WO2023026690A1

WO2023026690A1 - Connector

Info

Publication number: WO2023026690A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/026064
Authority: WO
Inventors: 章弘西谷; 拓馬吉岡
Original assignee: 株式会社オートネットワーク技術研究所; 住友電装株式会社; 住友電気工業株式会社
Priority date: 2021-08-27
Filing date: 2022-06-29
Publication date: 2023-03-02
Also published as: JP2023032633A

Abstract

The present invention increases a holding force by a lock arm while keeping the maximum stress generated in the lock arm small.　The lock arm (20) has a base end section (21) connected to a female-side housing (11) and an arm body section (22) extending from the base end section (21), wherein the arm body section (22) is elastically deformable in such a direction that a facing surface (26) is caused to approach the female-side housing (11), a lock part (27) to be locked to a receiving part (45) of a male-side housing (41) is formed on the arm body section (22), a first bending portion (37) of the arm body section (22) extending from the base end section (21) toward the lock part (27) is so shaped that the thickness thereof gradually decreases from the base end section (21) toward the lock part (27), and a second bending portion (38) of the arm body section (22) connected to the opposite side to the base end section (21) with respect to an extending end (37R) of the first bending portion (37) is shaped such that the facing surface (26) is formed only by a curved surface.

Description

connector

The present disclosure relates to connectors.

Patent Document 1 discloses a connector comprising a male connector housing and a male connector housing having a lock arm. When the female connector housing is fitted into the male connector housing, the engagement projection of the lock arm engages the engagement receiving portion of the male connector housing, thereby locking the two connector housings in the fitted state.

JP 2014-35847 A

In order to increase the holding force of the lock arm that retains the two connector housings in the mated state, it is necessary to increase the stress generated in the vicinity of the engaging protrusion when the lock arm is bent. The thickness of the lock arm in the bending direction is a constant dimension from the base end serving as the fulcrum of bending of the lock arm to the engaging protrusion. In the case of such dimension setting, the stress generated in the lock arm is not constant from the base end portion to the engaging projection portion, but is maximum at the base end portion and becomes smaller toward the engaging projection portion. Therefore, if an attempt is made to secure the holding force of the lock arm by increasing the stress in the vicinity of the engaging projection, the maximum stress generated in the lock arm increases.

The connector of the present disclosure has been completed based on the above circumstances, and aims to increase the holding force of the lock arm while suppressing the maximum stress generated in the lock arm.

The connector of the present disclosure is
a male housing;
a female housing fitted in the male housing;
a lock arm formed on the female housing;
The lock arm has a base end connected to the female housing and an arm body extending from the base end along the female housing,
the arm main body portion is elastically deformable in a direction in which the surface facing the female housing approaches the female housing;
A lock portion is formed on the arm main body portion to be engaged with a receiving portion formed on the male housing,
a first flexible portion extending from the base end portion toward the lock portion side of the arm main body portion has a shape in which a thickness dimension gradually decreases from the base end portion toward the lock portion side;
The second flexible portion of the arm main body, which is continuous with the extending end of the first flexible portion on the side opposite to the base end portion, has a shape in which the facing surface is formed only by a curved surface.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to increase the holding force of the lock arm while suppressing the maximum stress generated in the lock arm.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the female connector of Example 1 as seen obliquely from above. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the male connector as seen obliquely from below. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the locking portion cut perpendicular to the width direction in the process of fitting the two connectors. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the locking portion cut at right angles to the width direction in a state in which the two connectors are properly fitted. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the female connector of Example 2 as seen obliquely from above. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the female connector cut at right angles to the width direction.

[Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure]
First, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.
The connector of the present disclosure is
(1) A male housing, a female housing fitted into the male housing, and a lock arm formed on the female housing, the lock arm having a proximal end connected to the female housing. and an arm main body extending from the base end along the female housing, wherein the arm main body extends in a direction in which the surface facing the female housing approaches the female housing. The arm body is elastically deformable, and the arm body is formed with a lock part that is engaged with a receiving part formed on the male housing. The protruding first flexible portion has a shape in which the thickness dimension gradually decreases from the base end portion toward the lock portion side, and the extension end of the first flexible portion of the arm main body portion is the above-mentioned thickness. The second bending portion, which continues on the side opposite to the base end portion, has a shape in which the facing surface is configured only by a curved surface. According to this configuration, the stress generated in the first flexible portion and the second flexible portion when the arm main body is elastically deformed is dispersed over the entire length in the extending direction. Even if the stress generated in the vicinity of the base end portion is increased in order to increase the holding force of the lock arm, the maximum stress generated in the arm body portion does not become excessive. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to increase the holding force of the lock arm while suppressing the maximum stress generated in the lock arm.

(2) It is preferable that the facing surface of the second flexible portion is configured with a curved surface having a larger curvature than the facing surface of the first flexible portion. According to this configuration, it is possible to effectively disperse the stress generated in the first flexible portion and the second flexible portion when the arm body is elastically deformed.

(3) It is preferable that the facing surface of the second flexible portion is configured with a curved surface whose curvature increases with increasing distance from the extended end of the first flexible portion. According to this configuration, it is possible to effectively disperse the stress generated in the second flexible portion when the arm main body is elastically deformed.

(4) In a side view perpendicular to both the extension direction and the elastic deformation direction of the arm main body, the facing surface of the first flexible portion and the facing surface of the second flexible portion form a single parabola. It is preferably configured by According to this configuration, it is possible to effectively disperse the stress generated in the first flexible portion and the second flexible portion when the arm body is elastically deformed.

(5) In a side view perpendicular to both the extension direction and the elastic deformation direction of the arm body, the outer surface of the arm body facing the inner surface of the male housing is aligned with the male housing and the elastic deformation direction. It is preferable that the straight line is parallel to the fitting direction of the female housing. According to this configuration, dead space between the outer surface of the arm body and the inner surface of the male housing can be eliminated when the male housing and the female housing are fitted together.

(6) It is preferable that the locking portion is formed on the second flexible portion. According to this configuration, a certain amount of stress is generated in the portion of the arm main body where the lock portion is formed, so that a high holding force by the lock portion can be obtained.

(7) It is preferable that the arm main body portion has an extending portion extending from the second flexible portion in a direction opposite to the first flexible portion and having an extended end connected to the female housing. . According to this configuration, since the lock arm is supported by the female housing at both ends in the longitudinal direction, a large stress is generated when the arm body is elastically deformed. Therefore, the lock arm can exhibit a high holding force.

[Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure]
[Example 1]
A first embodiment embodying the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. The present invention is not limited to these exemplifications, but is indicated by the scope of the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

The connector of the first embodiment has a female connector 10 and a male connector 40 that can be mated and unmated with each other. The connecting and disconnecting directions of the two

connectors

10 and 40 are the front and rear directions. In the first embodiment, regarding the front-rear direction, the positive side of the X-axis in FIGS. 1 to 4 is defined as the front. The connection/disengagement direction of both

connectors

10 and 40 and the front-rear direction are used synonymously. Regarding the vertical direction, the positive side of the Z axis in FIGS. 1 to 4 is defined as upward. The vertical direction and the height direction are used synonymously. Regarding the horizontal direction, the positive side of the Y axis in FIGS. 1 and 2 is defined as the right side. The left-right direction and the width direction are used synonymously. The vertical direction and the width direction are directions that cross the fitting direction of the male connector 40 and the female connector 10 .

<Female connector 10>
The female connector 10 is constructed by assembling a synthetic resin female housing 11 and a plurality of female terminal fittings 15 . As shown in FIG. 1, the female housing 11 is a single piece with a symmetrical flat shape. The female housing 11 has a housing body portion 12 and a lock arm 20 integrally formed with the housing body portion 12 . The housing main body 12 has a flat rectangular shape as a whole. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of terminal receiving chambers 13 are formed in the housing main body 12 so as to extend through the housing main body 12 in the front-rear direction and are arranged at a constant pitch in the width direction. A female terminal fitting 15 fixed to the front end of the electric wire 14 is inserted into each terminal accommodating chamber 13 .

The lock arm 20 is arranged in the center of the female housing 11 in the width direction. The lock arm 20 has a base end portion 21 , an arm body portion 22 and an operating portion 25 . The base end portion 21 constitutes the front end portion of the lock arm 20 and continues to the front end portion of the outer wall surface 12S (upper surface) of the housing body portion 12 . The base end portion 21 has a flat shape with a width dimension larger than the length dimension in the front-rear direction, and protrudes upward from the outer wall surface 12S of the housing main body portion 12 . The arm main body 22 has a flat plate shape as a whole and extends rearward from the base end 21 along the outer wall surface 12S of the housing main body 12 in a cantilevered manner. The arm body portion 22 is arranged to cover the outer wall surface 12S (upper surface) of the housing body portion 12 from above.

The arm main body part 22 has one flat plate part 23 connected to the rear end of the base end part 21 and a pair of bilaterally symmetrical extending parts 24 . In the extending direction of the arm main body portion 22 from the base end portion 21 , the flat plate portion 23 constitutes a portion of the arm main body portion 22 on the base end portion 21 side. The width dimension of the flat plate portion 23 is the same as the width dimension of the base end portion 21 . The pair of extending portions 24 extend rearward in a cantilever manner from both left and right ends of the rear end of the flat plate portion 23 . The operating portion 25 is arranged so as to connect the rear end portions of the pair of extension portions 24 and protrudes upward from the upper surfaces of the extension portions 24 .

The lock arm 20 always maintains a lock position (see FIG. 4) in which the outer surface 22S (upper surface) of the arm body 22 is parallel to the outer surface 12S (upper surface) of the female housing 11 . A surface of the arm body 22 that faces the outer wall surface 12S of the female housing 11 is defined as a facing surface 26 . The outer surface 22S of the arm body portion 22 is the surface opposite to the facing surface 26 .

When a downward external force acts on the lock arm 20, the lock arm 20 is elastically displaced to the unlocked position (see FIG. 3) with the base end portion 21 as the fulcrum. Viewing the lock arm 20 at a right angle to both the direction of elastic displacement (vertical direction) and the extending direction of the arm body 22 (front-to-rear direction) is defined as a side view. When the lock arm 20 is displaced to the unlocked position, the arm main body 22 is displaced downward with the rear end of the base end 21 as a fulcrum while being elastically deformed so as to be curved in a side view. That is, the arm main body portion 22 is elastically displaced in a direction in which the facing surface 26 approaches the outer wall surface 12S of the female housing 11 .

A pair of symmetrical locking portions 27 are formed on the outer surface 22S of the arm body portion 22 at intervals in the width direction. The formation position of both locking portions 27 in the front-rear direction is the rear end portion of the flat plate portion 23 . A pair of locking portions 27 are positioned at both left and right ends of the flat plate portion 23 . The lock portion 27 has a shape protruding upward from the outer surface 22S of the arm body portion 22 . The front surface of the locking portion 27 is formed of a flat surface that is inclined with respect to the connecting/disconnecting direction of the

connectors

10 and 40 and functions as a guide surface 28 . A rear surface of the lock portion 27 is formed of a flat surface perpendicular to the mating/releasing direction and functions as a lock surface 29 .

A pedestal portion 30 is integrally formed with the arm body portion 22 . The pedestal portion 30 is positioned at the center of the arm body portion 22 in the width direction. The front end of the base portion 30 continues to the rear end of the flat plate portion 23 . The rear end of the pedestal portion 30 continues to the front end of the operating portion 25 . The entire upper surface area of the pedestal portion 30 functions as a female side collision surface 31 that is a plane parallel to the outer surface 22S of the arm body portion 22 . The front end of the female impact surface 31 is arranged at the same position as the rear end of the flat plate portion 23 and the lock surface 29 in the front-rear direction. The rear end of the female collision surface 31 is at the same position as the front end of the operating portion 25 in the front-rear direction. The entire female collision surface 31 is located behind the rear end of the flat plate portion 23 and the rear end of the lock portion 27 .

A protrusion 32 elongated in the front-rear direction is formed in the center of the outer surface 22S of the lock arm 20 in the width direction. The formation range of the protrusion 32 in the front-rear direction is a region from the front end of the base end portion 21 to the rear end of the flat plate portion 23 . The width dimension of the protrusion 32 is constant over the entire length and is the same dimension as the interval between the pair of lock portions 27 . The rear end portion of the protrusion 32 and the lock portion 27 are continuous. The projection height of the protrusion 32 from the outer surface 22S of the arm main body 22 is the same height as the lock portion 27 .

A pair of symmetrical reinforcing ribs 33 are formed on the lock arm 20 . The pair of reinforcing ribs 33 protrude upward from the upper surface of the base end portion 21 and the upper surface of the flat plate portion 23 and elongate in the front-rear direction along the left and right side edges of the lock arm 20 . The formation range of the reinforcing ribs 33 in the front-rear direction is a region from the front end of the base end portion 21 to the rear end (lock surface 29) of the flat plate portion 23. As shown in FIG. The rear end of the reinforcing rib 33 and the front end of the extending portion 24 are connected in the front-rear direction. The rear end portion of the reinforcing rib 33 and the lock portion 27 are connected to the left and right. In the front-rear direction, the formation range of the reinforcing ribs 33 includes the entire formation range of the flat plate portion 23 . The upper surface of the reinforcing rib 33 is flush with the upper surface of the locking portion 27 and the upper surface of the extending portion 24 .

A pair of symmetrical guide grooves 34 are formed on the outer surface 22S of the lock arm 20 . Left and right side edges of the guide groove 34 are defined by the protrusions 32 and the reinforcing ribs 33 . The front end of the guide groove 34 is open to the front end face of the lock arm 20 . The guide surface 28 of the lock portion 27 faces the rear end of the guide groove 34 . A pair of symmetrical locking recesses 35 are formed in the arm main body 22 . The pair of lock recesses 35 are defined by the left and right side surfaces of the base portion 30 , the rear surface (lock surface 29 ) of the lock portion 27 , the inner surface of the extension portion 24 and the front surface of the operation portion 25 . The lock concave portion 35 is a space vertically passing through the lock arm 20 . The formation range of the locking recess 35 in the front-rear direction is a region from the rear end of the flat plate portion 23 to the front end of the operation portion 25 .

A pair of bilaterally symmetric projecting portions 36 are formed at the rear end portion of the lock arm 20 . The protruding portion 36 protrudes outward in the width direction from the outer surface of the extending portion 24 and the reinforcing rib 33 . The formation range of the projecting portion 36 in the front-rear direction is a region extending from a position slightly forward of the front end of the lock portion 27 to the front end of the operating portion 25 . In other words, the front-to-rear direction molding range of the projecting portion 36 is a region including the rear end portion of the flat plate portion 23 and the entire projecting portion 24 .

The flat plate portion 23 is composed of a first flexible portion 37 and a second flexible portion 38 . The first bending portion 37 is connected to the rear end of the base end portion 21 and extends rearward from the base end portion 21 . A rear end 37R of the first bending portion 37 is positioned at the center of the arm body portion 22 in the front-rear direction. The second flexible portion 38 continues to the rear end 37R of the first flexible portion 37 and protrudes rearward from the first flexible portion 37 . The front end 38F of the second flexible portion 38 is arranged at the same position as the front end of the lock portion 27 in the front-rear direction. The front end 37F of the first bending portion 37 is arranged at the same position as the front end of the flat plate portion 23 in the front-rear direction. The rear end 38R of the second bending portion 38 is arranged at the same position as the rear end of the flat plate portion 23 in the front-rear direction. The pair of extending portions 24 extend rearward from the rear end 38R of the second bending portion 38 . The length dimension of the second flexible portion 38 in the front-rear direction is smaller than the length dimension of the first flexible portion 37 and the extension portion 24 .

The side view shape of the facing surface 26 of the flat plate portion 23 is configured by a curved parabola that expands downward. The curvature of the parabola is minimum at the front end of plate portion 23 and maximum at the rear end of plate portion 23 . The parabola on the facing surface 26 of the first bending portion 37 has a curvature close to 0 and is substantially linear. The curvature of the parabola on the facing surface 26 of the second flexible portion 38 increases rearward. The height of the facing surface 26 with respect to the outer wall surface 12S of the female housing 11 is lowest at the front end of the flat plate portion 23 (first flexible portion 37) and is the lowest at the rear end of the flat plate portion 23 (second flexible portion 38). highest.

The upper surface of the flat plate portion 23 has a constant height except for the lock portion 27. Therefore, the vertical thickness dimension of the first flexible portion 37 is the maximum at the front end 37F of the first flexible portion 37 . It is the smallest at the rear end 37R of the first flexible portion 37 (the front end 38F of the second flexible portion 38). The height of the front end region of the facing surface 26 of the extending portion 24 and the height of the facing surface 26 of the base portion 30 are set to the same height as the rear end 38R of the second bending portion 38 .

<Male side connector 40>
The male connector 40 is constructed by assembling a synthetic resin male housing 41 and a plurality of male terminal fittings 47 . The male connector 40 functions as a board connector mounted on a circuit board (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the male housing 41 includes a wall-shaped terminal holding portion 42 and a hood portion 43 projecting from the outer peripheral edge of the terminal holding portion 42 toward the female connector 10 in the shape of a flat square tube. It is a single part with A pair of symmetrical receiving portions 45 are formed on an upper wall portion 44 that constitutes the receptacle portion 43 . The pair of receiving portions 45 protrude downward from the inner surface (lower surface) of the upper wall portion 44 and are arranged to face the open end of the receptacle portion 43 . The pair of receiving portions 45 are arranged at the same position as the pair of locking portions 27 in the width direction.

A male side impact surface 46 is formed on the inner surface (lower surface) of the upper wall portion 44 . In a bottom view of the female housing 11 from below, the formation range of the male collision surface 46 is a rectangular area with which the female collision surface 31 collides when the two

connectors

10 and 40 are properly fitted. A planar region between the pair of receiving portions 45 on the inner surface of the upper wall portion 44 functions as a male side impact surface 46 . In FIG. 2, the boundary between the male side impact surface 46 and the area adjacent to the male side impact surface 46 is indicated by a broken line for ease of understanding. , and the area adjacent to the male side impact surface 46 are continuous in a flush manner.

The male terminal fitting 47 is formed by bending an elongated metal bar. The male terminal fitting 47 has a terminal connection portion 48 extending in the front-rear direction and a board connection portion 49 bent in an L shape. The terminal connecting portion 48 extends through the terminal holding portion 42 in the front-rear direction. A tab at the tip of the terminal connection portion 48 is arranged inside the receptacle 43 . The board connection portion 49 extends downward from the base end of the terminal connection portion 48 outside the male housing 41 (hood portion 43). The board connection portion 49 is connected to the circuit board.

<Action of Example 1>
When the female housing 11 of the male connector 40 and the female housing 11 of the female connector 10 are to be fitted together, the female housing 11 is inserted into the receptacle 43 . When the mating of both

connectors

10 and 40 progresses to just before the normal mating state, as shown in FIG. 22 is elastically displaced so as to approach the outer wall surface 12S of the female housing 11 (housing main body 12). When the lock arm 20 is elastically deformed, the flat plate portion 23 of the arm body portion 22 is elastically deformed so as to expand upward between the rear end of the base end portion 21 and the pair of lock portions 27 in side view.

Since the opposing surface 26 of the flat plate portion 23 has a parabolic shape in side view, the stress generated in the arm body portion 22 due to the elastic deformation of the flat plate portion 23 is uniform from the front end to the rear end of the flat plate portion 23 . Realized. That is, the maximum stress generated in the lock arm 20 (arm main body portion 22 ) is suppressed to approximately the same magnitude as the stress generated near the base end portion 21 and the stress generated near the lock portion 27 . Therefore, the stress generated in the vicinity of the base end portion 21 and the stress generated in the vicinity of the lock portion 27 can be set large without excessively increasing the maximum stress.

When both

connectors

10 and 40 are properly mated, as shown in FIG. It elastically returns from the unlocked position to the locked position. As a result, the pair of locking surfaces 29 are engaged with the pair of receiving portions 45 from the front, so that the female connector 10 is restricted from being separated rearward from the male connector 40 . The pair of receiving portions 45 are accommodated in the pair of locking recesses 35 . As described above, both

connectors

10 and 40 are locked by the lock arm 20 in a properly connected state.

When the two

connectors

10 and 40 are properly mated and the pair of lock portions 27 are disengaged from the pair of receiving portions 45, the lock arms 20 elastically return upward. When the lock arm 20 is elastically restored at once, the female collision surface 31 collides with the male collision surface 46 from below, and a fitting sound (collision sound) is generated. Since the stress generated in the vicinity of the base end portion 21 can be set large when the arm body portion 22 is elastically deformed, the elastic restoring force of the arm body portion 22 can be increased. By increasing the elastic restoring force of the arm main body portion 22, the impact energy of the female side impact surface 31 against the male side impact surface 46 is increased, so that a loud fitting sound can be generated.

In order to increase the function of locking the two

housings

11 and 41 in the mated state by the lock arm 20, that is, to increase the holding force of the lock arm 20, the elastic displacement of the arm main body 22 is generated in the vicinity of the base end 21, which is the fulcrum of elastic displacement. The stress should be increased. In order to increase the stress generated in the vicinity of the base end portion 21, the overall thickness of the arm main body portion 22 may be increased, but this would result in an excessively large maximum stress. In the first embodiment, the facing surface 26 of the arm main body 22 has a parabolic shape when viewed from the side. 20 has achieved an improvement in holding power.

<Effect of Example 1>
The connector of the first embodiment includes a male housing 41 , a female housing 11 fitted into the male housing 41 , and a lock arm 20 formed on the female housing 11 . The lock arm 20 has a base end portion 21 connected to the female housing 11 and an arm body portion 22 extending from the base end portion 21 along the outer wall surface 12S of the female housing 11 . The arm body portion 22 is elastically deformable in a direction in which the surface 26 facing the female housing 11 approaches the female housing 11 . A pair of lock portions 27 are formed on the arm main body portion 22 to be engaged with a receiving portion 45 formed on the male housing 41 .

The arm body portion 22 has a first flexible portion 37 and a second flexible portion 38 . The first bending portion 37 is a portion extending from the base end portion 21 toward the pair of lock portions 27, and has a shape in which the thickness dimension gradually decreases from the base end portion 21 toward the pair of lock portions 27. . The second flexible portion 38 continues to the extending end (rear end 37R) of the first flexible portion 37 on the opposite side (rear side) of the base end portion 21 . The second bending portion 38 has a shape in which the facing surface 26 is configured only by a curved surface.

According to this configuration, when the arm main body 22 is elastically deformed, the stress generated in the first flexible portion 37 and the second flexible portion 38 is dispersed over the entire length in the extending direction. Therefore, even if the stress generated in the vicinity of the base end portion 21 is increased in order to increase the holding force of the lock arm 20, the maximum stress generated in the arm body portion 22 does not become excessive. According to the first embodiment, it is possible to increase the holding force of the lock arm 20 while keeping the maximum stress generated in the lock arm 20 small.

The facing surface 26 of the second flexible portion 38 is formed by a curved surface having a larger curvature than the facing surface 26 of the first flexible portion 37 . According to this configuration, the stress generated in the first flexible portion 37 and the second flexible portion 38 when the arm body portion 22 is elastically deformed can be effectively dispersed. The facing surface 26 of the second flexible portion 38 is a curved surface whose curvature increases with distance from the extension end (rear end 37R) of the first flexible portion 37 . According to this configuration, the stress generated in the second flexible portion 38 when the arm body portion 22 is elastically deformed can be effectively dispersed.

In a side view perpendicular to both the extending direction and the elastic deformation direction of the arm main body 22, the opposing surface 26 of the first flexible portion 37 and the opposing surface 26 of the second flexible portion 38 are formed by one parabola. ing. According to this configuration, the stress generated in the first flexible portion 37 and the second flexible portion 38 when the arm body portion 22 is elastically deformed can be effectively dispersed.

In a side view, the outer surface 22S of the arm body 22 facing the inner surface of the upper wall portion 44 of the male housing 41 is formed by a straight line parallel to the fitting direction of the male housing 41 and the female housing 11. . According to this configuration, dead space between the outer surface 22S of the arm body 22 and the inner surface of the male housing 41 can be eliminated when the male housing 41 and the female housing 11 are fitted together.

A pair of locking portions 27 are formed on the second flexible portion 38 . According to this configuration, a certain amount of stress is generated in the portion of the arm main body 22 where the lock portions 27 are formed, so that a high holding force by the pair of lock portions 27 can be obtained.

[Example 2]
A second embodiment embodying the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. The connector of Example 2 has a female connector 50 fitted to a male connector (not shown). In the second embodiment, regarding the front-rear direction, the positive side of the X-axis in FIGS. 5 and 6 is defined as the front. Regarding the vertical direction, the positive side of the Z axis in FIGS. 5 and 6 is defined as upward. The vertical direction and the height direction are used synonymously. Regarding the horizontal direction, the positive side of the Y-axis in FIG. 1 is defined as the right side. The left-right direction and the width direction are used synonymously. The vertical direction and the width direction are directions that intersect the mating direction of the male connector and the female connector 50 .

<Female connector 50>
The female connector 50 is constructed by assembling a female housing 51 made of synthetic resin and a pair of female terminal fittings 55 . As shown in FIG. 1, the female housing 51 is a single piece elongated in the front-rear direction. The female housing 51 has a housing body portion 52 and a lock arm 60 integrally formed with the housing body portion 52 . As shown in FIG. 6, a pair of left and right terminal receiving chambers 53 are formed in the housing main body 52 so as to pass through the housing main body 52 in the front-rear direction and are arranged side by side in the width direction. A female terminal fitting 55 fixed to the front end of the electric wire 54 is inserted into each terminal accommodating chamber 53 .

The lock arm 60 has a symmetrical shape. The lock arm 60 has a pair of left and right base end portions 61 , a pair of left and right arm body portions 62 , an extension portion 63 and an operation portion 66 . The pair of base end portions 61 constitutes the rear end portion of the lock arm 60 and continues to the rear end portion of the outer wall surface 52S (upper surface) of the housing body portion 52 . The base end portion 61 protrudes diagonally upward and forward from the outer wall surface 52S of the housing main body portion 52 . The pair of arm body portions 62 has an elongated shape in the front-rear direction, and extends forward from the base end portion 61 along the outer wall surface 52S of the housing body portion 52 . The arm body portion 62 is arranged to cover the outer wall surface 52S of the housing body portion 52 from above.

The extending portion 63 has a pair of left and right arm portions 64 and one plate-like portion 65 . The extending portion 63 is arranged to cover the outer wall surface 52S of the housing body portion 52 from above. The pair of arm portions 64 are shaped to extend forward from the front ends of the pair of arm body portions 62 . The plate-like portion 65 extends rearward from the front end portion of the outer wall surface 52S of the housing body portion 52 . The front ends of the pair of arm portions 64 are connected to the left and right ends of the rear end of the plate-like portion 65 . The front end of the arm portion 64 and the rear end of the plate-like portion 65 are positioned at the central portion of the lock arm 60 in the front-rear direction.

The operation part 66 is arranged so as to connect the front end parts of the pair of arm body parts 62 and the rear end parts of the pair of arm parts 64 . The operating portion 66 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the arm body portion 62 and the upper surface of the arm portion 64 . A locking portion 67 is formed at the rear end portion of the plate-like portion 65 . The lock portion 67 is a portion that locks the male connector and the female connector 50 in a fitted state by engaging with a receiving portion formed on the male connector (not shown). The front surface of the lock portion 67 functions as a guide surface 68 that is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction (the mating direction of the male connector and the female connector 50). A rear surface of the lock portion 67, that is, a rear end surface of the plate-like portion 65 functions as a lock surface 69 orthogonal to the front-rear direction. The lock portion 67 is arranged forward of the operation portion 66 and positioned at the center of the lock arm 60 in the front-rear direction.

The lock arm 60 is always in the lock position (see FIGS. 5 and 6) where the outer surface 62S (upper surface) of the arm body 62 and the outer surface 63S (upper surface) of the extension 63 are parallel to the outer wall surface 52S of the female housing 51. ). A surface of the arm body portion 62 and the extension portion 63 that faces the outer wall surface 52S of the female housing 51 is defined as a facing surface 70 . An outer surface 63S of the arm main body portion 62 and the extension portion 63 is a surface opposite to the facing surface 70 .

When a downward external force acts on the lock arm 60, the lock arm 60 is elastically displaced to the unlocked position (not shown) with the base end 61 and the front end of the plate-like portion 65 as fulcrums. there is Viewing the lock arm 60 at a right angle to both the direction of elastic displacement (vertical direction) and the extending direction of the arm body 62 (front-to-rear direction) is defined as a side view. When the lock arm 60 is displaced to the unlocked position, the arm main body 62 and the extension 63 are elastically deformed so as to be curved in a side view, and are displaced downward with the rear end of the base end 61 as a fulcrum. . In other words, the arm main body 62 and the extension 63 are elastically displaced in a direction to approach the outer wall surface 52S of the female housing 51 while expanding the facing surface 70 downward.

The arm body portion 62 is composed of a first flexible portion 71 and a second flexible portion 72 . The first bending portion 71 is connected to the front end of the base end portion 61 and extends forward from the base end portion 61 . The second flexible portion 72 continues to the front end 71F of the first flexible portion 71 and protrudes forward from the first flexible portion 71 . The rear end 71R of the first bending portion 71 is arranged at the same position as the rear end of the arm body portion 62 in the front-rear direction. The front end 72F of the second bending portion 72 is arranged at the same position as the front end of the arm body portion 62 in the front-rear direction. In the front-rear direction, the entire second bending portion 72 is arranged behind the rear end (lock surface 69 ) of the lock portion 67 and the front end of the operation portion 66 . The rear end of the operation portion 66 is positioned rearward of the front end 71F of the first flexible portion 71 (the rear end 72R of the second flexible portion 72).

The side view shape of the facing surface 70 of the arm main body 62 is configured by a curved parabola that expands downward. The curvature of the parabola is minimum at the rear end of the first bending portion 71 (the rear end of the arm body portion 62) and maximum at the front end 72F of the second bending portion 72 (the front end of the arm body portion 62). The parabola on the facing surface 70 of the first bending portion 71 has a curvature close to 0 and is substantially linear. The curvature of the parabola on the facing surface 70 of the second bending portion 72 increases forward.

The height of the facing surface 70 with respect to the outer wall surface 52S of the female housing 51 is lowest at the rear end 71R of the first flexible portion 71 (arm body portion 62), and is the lowest at the second flexible portion 72 (arm body portion 62). is highest at the front end 72F of the . Since the upper surface of the arm main body 62 has a constant height except for the operation portion 66, the vertical thickness dimension of the first flexible portion 71 is maximum at the rear end 71R of the first flexible portion 71, It is the smallest at the front end 71F of the first flexible portion 71 (the rear end 72R of the second flexible portion 72). The height of the facing surface 70 of the arm portion 64 is set to the same height as the front end 72F of the second flexible portion 72 .

When fitting the female connector 50 to the male connector (not shown), the female housing 51 is inserted into the receptacle (not shown) of the male connector. When the mating of the female connector 50 to the male connector progresses to just before the normal mating state, the lock portion 67 interferes with the receiving portion (not shown) of the male connector, and the lock arm 60 is disengaged from the arm body portion. 62 is elastically displaced so as to approach the outer wall surface 52S of the female housing 51 (housing main body 52). When the lock arm 60 is elastically deformed, the entire arm body 62 and the extension 63 bulge downward between the front end of the base end 61 and the extension 63 in a side view. elastically deformed.

Since the facing surface 70 of the arm main body 62 has a parabolic shape in side view, the stress generated in the arm main body 62 due to the elastic deformation of the lock arm 60 is applied to the front end of the arm main body 62 (the second flexible portion 72). It is uniform from the front end 72F) to the rear end (the rear end 72R of the first bending portion 71). That is, the maximum stress generated in the arm main body portion 62 is suppressed to approximately the same magnitude as the stress generated in the vicinity of the base end portion 61 . Therefore, the stress generated in the vicinity of the base end portion 61 can be set large without excessively increasing the maximum stress.

<Action of Example 2>
When the female connector 50 is properly mated with the male connector, the lock portion 67 passes through the receiving portion, and the lock arm 60 moves from the unlocked position to the locked position due to the elastic restoring force of the lock arm 60 . Elastic recovery. As a result, the lock surface 69 of the lock portion 67 engages the receiving portion from the front, so that the female connector 50 is restricted from being separated rearward from the male connector. As described above, the female connector 50 and the male connector are locked by the lock arm 60 in a properly mated state.

In order to increase the function of locking the female connector 50 and the male connector in the mated state by the lock arm 60, that is, to increase the holding force of the lock arm 60, the base end portion 61, which is the fulcrum of the elastic displacement of the arm body portion 62, is It is sufficient to increase the stress generated in the vicinity. In order to increase the stress generated in the vicinity of the base end portion 61, the overall thickness of the arm main body portion 62 should be increased, but this would result in an excessively large maximum stress. In the second embodiment, the facing surface 70 of the arm main body 62 has a parabolic shape in side view. 60's holding power has been improved.

<Effect of Example 2>
The connector of Example 2 includes a female housing 51 fitted in a male housing (not shown) and a lock arm 60 formed on the female housing 51 . The lock arm 60 has a base end portion 61 connected to the outer wall surface 52S of the female housing 51 and an arm body portion 62 extending from the base end portion 61 along the female housing 51 . The arm main body portion 62 is elastically deformable in a direction in which the facing surface 70 facing the female housing 51 approaches the outer wall surface 52S of the female housing 51 . A lock portion 67 is formed on the arm body portion 62 to be engaged with a receiving portion (not shown) formed on a male housing (not shown).

The arm body portion 62 has a first flexible portion 71 and a second flexible portion 72 . The first bending portion 71 is a portion extending from the base end portion 61 toward the lock portion 67 side, and has a shape in which the thickness dimension gradually decreases from the base end portion 61 toward the lock portion 67 side. The second flexible portion 72 continues to the front end 71F (extended end) of the first flexible portion 71 on the opposite side (front side) of the base end portion 61 . The second bending portion 72 has a shape in which the facing surface 70 is configured only by a curved surface.

According to this configuration, when the arm body 62 is elastically deformed, the stress generated in the first flexible section 71 and the second flexible section 72 is dispersed over the entire length of the arm body 62 in the extending direction. Even if the stress generated in the portion of the arm body portion 62 near the lock portion 67 is increased in order to increase the holding force of the lock arm 60, the maximum stress generated in the base end portion 61 of the arm body portion 62 does not become excessive. According to the second embodiment, it is possible to increase the holding force of the lock arm 60 while suppressing the maximum stress generated in the lock arm 60 .

The facing surface 70 of the second flexible portion 72 is formed by a curved surface having a larger curvature than the facing surface 70 of the first flexible portion 71 . According to this configuration, the stress generated in the first flexible portion 71 and the second flexible portion 72 when the arm body portion 62 is elastically deformed can be effectively dispersed. The facing surface 70 of the second flexible portion 72 is formed of a curved surface whose curvature increases with increasing distance from the front end 71F (extending end) of the first flexible portion 71 . According to this configuration, the stress generated in the second flexible portion 72 when the arm main body portion 62 is elastically deformed can be effectively dispersed.

In a side view perpendicular to both the extension direction and the elastic deformation direction of the arm body 62, the facing surface 70 of the first flexible portion 71 and the facing surface 70 of the second flexible portion 72 are formed by one parabola. ing. According to this configuration, the stress generated in the first flexible portion 71 and the second flexible portion 72 when the arm body portion 62 is elastically deformed can be effectively dispersed.

In a side view, the outer surface 62S of the arm body 62 facing the inner surface of the male housing is formed by a straight line parallel to the fitting direction of the female housing 51 with respect to the male housing. According to this configuration, dead space between the outer surface 62S of the arm body 62 and the inner surface of the male housing can be eliminated when the male housing and the female housing 51 are fitted together.

The arm main body 62 has an extending portion 63 extending from the second flexible portion 72 in the opposite direction (forward) to the first flexible portion 71 . The extending end of the extending portion 63 continues to the female housing 51 . According to this configuration, since the lock arm 60 is supported by the female housing 51 at both ends in the length direction (front-rear direction), the stress generated when the arm main body 62 is elastically deformed is large. Therefore, the lock arm 60 can exhibit a high holding force.

[Other embodiments]
The invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated by the above description and drawings, but is indicated by the claims. The present invention includes all modifications within the meaning and equivalents of the claims and the scope of the claims, and is intended to include the following embodiments.
- In Examples 1 and 2, the side view shape of the outer surface of the arm body may be a shape including a curved line.
- In Examples 1 and 2, the facing surface of the first bending portion and the facing surface of the second bending portion may be configured by curves other than one parabola in a side view.
- In Examples 1 and 2, the facing surface of the first flexible portion may be composed only of a flat surface, or may be composed of a flat surface and a curved surface.
- In Examples 1 and 2, the facing surface of the second flexible portion may be a curved surface having a constant curvature when viewed from the side.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Female connector 11... Female side housing 12... Housing body part 12S... Outer wall surface of housing body part 13... Terminal receiving chamber 14... Electric wire 15... Female terminal fitting 20... Lock arm 21... Base end part 22... Arm body part 22S... Outer surface of arm body 23... Flat plate part 24... Extension part 25... Operation part 26... Opposed surface 27... Lock part 28... Guide surface 29... Lock surface 30... Base part 31... Female side impact surface 32... Projection 33 Reinforcement rib 34 Guide groove 35 Lock recess 36 Overhang 37 First bending portion 37F Front end of first bending portion 37R Rear end of first bending portion (extending end of first bending portion) )
38 Second flexible portion 38F Front end 38R of second flexible portion Rear end of second flexible portion (extending end of arm body and second flexible portion)
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 40 Male connector 41 Male housing 42 Terminal holding portion 43 Hood portion 44 Top wall portion 45 Receiving portion 46 Male impact surface 47 Male terminal fitting 48 Terminal connection portion 49 Board connection portion 50 Female connector 51 Female housing 52 Housing body 52S Outer wall surface 53 of housing body 54 Terminal receiving chamber 54 Electric wire 55 Female terminal fitting 60 Lock arm 61 Base end 62 Arm body 62S Outer surface 63 of arm body portion Extending portion 63S Outer surface of extending portion 64 Arm portion 65 Plate-like portion 66 Operating portion 67 Locking portion 68 Guiding surface 69 Locking surface 70 Opposing surface 71 1 flexible portion 71F ... the front end of the first flexible portion (extending end of the first flexible portion)
71R: rear end of first flexible portion 72: second flexible portion 72F: front end of second flexible portion (extending end of arm body and second flexible portion)
72R: Rear end of the second flexible portion

Claims

a male housing;
a female housing fitted in the male housing;
a lock arm formed on the female housing;
The lock arm has a base end connected to the female housing and an arm body extending from the base end along the female housing,
the arm main body portion is elastically deformable in a direction in which the surface facing the female housing approaches the female housing;
A lock portion is formed on the arm main body portion to be engaged with a receiving portion formed on the male housing,
a first flexible portion extending from the base end portion toward the lock portion side of the arm main body portion has a shape in which a thickness dimension gradually decreases from the base end portion toward the lock portion side;
A second flexible portion of the arm main body, which extends from the extending end of the first flexible portion on a side opposite to the base end portion, has a shape in which the facing surface is formed only by a curved surface.
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the facing surface of the second flexible portion is configured with a curved surface having a larger curvature than the facing surface of the first flexible portion.
The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the facing surface of the second flexible portion is configured with a curved surface whose curvature increases with increasing distance from the extended end of the first flexible portion.
In a side view perpendicular to both the extending direction and the elastic deformation direction of the arm body, the facing surface of the first flexible portion and the facing surface of the second flexible portion are formed by one parabola. 4. The connector of any one of claims 1-3.
In a side view perpendicular to both the extending direction and the elastic deformation direction of the arm main body, the outer surface of the arm main body facing the inner surface of the male housing is aligned with the male housing and the female housing. 5. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the straight line is parallel to the fitting direction of the connector.
The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the locking portion is formed on the second flexible portion.
The arm main body portion has an extending portion extending from the second flexible portion in a direction opposite to the first flexible portion and having an extending end connected to the female housing. 7. The connector according to any one of 6.