WO2021106643A1 - メスコネクタ、コネクタ対、コネクタ付きワイヤーハーネス、及び基板ユニット - Google Patents

メスコネクタ、コネクタ対、コネクタ付きワイヤーハーネス、及び基板ユニット Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2021106643A1
WO2021106643A1 PCT/JP2020/042546 JP2020042546W WO2021106643A1 WO 2021106643 A1 WO2021106643 A1 WO 2021106643A1 JP 2020042546 W JP2020042546 W JP 2020042546W WO 2021106643 A1 WO2021106643 A1 WO 2021106643A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
female
connector
male
main body
terminals
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PCT/JP2020/042546
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English (en)
French (fr)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
将太 横井
Original Assignee
住友電装株式会社
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Publication of WO2021106643A1 publication Critical patent/WO2021106643A1/ja

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R12/00—Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures
    • H01R12/70—Coupling devices
    • H01R12/71—Coupling devices for rigid printing circuits or like structures
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
    • H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
    • H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
    • H01R13/516—Means for holding or embracing insulating body, e.g. casing, hoods

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to female connectors, connector pairs, wire harnesses with connectors, and board units.
  • This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-215891 of the Japanese application dated November 28, 2019, and incorporates all the contents described in the Japanese application.
  • the male connector includes a plurality of male terminals and a housing that holds the plurality of male terminals.
  • the female connector includes a plurality of female terminals and a housing that holds the plurality of female terminals.
  • the housing is typically a resin molded body manufactured by injection molding or the like.
  • the female connector of the present disclosure is A female connector having a plurality of female terminals and a housing.
  • the number of female terminals is 40 or more
  • the housing includes a main body portion for holding the plurality of female terminals and a hood portion.
  • the hood portion has a square tubular shape that surrounds the outer circumference of the main body portion and is closed on the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector.
  • the corner portion between the first side wall portion provided with the gate mark and the second side wall portion adjacent to the first side wall portion includes a thick portion and a thin wall portion.
  • the thin-walled portion includes an end surface on the connection side with the male connector and a connection side with the male connector along the ridge line direction of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion. Of the opposite end faces, it is provided from one end face to an intermediate position that does not reach the other end face.
  • the thick portion is provided in a U shape at the corner portion so as to surround the thin portion.
  • the inner peripheral surface of the corner portion is a uniform surface having no unevenness.
  • the connector pair of the present disclosure is with the female connector of the present disclosure It includes a male connector having 40 or more male terminals.
  • the wire harness with a connector of the present disclosure is With the female connector of the present disclosure Equipped with multiple wires, Each of the plurality of electric wires is connected to each of the plurality of female terminals.
  • the substrate unit of the present disclosure is With the female connector of the present disclosure or the wire harness with the connector of the present disclosure, A male connector with 40 or more male terminals and Equipped with a printed wiring board One end of each of the male terminals is connected to each of the female terminals. The other end of each of the male terminals is connected to the printed wiring board.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a female connector of the first embodiment.
  • FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the male connector is not fitted in the female connector of the first embodiment, the female connector is cut along the II-II cutting line shown in FIG. 1, and the male connector is shown in FIG. Shows the state of being cut by the II-II cutting line shown in.
  • FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the male connector is fitted in the female connector of the first embodiment shown in FIG.
  • FIG. 4 is a front view of the female connector of the first embodiment as viewed from the connection side with the male connector in the fitting direction.
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the female connector of the first embodiment cut along the VV cutting line shown in FIG.
  • FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the process of manufacturing the female connector of the first embodiment, and shows the side of the female connector on which the gate is arranged.
  • FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a process of manufacturing the female connector of the first embodiment, and shows a state in which the female connector is cut by the VII-VII cutting line shown in FIG.
  • FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a seal ring portion provided in the female connector of the first embodiment.
  • FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an attachment provided on the female connector of the first embodiment.
  • FIG. 10 is a rear view of the state before the attachment is attached to the housing of the female connector of the first embodiment as viewed from the insertion side of the female terminal in the fitting direction.
  • FIG. 10 is a rear view of the state before the attachment is attached to the housing of the female connector of the first embodiment as viewed from the insertion side of the female terminal in the fitting direction.
  • FIG. 11 is a rear view of the state in which the attachment is attached to the housing of the female connector shown in FIG. 10 as viewed from the insertion side of the female terminal in the fitting direction.
  • FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a male connector fitted to the female connector of the first embodiment.
  • FIG. 13 is a front view of the male connector fitted to the female connector of the first embodiment as viewed from the connection side with the female connector in the fitting direction.
  • FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the male terminal and the female terminal by enlarging the region surrounded by the broken line circle shown in FIG.
  • one of the purposes of this disclosure is to provide a female connector that is multi-pole and has excellent manufacturability.
  • Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector pair, a wire harness with a connector, and a substrate unit, which are multi-pole and have excellent manufacturability.
  • the female connector of the present disclosure, the connector pair of the present disclosure, the wire harness with the connector of the present disclosure, and the substrate unit of the present disclosure are multi-pole and excellent in manufacturability.
  • the female connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure is A female connector having a plurality of female terminals and a housing.
  • the number of female terminals is 40 or more
  • the housing includes a main body portion for holding the plurality of female terminals and a hood portion.
  • the hood portion has a square tubular shape that surrounds the outer circumference of the main body portion and is closed on the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector.
  • the corner portion between the first side wall portion provided with the gate mark and the second side wall portion adjacent to the first side wall portion includes a thick portion and a thin wall portion.
  • the thin-walled portion includes an end surface on the connection side with the male connector and a connection side with the male connector along the ridge line direction of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion. Of the opposite end faces, it is provided from one end face to an intermediate position that does not reach the other end face.
  • the thick portion is provided in a U shape at the corner portion so as to surround the thin portion.
  • the inner peripheral surface of the corner portion is a uniform surface having no unevenness.
  • the female connector of the present disclosure has a multi-pole number of 40 or more, it is excellent in manufacturability in that it is easy to mold the housing with high precision.
  • the housing is molded with high accuracy even when the distance between adjacent female terminals is small in the main body of the housing.
  • the details will be described later, by providing a thick portion at the corner portion formed near the gate, it is possible to secure a large pressure at which the fluid, which is the raw material of the housing, is introduced into the mold from the gate. As a result, the fluid easily flows from the thick portion forming portion in the mold to the forming portion side of the main body portion. Therefore, each of the polar holes in which the female terminal is arranged in the main body is molded with high accuracy.
  • the female connector of the present disclosure is small because the distance between the above-mentioned adjacent female terminals can be reduced.
  • the female connector of the present disclosure In a cross section obtained by cutting the main body portion in a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the female terminal, the smallest rectangle including the main body portion is taken.
  • the plurality of female terminals are arranged at intervals along the long side direction of the rectangle, and are arranged at intervals in the short side direction of the rectangle. Examples thereof include a form in which the maximum value of the distance between the female terminals adjacent to each other in the long side direction in the main body portion is 2.5 mm or less.
  • the above-mentioned form has a multi-pole number of 40 or more, it is small in that the length along the long side direction tends to be short.
  • Examples thereof include a form in which the maximum value of the distance between the female terminals adjacent to each other in the short side direction in the main body portion is 3.6 mm or less.
  • the above form is smaller in that not only the length along the long side direction described above but also the length along the short side direction is likely to be shortened.
  • the female connector in the above embodiment can realize a size of 63 mm or less ⁇ 30 mm or less as shown in (4) described later, for example, while ensuring insulation between adjacent female terminals, although it depends on the size of the female terminals.
  • the female connector of the present disclosure In a state where the housing is viewed in a plan view in the axial direction of the female terminal, the smallest rectangle that includes the housing is taken.
  • the length of the housing along the long side direction of the rectangle is 63 mm or less. Examples thereof include a form in which the length of the housing along the short side direction of the rectangle is 30 mm or less.
  • the above form has a large number of poles of 40 or more, but is small.
  • the connector pair according to one aspect of the present disclosure is with any one of the female connectors (1) to (4) above, It includes a male connector having 40 or more male terminals.
  • the connector pair disclosed in the present disclosure has a multi-pole number of 40 or more, it is excellent in manufacturability as described above. Further, in the connector pair of the present disclosure, the distance between adjacent female terminals can be narrowed. Corresponding to the above spacing, the spacing between adjacent male terminals also becomes narrower. Therefore, the connector pair of the present disclosure is small.
  • the wire harness with a connector is With any one of the female connectors (1) to (4) above, Equipped with multiple wires, Each of the plurality of electric wires is connected to each of the plurality of female terminals.
  • the wire harness with a connector of the present disclosure has a large number of poles of 40 or more, it is excellent in manufacturability as described above. Further, in the wire harness with a connector of the present disclosure, the distance between adjacent female terminals can be narrowed. Therefore, the wire harness with a connector of the present disclosure is small.
  • the substrate unit according to one aspect of the present disclosure is With the female connector of any one of (1) to (4) above, or the wire harness with connector of (6) above.
  • a male connector with 40 or more male terminals and Equipped with a printed wiring board One end of each of the male terminals is connected to each of the female terminals. The other end of each of the male terminals is connected to the printed wiring board.
  • the substrate unit of the present disclosure has a multi-pole number of 40 or more, it is excellent in manufacturability as described above. Further, in the substrate unit of the present disclosure, the distance between adjacent female terminals can be narrowed. Corresponding to the above spacing, the spacing between adjacent male terminals also becomes narrower. Therefore, the substrate unit of the present disclosure is small.
  • the printed wiring board may include a control circuit that controls at least one of fuel injection and engine ignition of the engine.
  • the above form is excellent in manufacturability even when the number of poles is larger. Further, even in this case, the above-mentioned form is small because the distance between the adjacent female terminals and the distance between the adjacent male terminals can be narrowed.
  • FIGS. 1 to 14 show a vertical section in which the female connector 2 of the first embodiment and the male connector 3 fitted to the female connector 2 are cut in a plane parallel to the fitting direction of the male connector 3 and the female connector 2, respectively. It is a top view.
  • the fitting direction is substantially parallel to the axial direction of the female terminal 20 and the axial direction of the polar hole 225 in which the female terminal 20 is arranged.
  • the fitting direction is substantially parallel to the axial direction of the polar hole 325 in which the male terminal 30 is arranged.
  • the fitting direction is the left-right direction in FIGS. 2 and 3. 2 and 3 show a state in which the female terminal 20 is housed in the upper and lower two polar holes 225 among the three polar holes 225 illustrated in the female connector 2.
  • the female terminal 20 is not shown for the central electrode hole 225.
  • the female terminal 20 is shown only in FIGS. 2 and 3, and is omitted in other drawings. In FIGS. 4 and 6, only the housing 21 of the female connector 2 is shown by a solid line.
  • the female connector 2 of the first embodiment is a block-shaped member including a plurality of female terminals 20 (FIG. 2) and a housing 21.
  • Each female terminal 20 is mainly used as an electrical connecting member.
  • the housing 21 integrally holds a plurality of female terminals 20 and electrically insulates adjacent female terminals 20 from each other. Further, the housing 21 is mainly used as a mechanical connecting member.
  • the male connector 3 shown in FIG. 2 is connected to the female connector 2.
  • the male connector 3 includes a plurality of male terminals 30 and a housing 31. As shown in FIG. 3, when the housings 21 and 31 are fitted and the tip of each male terminal 30 is inserted to a predetermined position of each female terminal 20, each male terminal 30 and each female terminal 20 come into contact with each other. To do. As a result, the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 are mechanically and electrically connected.
  • the printed wiring board 8 shown in FIG. 3 is typically connected to the end of each male terminal 30 opposite to the tip.
  • the electric wire 7 shown in FIG. 3 is typically connected to the end of each female terminal 20 on the side opposite to the connection side with the male terminal 30. As a result, the female connector 2 and the male connector 3 electrically connect the printed wiring board 8 and the electronic / electrical equipment (not shown) connected to the electric wire 7.
  • the number of female terminals 20, that is, the number of poles is 40 or more.
  • the housing 21 has a shape excellent in manufacturability. Specifically, the housing 21 includes a main body portion 22 and a hood portion 23 as shown in FIG.
  • the main body 22 holds a plurality of female terminals 20.
  • the hood portion 23 has a square tubular shape that surrounds the outer periphery of the main body portion 22 and is closed on the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector 3.
  • the corner portion 233 connected to the first side wall portion 231 having the gate mark 230 includes a thick portion 235 and a thin wall portion 236.
  • the corner portion 233 near the gate mark 230 includes a thick-walled portion 235 and a thin-walled portion 236.
  • each polar hole 225 is formed with high accuracy in the manufacturing process.
  • the female connector 2 of this example further includes a seal ring portion 4 (see also FIG. 8 described later) and a waterproof plug 6 described later.
  • the seal ring portion 4 and the waterproof plug 6 are held in the housing 21.
  • Such a female connector 2 is used as a waterproof connector.
  • the female connector 2 of this example further includes an attachment 5 described later (see also FIG. 9 described later).
  • the attachment 5 is used to change the number of pole holes 225 according to the number of poles of the female terminal 20.
  • the female connector 2 of this example does not have a fitting lever (see also FIG. 1). Further, the female connector 2 of this example does not have a retainer. Instead of the retainer, the housing 21 includes a detection hole 25.
  • the housing 21 will be described first. After that, the female terminal 20, the detection hole 25, the seal ring portion 4, the waterproof plug 6, and the attachment 5 will be described in this order.
  • the housing 21 is typically a molded body made of a resin composition. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the housing 21 is an integral body including a main body portion 22 and a hood portion 23.
  • the main body 22 is a block-shaped portion that holds a plurality of female terminals 20.
  • the hood portion 23 is a bottomed tubular portion provided on the outer periphery of the main body portion 22. A space is provided between the main body portion 22 and the hood portion 23 into which the hood portion 33 of the male connector 3, which will be described later, is fitted (FIG. 3).
  • the main body 22 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape.
  • the main body 22 has a horizontally long rectangular parallelepiped shape (see also FIGS. 4 and 5).
  • the hood portion 23 has a square tubular shape corresponding to the main body portion 22.
  • the seal ring portion 4 is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 22.
  • the housing 21 is provided with a mounting portion 24 on the side where the female terminal 20 is inserted in the main body portion 22.
  • the mounting portion 24 is a tubular portion integrated with the main body portion 22. The waterproof plug 6 and the attachment 5 are fitted inside the mounting portion 24.
  • Examples of the constituent material of the housing 21, the constituent material of the attachment 5, and the constituent material of the housing 31 of the male connector 3 described later include an electrically insulating material such as a resin composition.
  • thermoplastic resin examples include polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC) and the like.
  • the resin composition may contain various fillers in addition to the main resin. Examples of the filler include glass fiber and the like.
  • the constituent materials of the housings 21, 31 and attachment 5 of this example are resin compositions mainly composed of PBT.
  • the housings 21 and 31 and the attachment 5 may be manufactured by various molding methods such as injection molding.
  • the main body 22 includes a plurality of polar holes 225 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4.
  • Each pole hole 225 penetrates from the end surface 221 of the main body 22 on the connection side with the male connector 3 to the end surface 222 on the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector 3 (FIG. 2).
  • Each pole hole 225 has a shape and a size corresponding to the outer shape of the female terminal 20, and has the same shape and the same size.
  • each polar hole 225 is a rectangular parallelepiped hole.
  • connection side of the female connector 2 with the male connector 3 is the diagonally lower left side in FIG. 1 and the left side in FIG.
  • the side of the female connector 2 opposite to the connection side with the male connector 3 is an obliquely upper right side in FIG. 1 and a right side in FIG.
  • the end face 221 on the connection side with the male connector 3 may be referred to as the first end face 221.
  • the end surface 222 on the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector 3 may be referred to as a second end surface 222.
  • the second end face 222 is the end face of the main body 22 on the side where the female terminal 20 is inserted.
  • the number of polar holes 225 is larger than the number of female terminals 20 and is more than 40. Therefore, in the housing 21 of this example, the number of polar holes 225 used can be reduced according to the number of female terminals 20.
  • the number of polar holes 225 in this example is 54.
  • the number of unused pole holes 225 is 6. In FIGS. 4 and 5, of the 54 polar holes 225, 6 unused polar holes 225 are cross-hatched.
  • a female terminal 20 is inserted into each of the polar holes 225 to be used.
  • a dummy pin (not shown) is inserted into each of the unused pole holes 225 to close the pole hole 225.
  • the closing pin 51 (FIG. 9) closes the unused pole hole 225 (see FIG. 11 described later).
  • the female connector 2 is excellent in waterproofness by closing the unused polar holes 225.
  • a plurality of polar holes 225 are provided in the main body 22 so that the plurality of female terminals 20 are arranged with respect to the main body 22 at a predetermined interval.
  • a plurality of polar holes 225 are provided in the main body 22 so that the main body 22 has a grid-like end face 221 and a cross section.
  • FIG. 4 when the housing 21 is viewed in a plan view in the axial direction of the female terminal 20, the smallest rectangle including the housing 21 is taken.
  • FIG. 5 in a cross section obtained by cutting the main body 22 in a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the female terminal 20, the smallest rectangle including the main body 22 is taken.
  • the plurality of female terminals 20 are arranged at intervals along the long side direction of the rectangle, and are arranged at intervals in the short side direction of the rectangle.
  • 18 polar holes 225 are arranged at equal intervals in the long side direction.
  • the three polar holes 225 are arranged at equal intervals in the short side direction. That is, the 54 polar holes 225 are arranged in 3 rows ⁇ 18 columns.
  • the 48 female terminals 20 used are 3 rows ⁇ 16 columns, specifically, 3 rows ⁇ 5 columns, 3 rows ⁇ 6 columns, 3 rows ⁇ 5 columns, except for the above-mentioned 6 unused pole holes 225. Line up in three groups.
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the female connector 2 cut along a plane orthogonal to the above-mentioned fitting direction.
  • the distance between the adjacent female terminals 20 is substantially equal to the distance between the adjacent pole holes 225.
  • the interval is adjusted so that a predetermined insulation distance is secured between the adjacent female terminals 20.
  • the interval is adjusted by the thickness of the wall portion that partitions the adjacent polar holes 225 in the main body portion 22.
  • the spacing does not have to be uniform along the axial direction of the polar holes 225.
  • the larger the maximum value of the interval, including the case where the size is not uniform the higher the electrical insulation between the adjacent female terminals 20.
  • the larger the maximum value of the interval the larger the outer dimension of the main body 22 tends to be. As a result, the female connector 2 tends to be large.
  • the outer dimensions of the main body 22 are constant, the number of polar holes 225 can be increased.
  • the maximum value of the distance C 2W between the female terminals 20 adjacent to each other in the long side direction of the main body 22 is 2.5 mm or less.
  • the maximum value of the interval C 2W is 2.5 mm or less, the width of the main body 22 and the width W of the female connector 2 (FIG. 4) tend to be small. In this respect, the female connector 2 tends to be small.
  • the interval C 2W shown in FIG. 5 is an example and is not necessarily the maximum value.
  • the maximum value of the interval C 2W may be, for example, 1.5 mm or less, 1.3 mm or less, 1.2 mm or less, 1.1 mm or less.
  • the maximum value of the interval C 2W is 1.0 mm or less, the width W of the female connector 2 is further smaller. In this example, the maximum value of the interval C 2W is 0.40 mm.
  • the width W of the female connector 2 is the smallest rectangle that includes the housing 21 as described above when the female connector 2 is viewed in a plan view in the axial direction of the female terminal 20. It is the length along the long side direction of the rectangle.
  • the height H of the female connector 2, which will be described later, is a length along the short side direction of this rectangle.
  • the maximum value of the distance C 2H between the female terminals 20 adjacent to each other in the short side direction of the main body 22 is 3.6 mm or less.
  • the maximum value of the interval C 2H is 3.6 mm or less, the height of the main body 22 and the height H of the female connector 2 (FIG. 4) tend to be small. In this respect, the female connector 2 tends to be small.
  • the interval C 2H shown in FIG. 5 is an example and is not necessarily the maximum value.
  • the maximum value of the interval C 2H may be, for example, 3.5 mm or less, 3.0 mm or less, 2.5 mm or less, 2.0 mm or less.
  • the maximum value of the interval C 2H is 1.5 mm or less, 1.3 mm or less, and 1.2 mm or less, the height H of the female connector 2 is further smaller.
  • the maximum value of the interval C 2H is 1.15 mm, which is larger than the maximum value of the interval C 2W.
  • the lower limit of the above-mentioned intervals C 2W and C 2H is not particularly limited as long as the above-mentioned insulation distance can be secured.
  • the smaller the intervals C 2W and C 2H the more difficult it is for the fluid, which is the raw material of the housing 21, to flow in the mold in the manufacturing process of the housing 21. At this point, the manufacturability of the housing 21 is reduced.
  • the minimum values of the intervals C 2W and C 2H may be, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 0.2 mm or more.
  • the maximum values of some of the intervals C 2W may be different.
  • the maximum value of some of the intervals C 2H may be different among the plurality of intervals C 2H arranged in the short side direction.
  • the maximum value of all intervals C 2W and the maximum value of all intervals C 2H may be equal.
  • the hood portion 23 surrounds the outer circumference of the main body portion 22. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the hood portion 23 has a bottomed tubular shape in which the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector 3 is closed.
  • the hood portion 23 includes a peripheral wall portion and a bottom wall portion.
  • the peripheral wall portion covers the outer periphery of the main body portion 22 except for the region near the first end surface 221 of the main body portion 22.
  • the region of the main body 22 near the first end surface 221 is not covered by the peripheral wall portion and protrudes from the hood portion 23.
  • the bottom wall portion is erected on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 22 to support the peripheral wall portion.
  • the bottom wall portion provides a space between the inner peripheral surface 238 of the peripheral wall portion and the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 22.
  • the hood portion 33 of the male connector 3 is inserted into this space (FIG. 3).
  • the space is a horizontally long rectangular frame in a plan view of the female terminal 20 from the axial direction.
  • the thickness of the peripheral wall portion of the hood portion 23 is not uniform and is different.
  • the thickness of the corner portion 233 is non-uniform.
  • the peripheral wall portion of the hood portion 23 includes a first side wall portion 231 and a second side wall portion 232 and a corner portion 233.
  • the second side wall portion 232 is adjacent to the first side wall portion 231.
  • the corner portion 233 connects the first side wall portion 231 and the second side wall portion 232.
  • the corner portion 233 includes a thick-walled portion 235 and a thin-walled portion 236 (see also FIGS. 1 and 5).
  • the first side wall portion 231 is a portion along the short side direction of the smallest rectangle including the housing 21 described above.
  • a gate mark 230 is provided on one of the first side wall portions 231 of the two first side wall portions 231 (FIG. 1).
  • the second side wall portion 232 is a portion along the long side direction of the rectangle.
  • the upper two corners 233 in FIGS. 4 and 5 include a thick portion 235 and a thin portion 236.
  • the upper two corners 233 have the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given by taking one corner portion 233 as an example.
  • the thin-walled portion 236 is provided at the corner portion 233 along the ridge line direction of the first side wall portion 231 and the second side wall portion 232.
  • the thin-walled portion 236 of this example is provided at the corner portion 233 from the end surface 239 (FIG. 6) on the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector 3 to an intermediate position not reaching the end surface 234 on the connection side with the male connector 3. Be done.
  • the thick portion 235 is provided at the corner portion 233 in a U shape so as to surround the thin portion 236.
  • the thin-walled portion 236 is a groove that opens on the outer peripheral surface of the thick-walled portion 235, and is a groove that further opens on the end surface 239 and closes on the end surface 234.
  • the portion corresponding to the corner portion 233 is a uniform surface having no unevenness (see also FIGS. 4 and 5).
  • the unevenness here does not mean a microscopic unevenness as shown by the surface roughness, but a relatively large one such as a ridge and a groove that are fitted to each other as described later.
  • the inner peripheral surface 238 has neither a groove into which the ridge is fitted nor a ridge to be fitted into the groove, and is a smooth surface. Therefore, when the distance from the inner peripheral surface 238 to the outer peripheral surface of the corner portion 233 is taken as the thickness, the thickness of the thick portion 235 is thicker than the thickness of the thin portion 236 (FIG. 5).
  • FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the housing 21 as viewed from the second end surface 222 side so that the first side wall portion 231 provided with the gate mark 230 and the corner portion 233 connected to the side wall portion 231 are located in front of the housing 21. It is a figure.
  • FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the housing 21 is cut in a plane parallel to the axial direction of the polar hole 225.
  • the region on the diagonally lower left side shown in FIG. 7 was cut near the boundary between the first side wall portion 231 having the gate mark 230 and the thick portion 235 by a broken line shown by a alternate long and short dash line in FIG. Indicates the state.
  • the region on the diagonally upper right side shown in FIG. 7 shows a state in which the portion of the main body 22 having the polar hole 225 is cut by the cutting line.
  • the fluid which is the raw material of the housing 21, is introduced into a cavity of a mold (not shown) from a gate (not shown) in a state of being pressurized to a predetermined pressure.
  • the mold cavity includes a portion where the main body portion 22 is formed, a portion where the hood portion 23 is formed, and a portion where the mounting portion 24 is formed.
  • the portion forming the hood portion 23 includes a portion forming the peripheral wall portion and a portion forming the bottom wall portion.
  • the locations where the peripheral wall portion is formed include a portion where the first side wall portion 231 is formed, a portion where the second side wall portion 232 is formed, a portion where the corner portion 233 is formed, that is, a portion where the thick portion 235 is formed, and a portion where the thick portion 235 is formed.
  • a portion for forming the thin portion 236 is provided.
  • the above-mentioned fluid introduced into the mold from the gate flows from the portion forming the first side wall portion 231 of the mold toward the portion forming the corner portion 233 and the portion forming the main body portion 22. .. Specifically, as shown by the black arrow a1 in FIG. 6, the fluid is a portion forming a thick portion 235 from the gate through a portion forming one first side wall portion 231 in the mold. Then, it flows to a portion forming a region near the boundary between the corner portion 233 and the first side wall portion 231. A part of the fluid comes into contact with the convex portion forming the portion forming the thin-walled portion 236 in the mold.
  • a part of the fluid is located at a position forming the bottom wall portion in the mold along the ridge line direction of the first side wall portion 231 and the second side wall portion 232. It flows toward.
  • the other portion of the fluid is a portion forming the thick portion 235 in the mold, and forms a region on the end surface 234 (FIG. 1) side on the connection side with the male connector 3. It flows toward the place where you want to.
  • a part of the above-mentioned fluid toward the portion forming the bottom wall portion in the mold forms the portion forming the thin-walled portion 236, the portion forming the thick-walled portion 235, and the bottom wall portion in the mold. Surrounded by places. As a result, the fluid flows toward the portion forming the main body 22 in the mold as shown by the black arrow a4 while maintaining a high pressure.
  • the above-mentioned fluid toward the portion forming the main body portion 22 in the mold is located at the portion forming the other first side wall portion 231 while forming the polar hole 225. It flows toward.
  • the portion where the thick portion 235 is formed in the mold is preferably provided so that the difference between the width and cross-sectional area of this portion and the inner diameter and cross-sectional area of the opening of the gate is small.
  • the smaller the difference the higher the pressure of the above-mentioned fluid discharged from the gate is maintained.
  • the higher the pressure of the fluid the easier it is for the fluid to be filled tightly even in a narrow space in the mold.
  • the narrow portion is typically a wall portion of the main body portion 22 that partitions adjacent polar holes 225.
  • the thickness of the wall portion along the long side direction corresponds to the interval C 2W.
  • the thickness of the wall portion along the short side direction corresponds to the interval C 2H.
  • the inner peripheral surface of the wall portion constitutes the polar hole 225.
  • the inner diameter and cross-sectional area of the gate opening are substantially equal to the inner diameter and cross-sectional area of the gate mark 230.
  • the planar shape of the gate and the gate mark 230 is typically a circular shape. In FIG. 1 and the like, the gate mark 230 is shown larger than the actual size.
  • the portion forming the corner portion 233 in the mold is not one space having a uniform size, but is divided into a portion forming the thick portion 235 and a portion forming the thin portion 236. There is. Therefore, the difference between the width W 235 (FIG. 1) and the cross-sectional area of the portion forming the thick portion 235 in the mold and the inner diameter and the cross-sectional area of the opening of the gate is small. Since the above difference is small, when the above-mentioned fluid is flowing in the mold, the pressure of the above-mentioned fluid is extreme as compared with the case where the portion forming the corner portion 233 is the above-mentioned one space. It is easy to suppress the decrease.
  • the fluid tends to have a high pressure. Therefore, the fluid tends to flow from the portion forming the corner portion 233 toward the portion forming the main body portion 22. Further, even if the number of the polar holes 225 is as large as 40 or more, and even if the intervals C 2W and C 2H of the adjacent polar holes 225 are narrow, the fluid is filled in the mold without any gap. As a result, the main body 22 is molded with high precision.
  • the mounting portion 24 of this example is a tubular portion extending along the axial direction of the pole hole 225 from the second end surface 222 of the main body portion 22 (FIGS. 6 and 7). See also).
  • the mounting portion 24 constitutes a space for accommodating the waterproof plug 6 and the attachment 5.
  • the thickness of the internal angle portion 240 of the mounting portion 24 is locally thick.
  • the inner corner portion 240 is a corner portion formed by the second end surface 222 of the main body portion 22 and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion 24.
  • the inner corner portion 240 has a locally thick portion because the corner portion has a flattened shape. Since the inner corner portion 240 is locally thick, the above-mentioned fluid easily flows between the portion forming the mounting portion 24 and the portion forming the main body portion 22 in the mold.
  • the mounting portion 24 of this example is a tubular body that is continuous in the circumferential direction, the shape and the like of the mounting portion 24 can be appropriately changed as long as the waterproof plug 6 and the attachment 5 can be held.
  • the hood portion 23 includes a lock mechanism (not shown) that meshes with the hood portion 33 of the male connector 3.
  • the locking mechanism may include, for example, a claw portion provided on the hood portion 33 on the male side and a recess provided on the hood portion 23 on the female side. Illustration of the claws and recesses is omitted. By fitting the claws into the recesses, the hoods 23 and 33 are firmly fixed to each other.
  • the recess is provided in a portion of the hood portion 23 on the female side other than the above-mentioned corner portion 233, for example, in the second side wall portion 232. Further, the hood portion 23 has a recess inside the first side wall portion 231 (FIG.
  • a protrusion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion 33 on the male side along the short side direction is fitted into the recess.
  • the hood portion 23 has a groove portion on the inner peripheral surface of the region on the corner portion 233 side in the second side wall portion 232 (FIG. 1). A ridge provided on the upper surface of the male hood 33 shown in FIG. 12 is fitted into each groove.
  • Each of the female terminals 20 shown in FIG. 2 is a conductive member obtained by bending a plate piece having a predetermined shape into a predetermined shape.
  • the constituent material of the plate piece is a conductive material such as metal.
  • the female terminals 20 all have the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given by taking one female terminal 20 as an example.
  • connection point with the male terminal 30 The area on one end side of the female terminal 20 is a connection point with the male terminal 30.
  • the region on the other end side of the female terminal 20 is a connection point with the electric wire 7.
  • the connection point with the male terminal 30 is fitted into the polar hole 225 provided in the main body 22 of the housing 21.
  • the tip of the lance portion 252 provided on the main body portion 22 to be described later is fitted into the recess provided in the female terminal 20. By these fittings, the female terminal 20 is held in the housing 21.
  • the connection point with the male terminal 30 typically includes a square tubular tubular portion and at least one spring piece 205 arranged inside the tubular portion.
  • the male terminal 30 inserted through the opening of the tubular portion presses the spring piece 205, and the spring piece 205 urges the male terminal 30 (FIG. 3).
  • the urging force of the spring piece 205 keeps the female terminal 20 and the male terminal 30 firmly in contact with each other.
  • the recess into which the lance portion 252 is fitted is typically formed by partially cutting out a plate piece constituting the tubular portion.
  • the spring piece 205 is provided on the upper surface side in FIG.
  • the spring piece 205 of this example is configured by folding a band piece extending from the upper surface toward the inside of the tubular portion.
  • the male terminal 30 is sandwiched between the spring piece 205 and the inner surface of the tubular portion facing the spring piece 205, and the lower surface in FIG. 2 (FIG. 3).
  • the number, shape, etc. of the spring pieces 205 can be changed as appropriate.
  • the female terminal 20 may have two spring pieces arranged to face each other, and both spring pieces may sandwich the male terminal 30.
  • connection point with the electric wire 7 typically includes a wire barrel portion that holds the conductor 70 of the electric wire 7 and an insulation barrel portion that holds the electrically insulating layer 71 of the electric wire 7.
  • the wire barrel portion and the insulation barrel portion are formed so as to wrap the electric wire 7 by a section integrated with the above-mentioned tubular portion.
  • the female terminal 20 typically includes a base material 200 and a plating layer 201 that covers at least a part of the surface of the base material 200, as shown in FIG.
  • FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an enlarged region near the surface of the female terminal 20 and the male terminal 30. The surface state of the male terminal 30 will be described later.
  • a typical example of the constituent material of the base material 200 is pure copper or a copper alloy.
  • Pure copper contains 99.9% by mass or more of copper (Cu), and the balance is composed of unavoidable impurities.
  • the copper alloy contains additive elements, the balance of which is composed of Cu and unavoidable impurities, and is an alloy containing the largest amount of Cu.
  • the additive element include tin (Sn), phosphorus (P), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe) and the like.
  • the total content of the added elements is, for example, 0.05% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less.
  • Specific examples of the copper alloy include phosphor bronze containing Sn and P, brass containing Zn, and iron-containing copper containing Fe.
  • the plating layer 201 preferably contains a tin layer made of pure tin. Pure tin is soft and easily deformed. Therefore, the female terminal 20 provided with the tin layer tends to reduce the contact resistance with the male terminal 30.
  • the plating layer 201 preferably contains an alloy layer made of an alloy containing tin and copper on the base material 200 side of the tin layer.
  • the alloy layer is harder than the tin layer. Therefore, in the female terminal 20 provided with the alloy layer, the male terminal 30 can be easily inserted.
  • the plating layer 201 may be provided with a base layer (not shown) on the base material 200 side of the above-mentioned tin layer or alloy layer.
  • a base layer (not shown) on the base material 200 side of the above-mentioned tin layer or alloy layer.
  • the constituent material of the base layer include nickel, nickel alloy, and the like.
  • the plating layer 201 includes a surface layer 202 and an inner layer 203
  • the constituent material of the surface layer 202 is pure tin
  • the constituent material of the inner layer 203 is an alloy containing tin and copper
  • the above alloy is from the surface layer 202. It is preferably partially exposed.
  • the interface between the surface layer 202 and the inner layer 203 is not linear, but is uneven as illustrated in FIG.
  • the contact resistance between the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 tends to be lowered due to the surface layer 202 made of pure tin.
  • the inner layer 203 made of the alloy makes the male terminal 30 slippery when the male terminal 30 is inserted into the female terminal 20. By partially exposing the alloy, the male terminal 30 becomes more slippery. As a result, the male terminal 30 can be easily inserted into the female terminal 20. It is preferable that the male terminal 30, which will be described later, also has a similar plating layer 301.
  • the plating layer 201 having the above-mentioned specific two-layer structure may be formed as follows, for example. After forming a tin layer made of pure tin on the surface of the base material 200 containing Cu, heat treatment is performed. By this heat treatment, Sn in the region on the base material 200 side in the tin layer and Cu in the base material 200 are alloyed. As a result, the plating layer 201 having the above two-layer structure is formed.
  • known conditions and the like can be referred to. For example, a copper layer may be provided on the surface of the base material 200, and then a tin layer may be provided.
  • the contact point with the male terminal 30 is preferably provided with a plating layer 201.
  • the portion of the base material 200 other than the portion in contact with the male terminal 30 may not be covered with the plating layer 201.
  • the entire surface of the base material 200 may be covered with the plating layer 201.
  • the female terminal 20 of this example is provided with the above-mentioned plating layer 201 having a specific two-layer structure on the inner surface of the above-mentioned cylinder portion and the surface of the spring piece 205.
  • the number of female terminals 20 provided in the female connector 2 is 40 or more.
  • the number of female terminals 20 can be appropriately selected depending on the application of the female connector 2 and the like.
  • the number of female terminals 20 in this example is 48.
  • the number of female terminals 20 may be, for example, 49 or more, 50 or more, 51 or more, 54 or more.
  • the minimum distance C 2 (FIG. 2) of the female terminal 20 is, for example, 0 thickness t 3 of a male terminal 30. 6 times or more and 0.9 times or less can be mentioned.
  • the minimum interval C 2 is the minimum value among the intervals at which the male terminals 30 are housed and in contact with the male terminals 30 in one female terminal 20 in the disconnected state. That is, the minimum distance C 2 is the minimum distance between the above-mentioned male terminals 30 in one female terminal 20. In this example, the minimum distance C 2 is the minimum distance between the above-mentioned spring piece 205 and the inner surface of the tubular portion.
  • the minimum interval C 2 is 0.9 times or less the thickness t 3 , the female terminal 20 is surely in contact with the male terminal 30. Further, the female terminal 20 can be constructed in a state in which the male terminal 30 is pressurized in a direction approaching the male terminal 30. Therefore, the contact resistance between the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20, and thus the contact resistance between the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 tends to be low. Further, even if the female connector 2 is used for in-vehicle use where vibration is applied during use, the contact state between the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 is likely to be maintained. From the viewpoint of maintaining the above-mentioned contact state, the minimum interval C 2 may be 0.89 times or less, 0.88 times or less, and 0.87 times or less the thickness t 3.
  • the minimum interval C 2 is 0.6 times or more the thickness t 3 , the minimum interval C 2 is not too narrow. Therefore, the male terminal 30 can be easily inserted into the female terminal 20.
  • the minimum interval C 2 may be 0.61 times or more, 0.62 times or more, and 0.63 times or more the thickness t 3.
  • the minimum interval C 2 in this example is 0.75 times the thickness t 3.
  • the minimum interval C 2 may be changed, for example, according to the shape / size of the above-mentioned tubular portion, the shape / size / number / arrangement state of the spring piece 205, and the like.
  • the female connector 2 includes 40 or more polar holes 225 as described above. In this respect, it can be said that the female connector 2 tends to be large. However, the female connector 2 of this example is small in the following points. (1) The female connector 2 does not have a fitting lever. (2) The female connector 2 does not have a retainer. (3) The polar holes 225 are arranged in multiple stages in both the long side direction and the short side direction of the main body portion 22. (4) The maximum values of the intervals C 2W and C 2H of the adjacent female terminals 20 in the main body 22 are small. (5) The main body 22 has a horizontally long rectangular shape.
  • the width W of the housing 21 is 63 mm or less. Further, for example, the height H of the housing 21 is 30 mm or less. If the width W is 63 mm or less and the height H is 30 mm or less, the female connector 2 is further smaller. In this example, height H ⁇ width W.
  • the female connector 2 having a width W of 63 mm or less is smaller than the conventional female connector having 40 or more polar holes and a fitting lever. From the viewpoint of further miniaturization, the width W may be 62.5 mm or less, 62.0 mm or less, and 61.5 mm or less.
  • the female connector 2 having a height H of 30 mm or less is smaller than a conventional female connector having 40 or more polar holes and a fitting lever. From the viewpoint of further miniaturization, the height H may be 29.5 mm or less, 29.0 mm or less, and 28.5 mm or less.
  • the lower limit values of the width W and the height H may be selected according to the number of pole holes 225, the maximum values of the intervals C 2W , C 2H, and the like. Although it depends on the number of polar holes 225, the maximum values of the intervals C 2W , C 2H , etc., for example, the width W may be 45 mm or more. Further, the height H is 15 mm or more. In this example, the width W is 48 mm. The height H is 25 mm.
  • the housing 21 of this example includes a plurality of detection holes 25 and a plurality of lance portions 252 (FIGS. 2 and 3) provided in the main body portion 22 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4.
  • Each of the detection holes 25 and the lance portion 252 is used to detect the suitability of the insertion position of the female terminal 20 with respect to the main body portion 22 instead of the retainer.
  • Each detection hole 25 has the same structure, the same shape, and the same size.
  • Each lance portion 252 has the same structure, the same shape, and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given by taking one detection hole 25 and one lance portion 252 as an example.
  • the main body 22 includes the polar holes 225 and the detection holes 25 side by side in the short side direction described above.
  • the polar hole 225 and the detection hole 25 are opened in the first end surface 221. That is, the detection hole 25 includes an opening 250 provided in the first end face 221.
  • the lance portion 252 has a cantilever-supported spring piece shape and partitions the polar hole 225 and the detection hole 25. The free end of the lance portion 252 does not reach the first end face 221. Therefore, a part of the female terminal 20 can protrude toward the detection hole 25 between the first end surface 221 and the free end of the lance portion 252.
  • the tip portion of the lance portion 252 is fitted into the concave portion of the tubular portion of the female terminal 20 as described above. Further, a part of the female terminal 20 projects toward the detection hole 25 side between the above-mentioned first end surface 221 and the free end of the lance portion 252.
  • the inner peripheral surface forming the detection hole 25 includes a part of the outer peripheral surface of the protruding female terminal 20 and a part of the outer peripheral surface of the lance portion 252.
  • a device including a detection pin and a probe pin (not shown) and an electric circuit is used.
  • the detection pin is inserted into the detection hole 25.
  • the probe pin is inserted into the tubular portion of the female terminal 20.
  • a probe pin and an electric wire 7 to which a female terminal 20 is mounted are connected to the electric circuit.
  • the detection pin is made of an electrically insulating material such as resin.
  • the probe pin is made of a conductive material. Examples of the conductive material include metals such as copper.
  • the probe pin is fixed to the detection pin.
  • the electric circuit includes a connection portion with a probe pin, a connection portion with an electric wire 7, a power supply, and a display unit such as a light bulb.
  • the display unit indicates that the electric circuit is in a conductive state. For example, a light bulb lights up.
  • the detection pin and the probe pin are arranged so that the tip of the detection pin protrudes from the tip of the probe pin in the insertion direction into the detection hole 25.
  • the protruding state of both pins satisfies the following conditions.
  • the detection procedure will be described below.
  • the tip of the detection pin is inserted into the detection hole 25.
  • the probe pin also moves to the female terminal 20 side.
  • the detection pin is inserted all the way into the detection hole 25 without being hindered by the lance portion 252
  • the probe pin is inserted into the tubular portion of the female terminal 20 and comes into contact with the tubular portion.
  • the electric circuit connected to the probe pin becomes conductive via the female terminal 20 and the electric wire 7.
  • the display unit it is detected that the insertion position of the female terminal 20 is appropriate.
  • the female terminal 20 and the electric wire 7 are conductive. If the detection pin contacts the lance portion 252 and cannot be inserted into the detection hole 25, the probe pin cannot contact the female terminal 20. Therefore, it is detected that the insertion position of the female terminal 20 is inappropriate.
  • a known technique may be used as the detection method and device using the detection pin and the probe pin.
  • the seal ring portion 4 is attached to the main body portion 22 as shown in FIG. 2 and contributes to enhancing the water stopping property between the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 (see also FIG. 3).
  • the seal ring portion 4 of this example is an integral body including an annular portion 40 and a mounting portion 42 (FIG. 8).
  • the annular portion 40 is a portion of the main body portion 22 of the housing 21 that is mounted on the outer periphery of the region on the second end surface 222 side. Therefore, the outer circumference of the annular portion 40 is covered with the hood portion 23.
  • the mounting portion 42 is a portion for fixing the seal ring portion 4 to the housing 21.
  • the annular portion 40 has a horizontally long rectangular frame shape corresponding to the outer shape of the main body portion 22 (FIG. 8). Further, the annular portion 40 does not have a uniform thickness in a cross section obtained by cutting the annular portion 40 in a plane parallel to the axial direction of the ring.
  • the region of the annular portion 40 arranged on the first end surface 221 side of the main body portion 22 includes a portion thicker than the region arranged on the second end surface 222 side.
  • the cross-sectional shape of this thick portion is M-shaped. In the connected state, the above-mentioned M-shaped portion is pressed by the hood portion 33 of the male connector 3 and comes into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 33 (FIG. 3). That is, the M-shaped portion is a contact portion with the hood portion 33 on the male side.
  • the thickness of the annular portion 40 can be appropriately selected within a range in which a predetermined water stoppage can be ensured.
  • the thicker the contact portion of the male connector 3 with the hood portion 33 the more the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 22 on the female side and the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 33 on the male side form the annular portion 40. Easy to crush.
  • the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 22 on the female side and the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 33 on the male side are in close contact with each other. Therefore, the water stopping property is enhanced.
  • the maximum thickness t 4 of the annular portion 40 is, for example, 0.5 mm or more, 0.8 mm or more, 1.0 mm or more.
  • the maximum thickness t 4 of the annular portion 40 is the thickness of the annular portion 40 in an uncompressed state. Further, the maximum thickness t 4 is the thickness of the thickest portion of the annular portion 40 in contact with the hood portion 33 of the male connector 3. In this example, M-shaped portion of the above has a maximum thickness t 4.
  • the maximum thickness t 4 of the annular portion 40 is, for example, 1.5 mm or less. If the maximum thickness t 4 is 1.5 mm or less, the circumference of the annular portion 40 is long due to the long outer peripheral length of the main body portion 22 due to the large number of polar holes 225, as described above. Easy to fit. From the viewpoint of improving the fitting workability, the maximum thickness t 4 may be 1.45 mm or less and 1.40 mm or less. The maximum thickness t 4 of this example is 1.35 mm.
  • the mounting portions 42 are provided at locations along the short side direction in the annular portion 40, respectively.
  • Each mounting portion 42 includes a claw portion.
  • the claws of each mounting portion 42 are fitted into mounting holes 245 (FIGS. 5, 6 and 7) provided in the housing 21 (see also FIG. 10 described later).
  • the seal ring portion 4 is fixed to the housing 21 by hooking the claw portion on the bottom wall portion of the hood portion 23.
  • Examples of the constituent materials of the seal ring portion 4 and the waterproof stopper 6 described later include materials having excellent water stopping properties such as a rubber composition. Silicone rubber and the like can be mentioned as an example of the rubber that is the main component of the rubber composition.
  • the waterproof plug 6 is fitted inside the mounting portion 24 and contributes to enhancing the water stopping property of the female connector 2.
  • the waterproof plug 6 of this example is a plate-shaped member having a predetermined thickness, and is arranged in contact with the second end surface 222 of the main body portion 22.
  • the waterproof plug 6 is provided with the same number of holding holes 65 as the number of polar holes 225.
  • the number of holding holes 65 is 54.
  • each holding hole 65 is provided so as to correspond to the arrangement position of each pole hole 225, and communicates with each pole hole 225.
  • each holding hole 65 An electric wire 7 is inserted through each holding hole 65.
  • a female terminal 20 connected to the electric wire 7 is inserted into each pole hole 225 of the main body 22 communicating with each holding hole 65.
  • the inner peripheral surface forming each holding hole 65 is in close contact with each electric wire 7. Therefore, it is prevented that water or the like is transmitted to the female terminal 20 side via the electric wire 7. Further, the housing 21 and the waterproof plug 6 are mutually positioned by the continuous female terminal 20 and the electric wire 7.
  • the end face of the waterproof plug 6 on the main body 22 side and the end face on the side opposite to the main body 22 side are horizontally long rectangular shapes (see FIG. 10 described later).
  • the length in the long side direction and the length in the short side direction of the waterproof plug 6 are the length in the long side direction and the length in the short side direction of the mounting portion 24. Slightly larger than that. Therefore, when the waterproof plug 6 is fitted into the mounting portion 24, the outer peripheral surface of the waterproof plug 6 comes into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion 24. Due to this close contact, the waterproof plug 6 is held in the housing 21.
  • each holding hole 65 penetrates from the end face on the main body 22 side of the waterproof plug 6 to the end face on the opposite side. Further, in this example, each holding hole 65 has the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given by taking one holding hole 65 as an example.
  • the holding hole 65 is a hole having a circular cross section cut in a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the holding hole 65.
  • the inner diameter of the holding hole 65 is not uniform but different along the axial direction.
  • Each opening-side region of the holding hole 65 has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of one electric wire 7. Therefore, it is easy to insert the electric wire 7 and the female terminal 20 into the holding hole 65.
  • the axially intermediate region of the holding hole 65 includes a portion having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of one electric wire 7. Therefore, the inner peripheral surface forming the holding hole 65 can be brought into close contact with the electric wire 7.
  • the attachment 5 is a member that can be attached to and detached from the housing 21 of the female connector 2.
  • the attachment 5 is used when the number of polar holes 225 provided in the housing 21 is reduced according to the number of female terminals 20 used.
  • the attachment 5 includes at least one closing pin 51 and a plurality of through holes 55.
  • the closing pin 51 closes a predetermined number of polar holes 225 among the plurality of polar holes 225, and reduces the number of available polar holes 225.
  • Each through hole 55 is provided so as to communicate with the remaining pole hole 225 that is not blocked by the closing pin 51.
  • Each of the remaining pole holes 225 is a pole hole 225 to be used.
  • Female terminals 20 are inserted into the remaining polar holes 225 (FIG. 2).
  • An electric wire 7 connected to the female terminal 20 is inserted into each through hole 55 (FIG. 2).
  • the attachment 5 includes a plate-shaped main body 50 having a predetermined thickness.
  • the main body 50 is arranged in contact with the end surface of the waterproof plug 6 (FIG. 2).
  • the end face of the main body 50 on the waterproof plug 6 side and the end face on the side opposite to the waterproof plug 6 side are horizontally long rectangular shapes corresponding to the second end face 222 of the main body 22.
  • the thickness of the main body 50 is such that the main body 50 does not protrude from the mounting 24 when the waterproof plug 6 and the attachment 5 are arranged inside the mounting portion 24 (FIG. 2).
  • the main body 50 includes the same number of closing pins 51 as the number of unused pole holes 225, and the same number of through holes 55 as the number of used pole holes 225.
  • Each closing pin 51 projects from the end surface of the main body 50 on the waterproof plug 6 side toward the waterproof plug 6 side.
  • Each through hole 55 penetrates from the end surface of the main body 50 on the waterproof plug 6 side to the end surface on the opposite side.
  • Each closing pin 51 and each through hole 55 are provided so as to correspond to the arrangement position of each holding hole 65 of the waterproof plug 6 in a state where the attachment 5 is attached to the housing 21.
  • each closing pin 51 is inserted into each holding hole 65 corresponding to each pole hole 225 not used in the waterproof plug 6.
  • each closing pin 51 closes the opening on the side where the female terminal 20 is inserted, that is, the opening provided in the second end surface 222 in each unused pole hole 225.
  • Each through hole 55 communicates with each holding hole 65 corresponding to each pole hole 225 used in the waterproof plug 6. As a result, each through hole 55 also communicates with each pole hole 225 to be used.
  • each closing pin 51 has the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given by taking one closing pin 51 as an example.
  • the closing pin 51 is generally in the shape of a round bar having a uniform outer diameter. The edge of the closing pin 51 is rounded off. Therefore, the closing pin 51 is easily inserted into the holding hole 65 of the waterproof plug 6.
  • the outer diameter of the closing pin 51 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of one electric wire 7. Therefore, when the closing pin 51 is inserted into the holding hole 65 of the waterproof plug 6, it comes into close contact with the inner peripheral surface forming the holding hole 65. This adhesion enhances water stopping. Further, due to this close contact, the closing pin 51 also functions as an attachment portion of the attachment 5 to the waterproof plug 6.
  • the protruding length of the closing pin 51 can be appropriately selected.
  • the protruding length is a length along the axial direction of the closing pin 51, and is a length from the end surface of the main body 50 on the waterproof plug 6 side to the tip of the closing pin 51.
  • the protruding length is slightly larger than the thickness of the waterproof plug 6. That is, the protruding length is longer than the length of the holding hole 65 of the waterproof plug 6. Therefore, in the state where the attachment 5 is attached to the housing 21, the tip of the closing pin 51 protrudes from the end surface of the waterproof plug 6 on the main body 22 side and is inserted into the unused pole hole 225. That is, the holding hole 65 of the waterproof plug 6 corresponding to the unused pole hole 225 is completely closed by the closing pin 51. Therefore, the water stopping property is enhanced.
  • the number of closing pins 51 can be selected according to the number of polar holes 225 to be used in a range smaller than the number of polar holes 225 provided in the main body 22.
  • the number of pole holes 225 used is 48 and the number of closing pins 51 is 6, but it can be changed.
  • the number of closing pins 51 may be 1, 2 to 5, or 7 or more.
  • each through hole 55 has the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given by taking one through hole 55 as an example.
  • An electric wire 7 is inserted through the through hole 55. Therefore, the through hole 55 has a size through which the electric wire 7 can be inserted.
  • a female terminal 20 connected to the electric wire 7 is inserted into the pole hole 225 of the main body 22 communicating with the through hole 55.
  • the housing 21, the waterproof plug 6, and the attachment 5 are positioned with each other by the continuous female terminal 20 and the electric wire 7.
  • the arrangement of the closing pin 51 and the through hole 55 in the main body 50 is not particularly limited as long as the number of polar holes 225 to be used can be secured.
  • the six closing pins 51 are divided into three, and are provided at symmetrical positions about the bisector in the long side direction of the main body 50. Further, the three closing pins 51 are arranged in a straight line along the short side direction of the main body 50. This sequence is exemplary and can be modified as appropriate.
  • the main body 50 includes one protrusion 57 and a plurality of claws 58. Both the protrusion 57 and the plurality of claw portions 58 project from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 50.
  • the protrusion 57 is fitted into the recess 237 (FIG. 10) provided in the mounting portion 24 (FIG. 11).
  • the recess 237 is formed by partially cutting out the opening edge of the mounting portion 24 and a region in the vicinity thereof.
  • the main body 50 includes four claws 58.
  • the outer peripheral surface of the main body 50 includes two portions along the long side direction.
  • Two claw portions 58 are provided at locations along the long side direction at intervals in the long side direction.
  • Each claw portion 58 is fitted into a hole (not shown) provided in the mounting portion 24.
  • the attachment 5 is fixed to the housing 21 by hooking each claw portion 58 on the inner peripheral surface of the hole of the mounting portion 24.
  • the attachment 5 is not used.
  • the attachment 5 is not attached to the attachment portion 24 of the housing 21. Therefore, the number of polar holes 225 remains the same as the number provided in the main body 22. In this example, the number of polar holes 225 remains 54.
  • the number of polar holes 225 corresponds to the number of holding holes 65 of the waterproof plug 6 and remains 54.
  • the female connector 2 can be used as a 54-pole connector. Note that FIG. 10 mainly shows the housing 21 and the waterproof plug 6.
  • the attachment 5 is attached to the attachment portion 24 of the housing 21. Specifically, the closing pin 51 of the attachment 5 is inserted into each of the predetermined holding holes 65 of the holding holes 65 of the waterproof plug 6. Further, the main body portion 50 is arranged in the mounting portion 24, and the protrusion 57 and the claw portion 58 are fitted into the recess 237 and the hole (not shown) of the mounting portion 24, respectively.
  • the number of available polar holes 225 is reduced to the number of through holes 55 of the attachment 5 as shown in FIG. In this example, the number of available pole holes 225 is reduced from 54 to 48.
  • the female connector 2 is provided with female terminals 20 (FIG.
  • FIG. 11 mainly shows the housing 21 and the attachment 5.
  • a plurality of types of attachments 5 having different numbers of closing pins 51 and through holes 55 may be prepared.
  • the attachment 5 having the number of closing pins 51 corresponding to the number of unused pole holes 225 and the number of through holes 55 corresponding to the number of used pole holes 225 is selected and attached to the housing 21.
  • the number of available polar holes 225 can be easily changed.
  • the female connector 2 of this example is constructed as follows, for example. (1) In the female connector 2, the seal ring portion 4 is inserted between the main body portion 22 and the hood portion 23, and the seal ring portion 4 is attached to the outer periphery of the main body portion 22. (2) Each female terminal 20 to which the electric wire 7 is connected is inserted into each through hole 55 of the attachment 5 and each holding hole 65 of the waterproof plug 6 in this order. The attachment 5 may be attached to the waterproof plug 6 in advance. (3) With the waterproof plug 6 and the attachment 5 inserted around the outer circumference of the electric wire 7, each female terminal 20 is inserted to a predetermined position of each pole hole 225 provided in the main body 22 of the female connector 2.
  • the connector pair 1 of the first embodiment includes the female connector 2 of the first embodiment and the male connector 3.
  • the male connector 3 has 40 or more male terminals 30.
  • the male connector 3 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.
  • the male connector 3 is a member in which a plurality of male terminals 30 are held in a bottomed tubular housing 31.
  • Each male terminal 30 is mainly used as an electrical connecting member.
  • the housing 31 integrally holds a plurality of male terminals 30, and electrically insulates adjacent male terminals 30 from each other. Further, the housing 31 is mainly used as a mechanical connecting member.
  • Each of the male terminals 30 is a rod-shaped conductive member made of a conductive material such as metal. All the male terminals 30 have the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given using one male terminal 30 as an example.
  • the area on one end side of the male terminal 30 is a connection point with the female terminal 20 (FIG. 3).
  • the region on the other end side of the male terminal 30 is, for example, a connection point with a printed wiring board 8 or the like (FIG. 3).
  • the intermediate portion of the male terminal 30 is press-fitted into the polar hole 325 provided in the main body portion 32 of the housing 31, which will be described later (FIG. 2). By this press fitting, the male terminal 30 is held in the housing 31. Further, the male terminal 30 is L-shaped by bending the middle portion of the male terminal 30 (FIGS. 2 and 3).
  • the male terminal 30 typically includes a base material 300 and a plating layer 301 that covers at least a part of the surface of the base material 300, as shown in FIG.
  • the plating layer 301 of this example has the same configuration as the plating layer 201 of the female terminal 20. That is, the plating layer 301 includes a surface layer 302 made of pure tin and an inner layer 303 made of an alloy containing tin and copper, and the alloy is partially exposed from the surface layer 302. In this case, in the plating layer 301, the interface between the surface layer 302 and the inner layer 303 is not linear, but is uneven as illustrated in FIG. Since the plating layer 301 of the male terminal 30 and the plating layer 201 of the female terminal 20 are made of the same constituent material and have the above-mentioned specific two-layer structure, when the male terminal 30 is inserted into the female terminal 20, the male terminal 30 is inserted into the female terminal 20. The terminal 30 is slippery. Therefore, the insertion work is easy to perform. For details of the base material 300 and the plating layer 301, refer to the section of ⁇ constituent material >> of the female terminal 20.
  • the contact portion with the female terminal 20 is provided with a plating layer 301.
  • the base material 300 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Of the four surfaces constituting the outer peripheral surface of the base material 300, two facing surfaces come into contact with the female terminal 20. Therefore, the plating layer 301 may be provided on the two facing surfaces of the base material 300.
  • connection portion with the printed wiring board 8 or the like is provided with the plating layer 301.
  • the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the base material 300 may be covered with the plating layer 301.
  • the thickness t 3 (FIGS. 13 and 2) of the region on one end side to which the female terminals 20 are connected is selected according to the size of the cylinder portion of the female terminals 20 and the minimum spacing C 2. Good.
  • the thickness t 3 of the male terminal 30 may be 0.3 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less.
  • the thickness t 3 of the male terminal 30 is a size along a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the male terminal 30, and is along the direction in which the male terminal 30 is sandwiched between the spring pieces 205 of the female terminal 20 and the like. It is the size.
  • the axial direction of the male terminal 30 is the direction along the axial direction of the pole hole 325, and is the left-right direction in FIG. Further, the thickness t 3 is a size along the vertical direction in FIGS. 13 and 2 in the region on one end side of the male terminal 30 to which the female terminal 20 is connected.
  • the number of male terminals 30 provided in the male connector 3 is the same as the number of female terminals 20, and is 40 or more. In this example, the number of male terminals 30 is 48. The number of male terminals 30 may be selected according to the number of female terminals 20.
  • the housing 31 is typically a molded body made of a resin composition. Further, the housing 31 is an integral body including a main body portion 32 and a hood portion 33 (FIG. 2).
  • the main body 32 is a plate-shaped portion that holds a plurality of male terminals 30 (FIG. 2).
  • the hood portion 33 is a tubular portion erected from the inner end surface of the main body portion 32 located on the connection side with the female connector 2. So to speak, the housing 31 has a bottomed tubular shape with the main body 32 as the bottom.
  • the main body 32 includes a plurality of polar holes 325.
  • Each pole hole 325 penetrates from the inner end surface of the main body 32 to the outer end surface located on the side opposite to the connection side with the female connector 2 (FIG. 2).
  • a male terminal 30 is press-fitted and penetrated into each pole hole 325. Therefore, the region on one end side of each male terminal 30 projects from the inner end surface of the main body 32. The region on the other end side of each male terminal 30 projects from the outer end surface of the main body 32.
  • connection side of the male connector 3 with the female connector 2 is on the right side in FIG.
  • the side of the male connector 3 opposite to the connection side with the female connector 2 is the left side in FIG.
  • the main body 32 of this example has a horizontally long rectangular shape when viewed in the fitting direction.
  • the male terminals 30 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the long side direction and the short side direction of the main body 32, respectively, corresponding to the arrangement of the female terminals 20 in the female connector 2.
  • the 48 male terminals 30 are arranged in three groups of 3 rows ⁇ 16 columns, specifically, 3 rows ⁇ 5 columns, 3 rows ⁇ 6 columns, and 3 rows ⁇ 5 columns.
  • the long side direction of the main body 32 is the left-right direction in FIG.
  • the short side direction of the main body 32 is the vertical direction in FIG.
  • the outer dimension of the male terminal 30 is smaller than the outer dimension of the tubular portion of the female terminal 20. Therefore, among the intervals between the adjacent male terminals 30, the interval along the long side direction is typically larger than the interval C 2W. Of the intervals between the adjacent male terminals 30, the interval along the short side direction is typically larger than the interval C 2H.
  • the outer dimension of the male terminal 30 is a length in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the male terminal 30 in a cross section obtained by cutting the male terminal 30 in a plane orthogonal to the fitting direction.
  • the outer dimension of the female terminal 20 is a length in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the female terminal 20 in a cross section obtained by cutting the female terminal 20 in the above plane. In FIGS. 13 and 5, the lengths in the orthogonal directions include the length in the vertical direction and the length in the horizontal direction. In the male terminal 30, a direction of a length the orthogonal is the thickness t 3.
  • the hood portion 33 surrounds a region on the connection side of the plurality of male terminals 30 with the female terminals 20. Therefore, the area on one end side of each male terminal 30 is covered with the hood portion 33. The region on the other end side of each male terminal 30 is exposed without being covered by the hood portion 33 (see also FIG. 2).
  • the main body 22 of the female connector 2 is inserted into the internal space of the hood 33 (FIG. 3). Further, the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion 33 is covered with the hood portion 23 of the female connector 2 (FIG. 3). Therefore, the inner peripheral shape of the hood portion 33 on the male side corresponds to the outer peripheral shape of the main body portion 22 on the female side. The outer peripheral shape of the hood portion 33 on the male side corresponds to the inner peripheral shape of the hood portion 23 on the female side. In this example, as shown in FIG. 13, the inner peripheral shape of the hood portion 33 is a horizontally long rectangular shape when viewed in the axial direction of the polar hole 325 (FIG. 2).
  • the thickness of the hood portion 33 can be appropriately selected.
  • Minimum thickness t 33 of the receptacle 33 include for example 1.6mm or.
  • the hood portion 33 has a horizontally long rectangular shape as in this example, if the thickness of the portion of the hood portion 33 along the long side direction is too thin, the rigidity of the hood portion 33 tends to decrease. .. If the minimum thickness t 33 is 1.6 mm or more, the rigidity of the hood portion 33 tends to increase. As a result, the vibration resistance of the male connector 3 is enhanced. From the viewpoint of improving the rigidity, the minimum thickness t 33 may be 1.65 mm or more, 1.70 mm or more, and 1.75 mm or more.
  • the upper limit of the minimum thickness t 33 of the hood portion 33 is not particularly limited.
  • the smaller the minimum thickness t 33 the smaller the outer dimensions of the hood portion 33.
  • the male connector 3 tends to be small.
  • the minimum thickness t 33 may be 3.0 mm or less, 2.8 mm or less, and 2.5 mm or less. In this example, the minimum thickness t 33 is 1.6 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.
  • rib In this example, of the inner peripheral surfaces 338 of the hood portion 33, two surfaces along the short side direction each include ribs 331 projecting in opposite directions. The two surfaces along the short side direction are the left surface and the right surface in FIG. The rib 331 projects in the left-right direction in FIG. In this example, of the inner peripheral surfaces 338, two surfaces along the long side direction also have ribs 332 protruding in opposite directions. The two surfaces along the long side direction are the upper surface and the lower surface in FIG. The rib 332 projects in the vertical direction in FIG. By providing the ribs 331 and 332, the rigidity of the hood portion 33 can be increased.
  • the ribs 331 and 332 can be used as a guide when fitting the hood portion 33 on the male side and the main body portion 22 of the female connector 2.
  • the male side hood portion 33 and the female side main body portion 22 have a horizontally long rectangular shape as described above, the female side with respect to the two surfaces along the long side direction of the male side hood portion 33. It is easy to enter the hood portion 33 on the male side in a state where the main body portion 22 is tilted so as to intersect.
  • the ribs 331 facing each other narrow the movable range of the main body 22 on the female side inside the hood 33 on the male side. Therefore, by using the rib 331 on the short side as a guide, the above-mentioned inclination is prevented.
  • the rib 332 on the long side can also be used as a guide, the above-mentioned inclination can be further easily prevented. As a result, the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 are properly fitted.
  • the shape and size of the ribs 331 and 332 can be selected as appropriate.
  • the ribs 331 and 332 have the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given by taking one rib 331 as an example.
  • the rib 331 is an elongated rectangular parallelepiped protrusion as shown in FIG. 12 (see also FIG. 2).
  • the protruding height of the rib 331 from the inner peripheral surface 338 is such that the rib 331 and the main body 22 on the female side do not come into contact with each other in the connected state. That is, the protruding height is slightly smaller than the distance between the inner peripheral surface 338 of the male side hood portion 33 and the outer peripheral surface of the female side main body portion 22 in the connected state.
  • the rib 331 is provided along the axial direction of the hood portion 33 in a range from a position inside the opening edge of the hood portion 33 to the main body portion 32.
  • the length of the rib 331 along the axial direction of the hood portion 33 is shorter than the length of the hood portion 33 along the axial direction.
  • the length of the rib 331 and the length of the hood 33 may be the same. That is, the rib 331 may be provided so as to extend from the opening edge of the hood portion 33 to the main body portion 32.
  • the number of ribs 331, the arrangement position, etc. on each surface along the short side direction can be appropriately selected.
  • the number of ribs 331 on the short side is 2.
  • the distance between the adjacent ribs 331 is about 1/3 of the length of the surface along the short side direction (FIG. 2).
  • the number of ribs 332, the arrangement position, etc. on each surface along the long side direction can be appropriately selected.
  • the number of ribs 332 described above is 6 or 7.
  • the seven ribs 332 on the lower surface side are arranged at equal intervals (FIG. 13).
  • the insertion force of a set is 1.6 N or less.
  • a set of insertion force is a force when inserting one male terminal 30 into one female terminal 20. That is, one set of insertion force is a load required to insert the male terminal 30 to a predetermined position in the tubular portion of the female terminal 20. Details of the method for measuring a set of insertion forces will be described in a test example described later.
  • the fitting load tends to be small.
  • the fitting load is the maximum load when the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 are fitted together.
  • the insertion force of a set is preferably 1.58 N or less, 1.55 N or less, and 1.50 N or less.
  • the insertion force of one set is more preferably 1.45 N or less and 1.40 N or less.
  • the insertion force of one set is too small, there is a concern that the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 are not in sufficient contact.
  • the contact state between the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 may become unstable due to the vibration.
  • the insertion force of a set is preferably 0.8 N or more and 1.0 N or more.
  • the fitting load is reduced and the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 are in good contact with each other. Is secured.
  • ⁇ Matching load> When fitting the male connector 3 and the female connector 2, the connection between the male terminals 30 provided in the male connector 3 and the female terminals 20 provided in the female connector 2 and the connections between the housings 21 and 31 are used. It is necessary to fix it with a lock mechanism. Therefore, a combined force of the above-mentioned total insertion force, the frictional force between the male side hood portion 33 and the seal ring portion 4, and the above-mentioned frictional force of the locking mechanism is required.
  • the fitting load is represented by the maximum value of the combined forces described above. Details of the method for measuring the fitting load will be described in a test example described later.
  • the above-mentioned total insertion force accounts for about 75% or more of the fitting load. Therefore, in order to reduce the fitting load, it is effective to reduce the insertion force of the set as described above.
  • the fitting load is, for example, 99.5 N or less.
  • the fitting load is 99.5 N or less.
  • the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 are easily fitted.
  • the operator can easily connect the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 without the fitting lever.
  • the smaller the fitting load the less the burden on the operator.
  • the fitting load is preferably 99 N or less, 98 N or less, and 97 N or less.
  • the fitting load is 96 N or less and 95 N or less, the burden on the operator is further reduced.
  • the smaller the fitting load and the larger the number of poles the smaller the insertion force of the set tends to be. That is, it can be said that the connector pair 1 having a small fitting load and a large number of poles includes a pair of a male terminal 30 and a female terminal 20 having a small insertion force.
  • the fitting load is too small, there is a concern that the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 are not sufficiently connected.
  • the contact state between the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 and the connection state of the housings 31 and 21 may become unstable due to the vibration.
  • the fitting load is preferably 75 N or more and 80 N or more, although it depends on the number of poles and the like.
  • the fitting load is 75 N or more and 99.5 N or less and 80 N or more and 96 N or less, the burden on the operator is reduced and a state in which the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 are well connected is ensured.
  • a pair of insertion force for example, cylindrical section shape and size of the female terminal 20 and the like, the shape, size, number, arrangement, minimum interval C 2, etc. of the spring piece 205, the thickness of the male terminal 30 and the like can be adjusted by t 3, and the like.
  • the fitting load may be adjusted according to, for example, the number of poles, a set of insertion forces, the maximum thickness t 4 of the seal ring portion 4, the shapes and sizes of the housings 21 and 31 and the like.
  • the wire harness 10 with a connector of the first embodiment includes the female connector 2 of the embodiment and a plurality of electric wires 7. Each electric wire 7 is connected to each of the female terminals 20 provided in the female connector 2.
  • Each electric wire 7 includes a conductor 70 and an electrically insulating layer 71.
  • the electrical insulating layer 71 covers the outer periphery of the conductor 70.
  • the conductor 70 is typically composed of a conductive material such as copper, aluminum, or an alloy thereof.
  • the electrically insulating layer 71 is typically composed of an electrically insulating material such as a resin.
  • each electric wire 7 is attached to each female terminal 20 in advance. Then, each of the female terminals 20 to which the electric wires 7 are connected is arranged in the respective pole holes 225 of the female connector 2, so that each electric wire 7 is integrally held by the female connector 2. In this example, each electric wire 7 is held by the housing 21 of the female connector 2 in a state of being held by the waterproof plug 6 and the attachment 5.
  • the board unit 100 of the first embodiment includes the female connector 2 of the first embodiment, or the wire harness 10 with a connector of the first embodiment, the male connector 3, and the printed wiring board 8.
  • the male connector 3 has 40 or more male terminals 30. One end of each of the male terminals 30 is connected to each of the female terminals 20. The other end of each of the male terminals 30 is connected to the printed wiring board 8.
  • the electric wire 7 is connected to the end of each female terminal 20 on the side opposite to the connection side with the male terminal 30.
  • Each electric wire 7 and the printed wiring board 8 are electrically connected via the male connector 3 and the female connector 2, that is, the connector pair 1 of the first embodiment.
  • the printed wiring board 8 may include, for example, a control circuit 80.
  • the control circuit 80 is constructed by a wiring pattern provided on the printed wiring board 8 and various electronic / electromagnetic components connected to the wiring pattern. The detailed illustration of the control circuit 80 is omitted.
  • the control circuit 80 may control electronic / electrical equipment (not shown) connected to each electric wire 7.
  • the printed wiring board 8 includes, for example, a control circuit 80 that controls at least one of fuel injection and engine ignition of the engine.
  • the board unit 100 including such a printed wiring board 8 is called an engine control unit.
  • the female connector 2 of the first embodiment has a large number of poles of 40 or more, it is easy to mold the housing 21 with high accuracy, and thus is excellent in manufacturability.
  • the corner portion 233 located near the gate mark 230 includes a thick portion 235 and a thin wall portion 236. Therefore, in the manufacturing process of the housing 21, the above-mentioned fluid easily flows even if the distance between the adjacent polar holes 225 is narrow. Therefore, each electrode hole 225 is formed with high accuracy. In this example, the above-mentioned fluid easily flows from the following (A) and (B).
  • the inner corner portion 240 of the housing 21 is locally provided with a thick portion.
  • the female connector 2 of the first embodiment can reduce the distance between the adjacent polar holes 225.
  • the distance C 2W in the long side direction is 2.5 mm or less
  • the distance C 2H in the short side direction is 3.6 mm or less. Since the intervals C 2W and C 2H are small, the outer dimensions of the female connector 2 are also small. In this example, the outer dimensions of the female connector 2 satisfy a width W of 63 mm or less and a height of 30 mm or less. From these points, the female connector 2 of the first embodiment is small.
  • the female connector 2 of this example does not include a fitting lever and a retainer. By omitting the fitting lever and the retainer, the number of poles is the same, and the size can be reduced as compared with the connector pair having the fitting lever and the retainer.
  • the female connector 2 of this example exerts the following effects (i) to (iii).
  • the number of pole holes 225 can be easily reduced according to the number of poles by the attachment 5. Further, if the attachment 5 is used, the polar hole 225 to be used will not be accidentally closed. From these points, the female connector 2 is excellent in assembly workability.
  • the minimum distance C 2 of the female terminals 20 satisfies 0.6 times or more and 0.9 times or less of the thickness t 3 of the male terminals 30.
  • Such a female connector 2 and a male connector 3, that is, a connector pair 1 can construct a connection structure having a low contact resistance. Further, such a connector pair 1 is suitable for in-vehicle use.
  • the connector pair 1 of the first embodiment, the wire harness 10 with the connector of the first embodiment, and the board unit 100 of the first embodiment include the female connector 2 of the first embodiment, they are excellent in manufacturability as described above. Further, since the female connector 2 is small, the connector pair 1 of the first embodiment, the wire harness 10 with the connector of the first embodiment, and the board unit 100 of the first embodiment are also small.
  • the fitting load is small because the insertion force of one set is small.
  • the fitting load is likely to be reduced by the following (1) to (3). Since the fitting load is small, the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 can be easily fitted. Therefore, the burden on the worker is reduced.
  • the number of spring pieces 205 provided in the female terminal 20 is one.
  • Both the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 are provided with plating layers 301,201 having the above-mentioned specific two-layer structure. Therefore, the insertion force of a set tends to be smaller.
  • the maximum thickness t 4 of the seal ring portion 4 is small. Therefore, the frictional force between the male side housing 31 and the female side housing 21 tends to be small.
  • the substrate unit 100 including the connector pair 1 and the male connector 3 of this example exerts the following effects (a) to (e).
  • C By omitting the fitting lever, the fitting time between the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 tends to be shortened. From this point, it can be expected that the connection workability between the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 will be improved.
  • the board unit 100 is an engine control unit, although it is vibrated by the engine during use, the connection state between the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 is maintained well as described above.
  • Test Example 1 For a multi-pole connector pair, a set of insertion force and fitting load was measured.
  • Sample No. 1 Sample No. The connector pair of 1 generally corresponds to the connector pair 1 of the above-described first embodiment. Sample No. The number of poles in one connector pair is 48. Below, the sample No. The specifications of 1 connector pair are shown.
  • the female connector includes 48 female terminals and one housing. Further, the female connector includes one seal ring portion, one waterproof plug, and one attachment, and does not include a retainer and a fitting lever.
  • ⁇ Female terminal ⁇ The constituent material of the base material is a copper alloy. -The surface of the base material is covered with a plating layer.
  • the plating layer includes a surface layer made of pure tin and an inner layer made of an alloy containing tin and copper, and the alloy is partially exposed from the surface layer.
  • a pure tin layer was formed on the front and back surfaces of a plate made of a copper alloy, and then heat treatment was performed to form a plating layer having the above-mentioned specific two-layer structure.
  • a female terminal was produced by appropriately cutting and molding a copper alloy plate provided with this plating layer. -The number of spring pieces is one.
  • the minimum distance C 2 of the female terminals is 0.75 times the thickness t 3 of the male terminals.
  • the minimum interval C 2 is 0.47 mm.
  • housing The constituent material of the housing is a resin composition mainly composed of PBT. -A recess is provided as a lock mechanism. -The number of polar holes is 54. The attachment reduces the number of polar holes used to 48. -Of the intervals between adjacent female terminals, the maximum value of the interval C 2W in the long side direction is 0.40 mm. The maximum value of the interval C 2H in the short side direction is 1.15 mm. The width W of the housing is 60 mm. The height H of the housing is 27.4 mm.
  • the maximum thickness t 4 of the seal ring portion is 1.3 mm.
  • the male connector includes 48 male terminals and one housing.
  • ⁇ Male terminal ⁇ The constituent material of the base material is brass. -The surface of the base material is covered with the above-mentioned specific two-layered plating layer, similar to the female terminal. Here, a pure tin layer was formed on the front and back surfaces of a plate made of brass, and then heat treatment was performed to form a plating layer having the above-mentioned specific two-layer structure. A male terminal was produced by cutting a brass plate provided with this plating layer into a predetermined shape. Male terminals were manufactured by the so-called pre-plating method. -The thickness t 3 of the male terminal is 0.63 mm.
  • housing The constituent material of the housing is a resin composition mainly composed of PBT. -A claw is provided as a lock mechanism. The minimum thickness t 33 of the hood portion is 1.8 mm.
  • Sample No. 101 Sample No. The connector pair of 101 has sample No. 1 except for the following two points (I) and (II). Same as 1.
  • the method of manufacturing the male terminal is different. Sample No. In 101, the sample No. After cutting the brass plate described in 1 into a predetermined terminal shape, a plating layer was formed. Male terminals were manufactured by the so-called post-plating method.
  • the minimum thickness t 33 of the hood portion on the male side is different. Sample No. The minimum thickness t 33 in 101 is 1.4 mm.
  • the fitting load is measured as follows. Fix the male connector so that the tips of the 48 male terminals face upward. The female connector is pressed against the male connector to fit the male connector and the female connector. The female connector is displaced from above with respect to the male connector fixed below. This displacement is performed until the male side housing and the female side housing are fixed by the locking mechanism. In the state of being fixed by the lock mechanism, each male terminal is inserted to a predetermined position of each female terminal. Further, the tip of the hood on the male side is inserted all the way to the back of the hood on the female side. Further, the main body portion on the female side is inserted deep into the hood portion on the male side.
  • the displacement speed of the female connector is selected from the range of 25 m / min or more and 100 m / min or less. In this example, it is 50 m / min.
  • the above-mentioned device and displacement speed are similarly applied to a set of methods for measuring an insertion force, which will be described later.
  • a set of insertion forces is measured as follows. Remove the locking mechanism on the male and female connectors. Also, remove the seal ring from the female connector.
  • the number of female terminals provided in the female connector is set to 2, and female terminals are not arranged in the other polar holes.
  • the two female terminals are arranged symmetrically on the main body on the female side. For example, the two female terminals are arranged at each end in the long side direction in the main body on the female side.
  • the male connector has two male terminals, and no male terminals are arranged in the other polar holes.
  • the two male terminals are arranged in the main body on the male side corresponding to the arrangement positions of the female terminals.
  • the two male terminals are arranged at each end in the long side direction in the main body on the male side. Fix the male connector so that the tips of the two male terminals face upward.
  • the female connector is pressed against the male connector, and each male terminal is inserted into the cylinder portion of each female terminal.
  • the female connector is displaced from above with respect to the male connector fixed below. This displacement is performed until each male terminal is inserted into a predetermined position of each female terminal.
  • sample No. for one connector pair the set of insertion forces was 1.5N. Further, the fitting load was 94 N. Sample No. The insertion force of one set is the sample No. It is about 20% lower than the insertion force of a set of 101. Therefore, the sample No. The fitting load of 1 is the sample No. It is considered that the load was smaller than the fitting load of 101.
  • Test Example 2 Sample No. prepared in Test Example 1. The vibration resistance of the hood portion of the male connector was evaluated for one connector pair.
  • the vibration resistance was evaluated as follows. Attach a wire of the specified length to the end of each female terminal. Fit the male connector and the female connector. The male connector is fixed to the first holding portion and the second holding portion is fixed so that 48 electric wires extending from the male connector, the female connector, and the female connector are lined up between the first holding portion and the second holding portion. Forty-eight electric wires are fixed to the holding part of. The fixed length of the electric wire passed between the holding portions is 100 mm. Adjust the height of each holding part so that the axis of each wire is along the horizontal direction. The height here is the length along the vertical direction. Both holding parts are arranged on the exciter, and the vibrating machine applies vibration to both holding parts.
  • the vibration conditions are shown below.
  • a commercially available vibration exciter is used to apply vibration.
  • the vibration waveform is random.
  • the effective value (rms) of the vibration acceleration is 5G.
  • the vibration frequency is in the range of 50 Hz to 2000 Hz.
  • the test temperature is 85 ° C.
  • the vibration direction is the vertical direction. That is, it is a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the electric wire passed between both holding portions.
  • Laser displacement meters are placed above the male and female connectors, respectively, to measure the displacement (mm) of the male connector and the displacement (mm) of the female connector when vibration is applied.
  • the position before the vibration is applied is defined as the initial position
  • the amount of deviation from the initial position is defined as the displacement amount.
  • the maximum value of the relative positional deviation between the male connector and the female connector is obtained.
  • the maximum value of this displacement is called the relative displacement.
  • a connector pair having 39 poles and a minimum thickness of the hood portion on the male side of 1.4 mm, so to speak a conventional connector pair was prepared, and the relative displacement amount was examined in the same manner.
  • Sample No. The relative displacement amount in 1 was 0.07 mm.
  • Sample No. The relative displacement amount of 1 is about the same as that of the conventional connector pair.
  • Sample No. In No. 1 although the number of poles is larger than that of the conventional connector pair, it is considered that the rigidity of the hood portion on the male side is increased because the minimum thickness t 33 of the hood portion on the male side is 1.8 mm. As a result, it is considered that the housing of the male connector and the housing of the female connector were maintained in a properly connected state even when subjected to vibration, and the relative displacement amount was likely to be small.
  • sample No. In No. 1 when the minimum thickness of the hood portion on the male side is 1.4 mm, the above-mentioned relative displacement amount is 0.098 mm.
  • the composition, shape, size, etc. of the base material, the composition, formation range, structure, etc. of the plating layer, the number of poles, the number of pole holes, and the arrangement state Etc. the maximum values of the intervals C 2W and C 2H can be changed as appropriate.
  • the shape and size of the housing can be changed as appropriate.
  • the attachment 5 may be omitted in the female connector 2 of the first embodiment.
  • the seal ring portion 4 and the waterproof plug 6 may be omitted. If these are omitted, the female side housing 21 is even smaller.
  • the thin-walled portion 236 of the hood portion 23 in the female connector 2 of the first embodiment may be provided in the opposite direction to that of the first embodiment. That is, the thin-walled portion 236 may be provided at the corner portion 233 from the end surface 234 on the connection side with the male connector 3 to an intermediate position not reaching the end surface 239 on the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector 3.

Landscapes

  • Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
  • Manufacturing Of Electrical Connectors (AREA)
  • Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
PCT/JP2020/042546 2019-11-28 2020-11-16 メスコネクタ、コネクタ対、コネクタ付きワイヤーハーネス、及び基板ユニット WO2021106643A1 (ja)

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JP2019-215891 2019-11-28

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JP7709478B2 (ja) * 2023-02-27 2025-07-16 矢崎総業株式会社 ワイヤハーネス
JP2024121056A (ja) * 2023-02-27 2024-09-06 矢崎総業株式会社 ワイヤハーネス

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JP2003123907A (ja) * 2001-10-17 2003-04-25 Japan Aviation Electronics Industry Ltd コネクタ
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JP2007214058A (ja) * 2006-02-10 2007-08-23 Furukawa Electric Co Ltd:The 防水コネクタ
JP2013247057A (ja) * 2012-05-29 2013-12-09 Sumitomo Wiring Syst Ltd コネクタ
JP2018170293A (ja) * 2018-08-01 2018-11-01 株式会社オートネットワーク技術研究所 コネクタ
JP2018174114A (ja) * 2017-03-31 2018-11-08 パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社 配線器具用ケース、及びそれを備える配線器具装置

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JP2003123907A (ja) * 2001-10-17 2003-04-25 Japan Aviation Electronics Industry Ltd コネクタ
JP2004039414A (ja) * 2002-07-03 2004-02-05 Sumitomo Wiring Syst Ltd コネクタ、及び解除用治具
JP2007214058A (ja) * 2006-02-10 2007-08-23 Furukawa Electric Co Ltd:The 防水コネクタ
JP2013247057A (ja) * 2012-05-29 2013-12-09 Sumitomo Wiring Syst Ltd コネクタ
JP2018174114A (ja) * 2017-03-31 2018-11-08 パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社 配線器具用ケース、及びそれを備える配線器具装置
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CN115133211A (zh) * 2022-08-29 2022-09-30 长沙竹叶电子科技有限公司 一种快拆式防水蓄电池组
CN115133211B (zh) * 2022-08-29 2022-11-29 长沙竹叶电子科技有限公司 一种快拆式防水蓄电池组

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