into contact with the restriction portion.
(3) A connector configured as described in (1) or (2) above,
The locking projection includes the main locking projection protruding from the second outer surface and the male housing in the fitting state than the position where the main locking projection is formed on the second outer surface. A temporary locking protrusion protruding on the second outer surface from a position on the side,
When the male housing and the female housing are fitted, the lock arm is locked to the temporary locking protrusion and the male housing and the female housing are temporarily locked. The male housing and the female housing are finally locked by being locked by the main locking protrusions.
(4) A connector having any one of the above configurations (1) to (3),
The lock arm is formed to be spaced apart in the vertical direction, and is connected to each of a plurality of base portions extending from the wall portion in the fitting direction and the distal ends of the base portions, and locks the lock projections. And a connecting portion that defines a surface.
(5) A connector configured as described in (3) above,
The temporary locking protrusion includes a first temporary locking protrusion and a second temporary locking protrusion formed in a vertical direction with respect to the first temporary locking protrusion.
(6) A connector having any one of the constitutions (1) to (5),
The female housing restricts the movement of the lock arm in the vertical direction and guides the movement of the lock arm in the fitting direction. The second guide rail projects from the second outer surface. It has further.

In the connector configured as described in (1) above, the female housing is restricted from moving in the left-right direction by sandwiching the first outer surface and the second outer surface between the guide arm and the lock arm of the male housing. In addition, the first guide rail guides the guide arm and is guided in the fitting direction in a state where movement in the vertical direction is restricted, and relatively approaches the male housing. Then, when the locking projection locks the lock arm, the movement of the female housing in the fitting direction is restricted. As a result, the female housing formed in a cylindrical shape and the male housing formed in a flat plate shape move in the fitting direction in a state where movement in the vertical and horizontal directions is restricted, and are fitted together. Therefore, unlike the conventional connector, it is not necessary to form the hood part arrange | positioned on the outer side of the outer surface of a female housing at the time of a fitting at a male housing.
In the connector having the configuration (2), the movement of the guide arm in the direction away from the first outer surface of the female housing is restricted. For this reason, for example, when an external force in the left-right direction acts on the male housing, the lock arm bends and deforms in the left-right direction, and the male housing including the guide arm attempts to move in the left-right direction with respect to the female housing, Movement is restricted. Thereby, the play due to the external force in the left-right direction is suppressed.
In the connector (2), the restricting portion extending so as to extend in the vertical direction from the first guide rail comes into contact with the contact portion of the guide arm in the fitted state. This restricts the movement of the guide arm in the direction away from the first outer surface of the female housing. For this reason, the said regulation is implement | achieved, without increasing the width | variety of the left-right direction of a 1st guide rail.
In the connector having the configuration of (3) above, when the male housing and the female housing are fitted, the lock arm is locked by the temporary locking protrusion and the male housing and the female housing are temporarily locked. The arm is locked by the main locking projection, and the male housing and the female housing are fully locked. For this reason, for example, when applied to a multi-pole connector, the male housing and the female housing are temporarily aligned in a temporarily locked state, and then securely engaged by fitting both housings in a fully locked state. Joint work can be carried out. Further, by transporting the connector in a temporarily locked state, it is possible to prevent external force from acting on members such as terminals protruding from the male housing and damaging the member.
In the connector having the configuration (4), in the fitted state, the locking protrusion is locked to the locking surface so as to be surrounded by the plurality of base portions and the connection portion connecting the base portions. For this reason, the lock arm is more reliably engaged with the engagement protrusion.
In the connector configured as described in (5) above, the temporary locking protrusion is formed so that the first temporary locking protrusion and the first temporary locking protrusion are aligned in the vertical direction. Therefore, a gap is formed in the vertical direction between the first temporary locking protrusion and the second temporary locking protrusion. As a result, as compared with the case where the gap is not formed, the friction generated between the lock arm and the temporary locking projection when the lock arm gets over the temporary locking projection to shift to the final locking state. Force is reduced. For this reason, the force required to bring the connector into a temporarily locked state can be reduced.
In the connector having the configuration (6), since the movement of the lock arm in the vertical direction is restricted by the second guide rail, the movement of the female housing in the vertical direction is further restricted, which is caused by the external force in the vertical direction. The play is suppressed.

The connector according to the present invention can provide a connector that can be miniaturized.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through a mode for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

1A and 1B are perspective views showing a state before the connector of this embodiment is fitted, FIG. 1A is a perspective view seen from the front right side, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view seen from the front left side. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the connector in a temporarily fitted state. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the connector in the fully fitted state. FIG. 4 is a right side view of the connector viewed from the right side, FIG. 4 (a) is a right side view showing the connector in the temporary fitting state, and FIG. 4 (b) shows the connector in the main fitting state. It is a right view. FIG. 5 is a left side view of the connector as viewed from the left side, FIG. 5 (a) is a left side view showing the connector in the temporary fitting state, and FIG. 5 (b) shows the connector in the main fitting state. It is a left side view. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the portion B in FIG. 6 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the portion C in FIG. 6 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a conventional connector.

Specific embodiments of the connector according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 show a connector 1 according to an embodiment. Hereinafter, in the present specification, the front side (F), the rear side (B), the upper side (U), the lower side (D), the left side (L), and the right side (R) are defined as indicated by arrows in each drawing. To explain.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the connector 1 includes a resin male housing 10 that holds a conductive metal joint terminal 40 that is electrically connected to an external ground circuit. Yes. The connector 1 includes a resin female housing 20 that is formed in a rectangular tube shape and is fitted to the male housing 10. The female housing 20 includes a terminal housing chamber 35 that houses and holds a plurality of female terminals 45 that are electrically connected to the joint terminals 40.

In the connector 1, when the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 relatively approach each other in the front-rear direction, which is the fitting direction, the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are fitted and brought into a fitted state. In this fitting process, the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are fitted to the midway position as shown in FIG. As shown, it is fitted to the fitting completion position and brought into the final fitting state. In the temporarily fitted state, the joint terminal 40 and the female terminal 45 are not in contact with each other and are not electrically connected. On the other hand, in this fitting state, the joint terminal 40 and the female terminal 45 are in contact and electrically connected. For this reason, after aligning the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 once in the temporarily locked state, the two housings are fitted into the final locked state, so that the fitting operation can be reliably performed. it can.

First, each component provided in the connector 1 will be described.

The male housing 10 has a wall portion 11 formed in a flat plate shape corresponding to the edge shape of the rear opening of the female housing 20. The male housing 10 also has a guide arm 13 that extends from the right side surface of the wall portion 11 in the front-rear direction (in other words, facing forward). The male housing 10 has a flexible lock arm 15 extending from the left side surface of the wall portion 11 so as to extend in the same direction as the guide arm 13 in the front-rear direction (in other words, facing forward). ing. The guide arm 13 and the lock arm 15 may be extended from the front surface instead of the left and right side surfaces of the wall portion 11.

The wall 11 is formed in a rectangular shape that is wide in the left-right direction. From the front surface of the wall portion 11, a mounting portion (not shown) to which a later-described packing (that is, a waterproof member) 50 is mounted has a shape corresponding to the inner edge shape of the rear opening of the female housing 20, It protrudes so as to extend toward. Further, the joint terminal 40 is integrally formed on the wall portion 11 by insert molding. As a result, the joint terminal 40 is held on the wall 11. Thereby, from the wall part 11, the male terminal 41 of the joint terminal 40 protrudes toward the front. In addition, the joint terminal 40 may be hold | maintained with respect to the wall part 11 by well-known methods other than insert molding, for example, press injection.

The guide arm 13 is formed to be spaced apart in the vertical direction, and extends from the right side surface of the wall portion 11 in the front-rear direction (in other words, forward), and the distal ends of the

base portions

13a, 13a, respectively. And a connecting portion 13b coupled to each other. The guide arm 13 as a whole is formed in an angular U shape with the bottom facing forward when viewed from the right. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the guide arm 13 has an abutting portion 14 extending in the vertical direction, and the cross section viewed from the front of the guide arm 13 becomes narrower as the distance from the female housing 20 increases. It is formed into a shape.

The lock arm 15 has two

base portions

15a and 15a that are formed apart from each other in the vertical direction and extend in the front-rear direction (in other words, forward direction) from the left side surface of the wall portion 11. In addition, the lock arm 15 has a connection portion 15b connected to each of the tips of the

base portions

15a and 15a. The connection portion 15b defines a locking surface 17 that locks a locking projection 29 of the female housing 20 described later. The lock arm 15 as a whole is formed in a square U shape with the bottom facing forward when viewed from the left. As will be described later, in the fitted state, the locking protrusion 29 is locked to the locking surface 17 so as to be surrounded by the plurality of

base portions

15a, 15a and the connecting portion 15b. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 8, the cross section seen from the front of the lock arm 15 is formed in the rectangular shape.

The female housing 20 includes a first guide rail 25 projecting from the right outer surface 21 (that is, the first outer surface) in the front-rear direction, and a left outer surface 23 (that is, the second outer surface). )) And a locking projection 29 projecting from the left outer surface 23, and a terminal accommodating chamber 35 is defined therein. It is made. Further, from the female housing 20 formed in a rectangular tube shape, a holding portion 22 in which a part of the terminal accommodating chamber 35 is defined is extended forward.

The first guide rails 25 are two protrusions that are provided on each of the upper end side and the lower end side of the right outer surface 21 and extend in the front-rear direction from the front end to the rear end of the right outer surface 21. As shown in FIG. 7, the first guide rail 25 has a restricting portion 26 that extends from the side surface in the vertical direction of the first guide rail 25 in the vertical direction. The restricting portion 26 has a restricting surface 26a extending in the vertical direction by extending in the vertical direction. The restricting surface 26a according to the present embodiment is inclined so as to move away from the right outer surface 21 as the distance from the portion extending in the left-right direction of the first guide rail 25 increases in the up-down direction. Thus, a gap having a substantially triangular inner edge shape is formed between the restricting portion 26 and the right outer surface 21 when viewed from the front-rear direction. In the fitted state, the contact portion 14 of the guide arm 13 enters the gap. That is, the contact portion 14 is located between the restricting portion 26 and the right outer surface 21 in the fitted state.

The second guide rails 27 are two protrusions that are provided on the upper end side and the lower end side of the left outer surface 23 and extend in the front-rear direction from the front end to the rear end of the left outer surface 23.

The locking projection 29 is a male housing 10 in a fitted state more than the position where the main locking projection 31 projecting at the center in the vertical direction of the left outer surface 23 and the position of the main locking projection 31 on the left outer surface 23 are formed. A temporary locking projection 33 protruding from the left side outer surface 23 from the side (that is, rear side) position. When the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are fitted, the lock arm 15 is locked by the temporary locking protrusion 33 and the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are temporarily locked. The male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are finally locked by being locked by the locking protrusions 31.

The main locking projection 31 has an inclined surface 32 that is inclined so that the protruding height from the left outer surface 23 increases toward the front, and is formed to extend in the front-rear direction.

The temporary locking protrusion 33 includes a first temporary locking protrusion 33a and a second temporary locking protrusion 33b formed in a vertical direction with respect to the first temporary locking protrusion 33a. Yes. The first temporary locking protrusions 33a and the second temporary locking protrusions 33b are formed at symmetrical positions in the vertical direction with the main locking protrusion 31 interposed therebetween. The first temporary locking protrusion 33a and the second temporary locking protrusion 33b have inclined

surfaces

34a and 34b that are inclined so that the protruding height from the left outer surface 23 increases toward the front, It is formed to extend in the front-rear direction.

The length in the front-rear direction from the rear end of the main locking projection 31 to the front end of the temporary locking projection 33 is the length of the width in the front-rear direction of the connecting portion 15b of the lock arm 15 as shown in FIG. It is set approximately equal. Thereby, the movement to the front-back direction of the lock arm 15 in a temporary fitting state is controlled, and the backlash to the front-back direction in a temporary fitting state is suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first temporary locking protrusion 33 a is provided such that its upper end is in contact with the lower end of the upper base portion 15 a of the

base portions

15 a and 15 a of the lock arm 15. The second temporary locking protrusion 33 b is provided such that the lower end thereof is in contact with the upper end of the lower base portion 15 a of the

base portions

15 a and 15 a of the lock arm 15. Thereby, the movement to the up-down direction of the lock arm 15 in a temporary fitting state and a main fitting state is controlled, and the rattling in a temporary fitting state and a main fitting state is suppressed.

Next, the fitting process between the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 will be described.

In the fitting process, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the right outer surface 21 of the female housing 20 and the left outer surface 23 opposite to the right outer surface 21 are connected to the guide arm 13 of the male housing 10. The male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are relatively close to each other while being sandwiched between the lock arm 15 and the housing. That is, the length in the left-right direction from the guide arm 13 to the lock arm 15 is set in accordance with the shape of the female housing 20. More specifically, it is set to be approximately equal to the distance from the right outer surface 21 to the left outer surface 23. Thereby, the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 relatively approach each other in a state where the movement of the female housing 20 in the left-right direction is restricted.

In the fitting process, as shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 7, the first guide rail 25 regulates the movement of the guide arm 13 in the vertical direction and guides it. The movement of the arm 13 in the front-rear direction is guided.

At this time, as described above, the guide arm 13 has a contact portion 14 and is formed in a trapezoidal shape, and the contact portion 14 is formed on the right side of the female housing 20 and the restriction portion 26 of the first guide rail 25. It enters between the side surfaces 21. For this reason, for example, an external force in the left-right direction acts on the male housing 10, the lock arm 15 is bent and deformed in the left-right direction, and the guide arm 13 moves away from the right outer surface 21 (that is, to the right). When attempting to move (that is, when the male housing 10 including the guide arm 13 is about to move in the left-right direction with respect to the female housing 20), the contact portion 14 contacts the restriction surface 26a of the restriction portion 26. Touch. As a result, a leftward force acts on the guide arm 13, and the movement of the guide arm 13 to the right is restricted.

Further, in the fitting process, as shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 8, the second guide rail 27 restricts the movement of the lock arm 15 in the vertical direction and locks it. The movement of the arm 15 in the front-rear direction is guided.

The restriction of relative movement in the vertical and horizontal directions between the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 in the fitting process described above is applied in the same manner even after the fitting is completed, and the male housing even after the fitting is completed. The relative movement in each direction between the female housing 10 and the female housing 20 is restricted.

As described above, when the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 relatively approach each other to the midway position shown in FIG. It bends and deforms so as to ride on the

inclined surfaces

34 a and 34 b, and gets over the temporary locking projection 33. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5A, the locking surface 17 of the lock arm 15 is locked to the temporary locking protrusion 33, and the lock arm 15 (in other words, the male housing 10) moves backward. Is regulated. As a result, the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are in a temporarily fitted state.

Thereafter, when the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are relatively closer to the fitting completion position shown in FIG. 3, the lock arm 15 is bent and deformed so as to ride on the inclined surface 32 of the main locking projection 31. Get over the locking protrusion 31. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5B, the locking surface 17 of the lock arm 15 is locked to the main locking projection 31, and the lock arm 15 (in other words, the male housing 10) moves backward. Is regulated. Thereby, the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are brought into a main fitting state.

In this fully fitted state, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the front of the wall portion 11 abuts against the edge of the rear opening of the female housing 20, thereby restricting the forward movement of the male housing 10. Has been. That is, in this fitting state, the movement of the male housing 10 in the front-rear direction with respect to the female housing 20 is restricted. Further, in this fitting state, the packing 50 for filling the gap between the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 and waterproofing the inside of the housing includes the mounting portion of the male housing 10 and the inner wall surface of the female housing 20. Is pressed and deformed, and is in close contact with both members.

As described above, when the respective members are linked, the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are fitted, and the connector 1 according to the present embodiment in the fitted state is obtained.

Hereinafter, functions and effects of the connector 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

The connector 1 according to this embodiment includes a male housing 10 and a cylindrical female housing 20 that fits into the male housing 10. The male housing 10 extends from the wall portion 11 so as to extend in a fitting direction (front-rear direction) which is a direction in which the wall portion 11 formed in a flat plate shape and the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are fitted. The guide arm 13 and a flexible lock arm 15 extending from the wall portion 11 so as to extend in the fitting direction. In the female housing 20, the right outer surface (first outer surface) 21 of the female housing 20 and the left outer surface (second outer surface) 23 opposite to the right outer surface 21 are locked to the guide arm 13. The male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are sandwiched between the arm 15 and the movement of the female housing 20 in the left-right direction, which is the direction in which the right outer surface 21 and the left outer surface 23 face each other, is restricted. When the guide arm 13 is fitted, the movement of the guide arm 13 in the up and down direction, which is perpendicular to the fitting direction and the left and right direction, is regulated to guide the movement of the guide arm 13 in the fitting direction. In the fitted state, which is a state where the first guide rail 25 projecting from the side surface 21, the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are fitted, the lock arm 15 is locked to engage the male housing 10. To restrict the movement of the fitting direction, it has a locking projection 29 projecting from the left outer surface 23, a.
In the connector 1, the movement of the female housing 20 in the left-right direction is restricted by the right outer surface 21 and the left outer surface 23 being sandwiched between the guide arm 13 and the lock arm 15 of the male housing 10. The one guide rail 25 guides the guide arm 13 and is guided in the fitting direction in a state where the movement in the vertical direction is restricted, and relatively approaches the male housing 10. Then, when the locking projection 29 locks the lock arm 15, movement of the female housing 20 in the fitting direction is restricted. As a result, the female housing 20 formed in a rectangular tube shape and the male housing 10 having the flat wall portion 11 move in the fitting direction in a state where movement in the vertical and horizontal directions is restricted, and approach, Match. Therefore, unlike the conventional connector, it is not necessary to form the hood part arrange | positioned in the outer side of the outer surface of the female housing 20 in the male housing 10 at the time of a fitting.
For example, in the conventional connector shown in FIG. 9, when the male connector 112 and the female connector 122 are fitted, the female hood portion 124 disposed outside the male hood portion 114 is in the middle of the fitting. , A function of guiding the movement of the male connector 112 in the fitting direction by restricting the movement of the male hood portion 114 in a direction other than the fitting direction, and for locking the locking claw 116 after the fitting is completed. The concave portion 126 is locked and has two functions of locking the male connector 112 and the female connector 122.
On the other hand, in the connector 1, as described above, the male housing 10 is not provided with a hood portion, and the plate-like wall portion 11, the guide arm 13 formed on the wall portion 11, and the lock arm 15 Two functions are realized. Therefore, the connector can be reduced in size and height by the amount that the hood portion is not provided in the male housing 10.
As a result, the connector 1 according to the present embodiment can provide a connector that can be miniaturized.

Further, in the conventional connector shown in FIG. 9, locking claws 116 are provided on both side surfaces of the male connector 112 in the vertical direction. When the male connector 112 and the female connector 122 are fitted together, The locking claws 116 need to be locked to the locking recesses 126, respectively.
As described above, since the conventional connector shown in FIG. 9 has two locking mechanisms, the operator finishes the fitting operation while being locked by one of the locking mechanisms, so that the halfway fitting state occurs. There was a risk of occurrence.
On the other hand, in the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are fitted by the engagement of one lock arm 15 and the locking projection 29, so that the conventional connector is as described above. It is possible to prevent the midway fitting state from occurring.

Further, in the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the first guide rail 25 has a restricting portion 26 that extends from the first guide rail 25 so as to extend in the vertical direction, and the guide arm 13 is fitted. In some cases, the contact portion 14 is located between the restriction portion 26 and the right outer surface 21, and in the fitted state, the contact portion 14 contacts the restriction portion 26, thereby Movement in the direction away from the side surface 21 (rightward) is restricted.
Thereby, the movement of the guide arm 13 in the direction away from the right outer surface 21 of the female housing 20 is restricted. For this reason, for example, an external force in the left-right direction acts on the male housing 10, the lock arm 15 bends and deforms in the left-right direction, and the male housing 10 including the guide arm 13 tries to move in the left-right direction relative to the female housing 20. In such a case, the movement is restricted. Thereby, the play due to the external force in the left-right direction is suppressed.
In the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the restricting portion 26 that extends from the first guide rail 25 so as to extend in the up-down direction contacts the contact portion 14 of the guide arm 13 in the fitted state. Thereby, the movement of the guide arm 13 in the direction away from the right outer surface 21 of the female housing 20 is restricted. Since the restricting portion 26 extends from the first guide rail 25 so as to extend in the vertical direction, the thickness of the first guide rail 25 is not increased. For this reason, the restriction | limiting of the movement of the guide arm 13 is implement | achieved, without increasing the width | variety of the left-right direction of the 1st guide rail 25 (female housing 20).

Further, in the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the locking protrusion 29 has a main locking protrusion 31 protruding from the left outer surface 23 and a position where the main locking protrusion 31 is formed on the left outer surface 23. And a temporary locking protrusion 33 protruding from the position on the male housing 10 side in the fitted state (that is, the rear side) on the left outer surface 23. When the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are fitted, the lock arm 15 is locked by the temporary locking protrusion 33 and the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are temporarily locked. The male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are finally locked by 15 being locked by the final locking protrusion 31.
Thus, for example, when applied to a multipolar connector as in the present embodiment, after temporarily aligning the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 in the temporarily locked state, the two housings are fitted in the fully locked state. By combining, the fitting operation can be carried out reliably. Further, by transporting the connector in a temporarily locked state, it is possible to prevent external force from acting on members such as terminals protruding from the male housing and damaging the member.

In the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the lock arm 15 includes a plurality of

base portions

15a and 15a that are formed apart from each other in the vertical direction and extend from the wall portion 11 in the fitting direction, and tips of the

base portions

15a and 15a. And a connecting portion 15b that defines a locking surface 17 locked to the locking projection 29.
Thereby, in the fitting state, the locking protrusion 29 is locked to the locking surface 17 so as to be surrounded by the plurality of

base portions

15a, 15a and the connecting portion 15b. For this reason, the lock arm 15 is more reliably engaged with the engagement protrusion 29.

Further, in the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the temporary locking protrusion 33 is formed with the first temporary locking protrusion 33a and the second temporary locking protrusion 33a aligned in the vertical direction with respect to the first temporary locking protrusion 33a. And a temporary locking projection 33b.
Thus, since the temporary locking protrusion 33 has the first temporary locking protrusion 33a and the second temporary locking protrusion 33b, the first temporary locking protrusion 33a and the second temporary locking protrusion. A gap is formed in the vertical direction between the stop projection 33b. As a result, compared with the case where the gap is not formed, when the lock arm 15 gets over the temporary locking projection 33 in order to shift to the final locking state, the lock arm 15 and the temporary locking projection 33 The friction force generated between them is reduced. For this reason, the force required to bring the connector into a temporarily locked state can be reduced.

Further, in the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the female housing 20 is protruded from the left outer surface 23 that restricts the movement in the vertical direction and guides the movement in the fitting direction of the lock arm 15. The guide rail 27 is further provided.
Thereby, since the movement of the lock arm 15 in the vertical direction is restricted by the second guide rail 27, the movement of the female housing 20 in the vertical direction is further restricted, and rattling caused by an external force in the vertical direction is caused. It is suppressed.

Note that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The above-described embodiments can be accompanied by various modifications and improvements within the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the guide arm 13 has two

base portions

13a and 13a and a connection portion 13b that connects the

base portions

13a and 13a, and is formed in a U shape. The first guide rail 25 is composed of two protrusions extending in the front-rear direction. However, when the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are fitted, the first guide rail 25 is in the vertical direction of the guide arm 13. For example, the guide arm 13 is composed of one bar-like member extending in the front-rear direction, and the first guide rail 25 includes The rod-shaped member may be configured to have a shape that restricts the vertical movement of the rod-shaped member.

Further, in the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the first guide rail 25 has a restricting portion 26 that extends from the first guide rail 25 so as to extend in the vertical direction, and the guide arm 13 is fitted. In some cases, the contact portion 14 is located between the restricting portion 26 and the right outer surface 21. However, the first guide rail 25 restricts the movement of the guide arm 13 in the vertical direction and guide arm 13. Any configuration may be used as long as it can guide the movement in the fitting direction, and the restriction portion 26 and the contact portion 14 may not be formed.

Further, in the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the locking protrusion 29 has the main locking protrusion 31 and the temporary locking protrusion 33. However, the locking protrusion 29 may have only the main locking protrusion 31. I do not care. In this case, the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are brought into the main fitting state by fitting to the fitting completion position without being temporarily set in the fitting process.

Moreover, in the connector 1 which concerns on this embodiment, although the temporary latching protrusion 33 was set as the structure which has the 1st temporary latching protrusion 33a and the 2nd temporary latching protrusion 33b, it is extended in an up-down direction. A configuration having only one temporary locking protrusion may be used.

In the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the female housing 20 includes the second guide rail 27 that restricts the movement in the vertical direction and guides the movement of the lock arm 15 in the fitting direction. However, the second guide rail 27 may not be provided, and the vertical movement of the male housing 10 may be restricted only by the first guide rail 25.

Further, in the connector 1 according to the present embodiment, the lock arm 15 connects the two

base portions

15a and 15a and the connecting portion 15b that forms the locking surface 17 that connects the

base portions

15a and 15a and locks the locking protrusion 29. However, the lock arm 15 is locked to the locking protrusion 29 in the fitting state in which the male housing 10 and the female housing 20 are fitted to each other. Any configuration that restricts movement of the male housing 10 in the fitting direction is acceptable. For example, the lock arm 15 is formed from one rod-like member extending in the front-rear direction in which a locking claw (not shown) is formed at the tip. Thus, the movement of the lock arm 15 in the front-rear direction may be restricted by the locking projection 29 being locked by the locking claw.

In the connector 1 according to this embodiment, the male housing 10 is configured to hold the joint terminal 40 connected to the ground circuit, in which a plurality of male terminals 41 are coupled at one end thereof. However, the terminal held in is not limited to this.

In the connector 1 according to this embodiment, the male housing 10 is formed in a rectangular tube shape. However, the male housing 10 may have a cylindrical shape, for example, a cylindrical shape. In this case, the guide arm 13 and the lock arm 15 may be formed in a sector fan shape corresponding to the cylindrical shape.

This application is based on a Japanese patent application filed on Aug. 9, 2012 (Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-177459), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The connector according to the present invention is useful in that it can provide a connector that can be miniaturized.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 10 Male housing 11 Wall part 13 Guide arm

13a Base part

13b Connection part 14 Contact part 15 Lock arm

15a Base part

15b Connection part 17 Locking surface 20 Female housing 21 Right side outer surface (1st outer surface)
23 Left outer surface (second outer surface)
25 First guide rail 26 Restricting portion 27 Second guide rail 29 Locking protrusion 31 Main locking protrusion 33 Temporary locking protrusion 33a First temporary locking protrusion 33b Second temporary locking protrusion 35 Terminal accommodating chamber 40 Joint terminal 45 Female terminal 50 Packing

Claims

A male housing,
A cylindrical female housing that mates with the male housing;
A connector comprising:
The male housing is
A wall formed in a flat plate shape;
A guide arm extending from the wall portion so as to extend in a fitting direction that is a direction in which the male housing and the female housing are fitted;
A flexible lock arm extending from the wall so as to extend in the fitting direction;
Have
The female housing is
A first outer surface of the female housing and a second outer surface opposite to the first outer surface are sandwiched between the guide arm and the lock arm, and the first outer surface. When the male housing and the female housing are fitted in a state where movement of the female housing in the left-right direction, which is the direction in which the second outer surface and the second outer surface face each other, is restricted. Protrusively provided from the first outer surface for restricting the movement of the guide arm in the vertical direction that is perpendicular to the left and right directions and guiding the movement of the guide arm in the fitting direction. A first guide rail;
Projecting from the second outer surface, which locks the lock arm and restricts the movement of the male housing in the mating direction in a mated state in which the male housing and the female housing are mated. The provided locking projection,
Having
connector.
The first guide rail has a restricting portion extending so as to extend in the up-down direction from the first guide rail,
The guide arm has a contact portion located between the restricting portion and the first outer surface during the fitting,
In the fitted state, movement of the guide arm in a direction away from the first outer surface is restricted by the contact portion coming into contact with the restriction portion.
The connector according to claim 1.
The locking projection includes the main locking projection protruding from the second outer surface and the male housing in the fitting state than the position where the main locking projection is formed on the second outer surface. A temporary locking protrusion protruding on the second outer surface from a position on the side,
When the male housing and the female housing are fitted, the lock arm is locked to the temporary locking protrusion and the male housing and the female housing are temporarily locked. The male housing and the female housing are finally locked by being locked to the main locking projections.
The connector according to claim 1 or 2.
The lock arm is formed to be spaced apart in the vertical direction, and is connected to each of a plurality of base portions extending from the wall portion in the fitting direction and the distal ends of the base portions, and locks the lock projections. A connecting portion defining a surface,
The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The temporary locking protrusion includes a first temporary locking protrusion and a second temporary locking protrusion formed side by side with respect to the first temporary locking protrusion.
The connector according to claim 3.
The female housing restricts the movement of the lock arm in the vertical direction and guides the movement of the lock arm in the fitting direction. The second guide rail projects from the second outer surface. In addition,
The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5.