JP2001257052A - Stopper lance releasing jig of terminal fitting - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make the displacement operation of a stopper lance to the releasing direction smooth and secure. SOLUTION: When the stopper lance of the terminal fitting 20 is released, first of all a posture stabilizing part 30 is contacted to the housing 10 with a releasing part 40 held at the waiting siding position and the posture and position of the posture stabilizing part 30 and the releasing part 40 to the housing 10 are first determined. After that the releasing part 40 is displaced to the releasing position and at the same time inserted into the housing 10. Since the releasing part 40 is inserted into the housing 10 after its posture to the housing is stabilized, the posture and angle of the releasing part 40 inserted into the housing 10 is not deviated and the releasing operation of the stopper lance 24 is smoothly and securely done.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a terminal jig for releasing a terminal fitting inserted into a housing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a connector in which a terminal fitting is inserted into a housing and the terminal fitting is retained in a retaining state by a lance, a jig insertion space is provided in the housing as means for releasing the retaining by the lance. An elongated jig is inserted to bend the lance in a direction to separate from the terminal fitting.

[0003] The release of the retaining by the jig is manually performed by an operator picking the jig. However, the conventional jig is simply formed in an elongated shape, and the jig is fixed to the housing. There was no means for guiding the position of the tool. Therefore, in the case of an unskilled worker, the insertion posture of the jig is not stable, and there is a problem that it takes time to disengage the lance. Therefore, a jig provided with a means for guiding the posture of the jig with respect to the housing is conceivable.
-85686. This has a structure in which a release member is projected inside a box externally fitted to the housing, and the release member is inserted into the housing while stabilizing the posture by fitting the box into the housing. The lance is dissociated by insertion.

[0004]

However, since a clearance is provided between the box and the housing for reasons such as dimensional tolerances, the posture of the box is changed during the fitting of the box into the housing. There is a situation that it is easy to be inclined, and on the other hand, there is also a situation that the operation of fitting the box to the housing and the operation of inserting the release member into the housing proceed simultaneously. For this reason, in the configuration described in the above-mentioned publication, there is a possibility that the posture of the box may be out of order during the fitting process, and the release member may be inserted into the housing in an oblique posture.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to enable a lance disengaging operation to be performed smoothly and reliably.

[0006]

The invention according to claim 1 is used for a connector in which a terminal fitting is inserted into a housing and held in a retaining state by a lance. A jig for releasing a terminal fitting for displacing a lance in a retaining release direction, comprising: a posture stabilizing member for maintaining a constant posture with respect to the housing by contacting the housing; And a release member provided so as to be displaced while maintaining a constant posture between a retracted position for retracting outside and a release position for entering the housing and displacing the lance in the retaining release direction. The configuration was adopted.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, a return spring is provided to bias the release member toward the retracted position. The invention according to claim 3 is used for a connector in which a terminal receiving port for receiving a mating terminal metal fitting is formed on a front end face of the housing, and the posture stabilizing member contacts the front end face of the housing. The jig for releasing the terminal fitting according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the jig is held in contact with the terminal stabilizing member, wherein the posture stabilizing member is fitted in the terminal receiving port. Thus, a configuration is provided in which a restricting portion for restricting the movement of the posture stabilizing member on the front end surface of the housing is provided.

[0008] The invention of claim 4 is the first to third aspects of the present invention.
In any one of the inventions described above, a configuration is provided that includes a stopper that regulates excessive release of the release member beyond the release position.

[0009]

When releasing the retaining of the terminal fitting, first, the posture stabilizing member is brought into contact with the housing while the releasing member is held at the retracted position.
The posture of the posture stabilizing member and the release member with respect to the housing is determined, and then the release member is displaced to the release position. After the posture with respect to the housing is stabilized, the release member is made to enter the housing.Therefore, the posture of the release member that enters the housing does not change, and the operation of displacing the lance in the release direction can be performed smoothly and reliably. it can.

[0010] Before and after releasing the retaining member, the release member is returned to and held at the retracted position by the bias of the return spring, so that the release member is in the release position. It is possible to avoid that the posture stabilizing operation is performed by the posture stabilizing member as it is. [Invention of Claim 3] By the fitting of the restricting portion into the terminal receiving port, play such as parallel movement and rotation of the posture stabilizing member along the front end surface of the housing is restricted. Thereby, the position and posture of the release member with respect to the lance are properly determined.

[Invention of claim 4] Damage or the like caused by excessive entry of the release member is prevented.

[0012]

[First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, a description will be given of a connector C to which a retaining jig J (hereinafter simply referred to as a jig J) of the present embodiment is used. In the following description, the left and right sides in FIGS. 3 and 4 will be referred to as front sides with respect to the front and rear directions.

The connector C is a housing 1 made of synthetic resin.
0 and a terminal fitting 20 inserted into the housing 10. Cavities 11 are formed in the housing 10 at the front end face 10F and the rear end face of the housing 10, and the rear end of each cavity 11 is opened as a terminal insertion port 12 at the rear end face of the housing 10. 11 has a mating terminal fitting 20 (not shown).
Terminal receiving port 13 for receiving
The opening is formed in the flat front end face 10F of the housing 10. The terminal receiving port 13 has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front side, and the end on the side of the cavity 11 is small, whereas the terminal receiving port 13 has an inner periphery in the front half of the front end face 10F side of the housing 10. A tapered guide surface 13 </ b> A that expands in diameter is formed.

The housing 10 has a front end surface 1.
An entrance space 14 that opens at 0F and communicates with the lower surface of the front end of the cavity 11 is formed. A rear end face of the entrance space 14 is provided with a lance 24 of a terminal fitting 20 described later.
Are locked to form a locking surface 15 that keeps the terminal fitting 20 from being pulled out. The release member 40 of the jig J of the present embodiment enters the entry space 14 when releasing the retaining of the terminal fitting 20. The entry space 14 is elongated in the front-rear direction, has a constant cross-sectional shape in the front-rear direction, and the length direction of the entry space 14 is a direction orthogonal to the front end face 10F of the housing 10.

The terminal fitting 20 is formed by bending a metal plate punched into a predetermined shape, and has a box-shaped fitting portion 2 in the first half.
1, and the latter half is a crimping portion 23 to the electric wire 22. A lance 24 is formed on the lower surface of the fitting portion 21 by cutting and raising a part of the bottom wall. In a free state, the lance 24 is held in a form extending obliquely downward and rearward in a cantilever manner. However, when a pushing force is applied to the lance 24, the lance 24 is flush with the bottom wall of the fitting portion 21. It is adapted to flex elastically.

The terminal fitting 20 is inserted into the cavity 11 from the rear while the electric wire 22 is crimped. In the insertion process, the lance 24 abuts on the lower surface of the cavity 11 and is elastically bent so as to be substantially flush with the lower surface of the fitting portion 21. When the terminal fitting 20 reaches the regular insertion position, the lance 24 enters The lance 24 is returned to the entrance space 14 by the elastic restoring force of the lance 24 by the elastic restoring force of the lance 24, and the rear edge of the lance 24 faces the locking surface 15. In this state, even if a force for moving the terminal fitting 20 rearward acts,
By contacting (locking) with the locking surface 15, the rearward displacement of the terminal fitting 20 is regulated, and the terminal fitting 20 is held at the regular insertion position in a retaining state. When the lance 24 is elastically displaced from the retaining state in the retaining release direction (the upward direction for retracting from the entrance space 14 toward the cavity 11), the locking of the lance 24 to the locking surface 15 is released, and the terminal fittings are released. 20 can be withdrawn from the cavity 11 rearward.

Next, the jig J of the present embodiment will be described. The jig J is composed of components of a posture stabilizing member 30, a releasing member 40, and a return spring 50. The posture stabilizing member 30 has a rectangular plate shape as a whole,
F (the right end face in FIGS. 3 and 4) has a flat shape so as to contact the front end face 10 </ b> F of the housing 10 without play. Also, the front surface 30F of the posture stabilizing member 30
Is formed with a protruding restricting portion 31 which can be fitted into the terminal receiving port 13 of the housing 10 without play. The regulating portion 31 is provided on the guide surface 13 of the terminal receiving port 13.
A, and a tapered base 31A that matches
From the protruding end face of the terminal receiving port 13 (cavity 1).
1 (the end facing inside 1). On the back surface of the posture stabilizing member 30, elongated guide bars 32 projecting parallel to each other from four positions near the corners are formed. Further, a guide hole 33 that penetrates from the back side to the front side is formed at a substantially central position (a position surrounded by the four guide bars 32) of the posture stabilizing member 30. The positional relationship between the position of the guide hole 33 and the regulating portion 31 depends on the position of the front end face 10 of the housing 10.
The positional relationship between the opening of the entrance space 14 and the terminal receiving port 13 at F is the same. That is, the guide hole 33 is aligned with the entry space 14 when the regulating portion 31 is fitted in the terminal receiving port 13.

The release member 40 is composed of a grip portion 41 having a cylindrical shape long in the front-rear direction, and a plate portion 42 formed at the front end of the grip portion 41 to have an enlarged diameter. The plate portion 42 has a square shape so as to substantially match the posture stabilizing member 30 as a whole. 4 corresponding to each guide bar 32 in the plate portion 42
At the position, a support hole 43 into which the guide bar 32 is inserted without rattling in the vertical and horizontal directions is formed. Further, at a position matching the guide hole 33 of the posture stabilizing member 30 on the front surface of the plate portion 42, a release protruding piece 44 that is fitted into the guide hole 33 without rattling in the vertical and horizontal directions. It is formed parallel to the guide bar 32. The release projection 44 can enter the entry space 14 of the housing 10 without any play in the up, down, left, and right directions. A return spring 50 composed of a compression coil spring is provided between the posture stabilizing member 30 and the plate portion 42 of the release member 40.
Is interposed, and the bias of the return spring 50 always causes
The release member 40 is held at a retracted position (see FIG. 3) in which the plate portion 42 is locked to the enlarged diameter portion 32A at the end of the guide bar 32. In the retracted position, the release projection 4
The tip of 4 is flush with the front surface 30F of the posture stabilizing member 30, and does not enter the entrance space 14 of the housing 10. Further, the release member 40 in the retracted position can be displaced to the release position while resisting the bias of the return spring 50. In the release position, the distal end of the release protrusion 44 protrudes from the front surface 30F of the posture stabilizing member 30, and can enter the entrance space 14 of the housing 10.

When releasing the retaining of the terminal fitting 20,
First, with the release member 40 held at the retracted position in accordance with the bias of the return spring 50, the restricting portion 31 is moved to the terminal receiving port 1.
3, the front surface 30F of the posture stabilizing member 30 is brought into contact with the front end surface 10F of the housing 10. By the fitting of the restricting portion 31 and the terminal receiving port 13, play such as parallel movement of the posture stabilizing member 30 along the front end face 10F of the housing 10 or rotation on the front end face 10F is restricted. In addition, since the posture stabilizing member 30 abuts on the front end face 10F of the housing 10, play in the front-rear direction with respect to the housing 10 is also restricted. Thereby, the housing 1
The position and posture of the release member 40 with respect to the lance 24 and the lance 24 are properly determined.

Thereafter, the user grips the grip 41 and pushes the release member 40 toward the housing 10 against the bias of the return spring 50. Then, the release projection 44 is moved into the entry space 14.
Enter inside. At this time, the guide bar 32 and the support hole 43
With the engagement of the release projection 44 and the guide hole 33, the release projection 44 enters the entrance space 14 in an appropriate posture without causing undulation. And
The distal end of the release projection 44 interferes with the slanted slope of the lance 24, and elastically displaces the lance 24 in the retaining release direction (upward in FIGS. 3 and 4). As a result, the locking state by the lance 24 and the locking surface 15 is released, and the terminal fitting 20 can be pulled backward from the cavity 11.

As described above, the jig J of the present embodiment is provided with a posture stabilizing member 30 that abuts on the housing 10 to maintain a constant posture with respect to the housing 10. And a release member 40 provided so as to be displaced while maintaining a fixed posture between a retracted position for retracting the lance 24 and a release position for entering the housing 10 and displacing the lance 24 in the retaining release direction. ing. Thus, after the posture with respect to the housing 10 is stabilized, the release member 40 can be moved into the housing 10 to displace the lance 24,
The posture of the release member 40 entering the housing 10 is not disturbed, and the disengagement operation of the lance 24 can be performed smoothly and reliably.

Further, before and after the release of the retaining stop, the release member 40 is automatically returned to the retracted position by the bias of the return spring 50 and is held at the same position. Therefore, when the posture stabilizing member 30 is brought into contact with the housing 10 to stabilize the posture, the releasing projection 44 remains protruding from the posture stabilizing member 30 toward the housing 10, and the releasing protrusion 44 is provided. The piece 44 hinders the posture stabilizing operation,
There is no danger. As means for restricting the movement of the jig J on the front end surface of the housing 10, the housing 1
Since the terminal receiving port 13 formed at 0 is used, it is not necessary to perform a special shape setting or a change in the shape of the housing 10 as a play restriction.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The jig J of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment except that
A stopper 35 is provided to restrict the release member 40 from excessively protruding beyond the proper release position (excessive entry into the entry space 14) when the release member 40 is pushed to the release position side. Things. Also, the housing 10
There is no regulating portion 31 fitted to the terminal receiving port 13 of FIG. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of the structures, operations, and effects will be omitted.

The stopper 35 projects from the rear surface of the posture stabilizing member 30 toward the plate portion 42 of the release member 40. When the release member 40 projects to the normal release position, the projecting end of the stopper 35 is By abutting against the portion 42, further displacement of the release member 40 is restricted.
This prevents problems such as the release projection 44 having entered the entry space 14 being damaged by hitting the locking surface 15. [Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above with reference to the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

(1) In the above embodiment, the case where the lance is a so-called metal lance formed in the terminal fitting has been described. However, the present invention relates to a so-called resin lance formed in the cavity and the lance hole of the terminal fitting. The present invention can also be applied to a case in which it is locked to. (2) In the above embodiment, the case where the so-called female terminal fitting is retained and released has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a male terminal fitting. (3) In the above embodiment, only one release member is used.
According to the present invention, a structure in which a plurality of release members are provided integrally can also be adopted.

(4) In the above embodiment, the posture stabilizing member is the front end surface of the housing (the surface where the entry space of the release member opens).
Although the posture is stabilized by contacting only the housing, according to the present invention, the posture may be stabilized by contacting the outer peripheral surface of the housing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a jig of a first embodiment viewed from the front side.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the jig viewed from the back side.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the position of the jig is determined with respect to a housing.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a state in which the lance is displaced in a retaining release direction.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the jig of Embodiment 2 viewed from the front side.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the jig viewed from the back side.

[Explanation of symbols]

 C: Connector J: Retaining release jig 10: Housing 20: Terminal fitting 24: Lance 30: Posture stabilizing member 31: Regulator 40: Release member 50: Return spring 35: Stopper

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A terminal fitting which is inserted into a housing and is used for a connector which is retained in a retaining state by a lance. The terminal fitting enters the housing and displaces the lance in a retaining release direction. A release stabilizing jig, wherein a posture stabilizing member that keeps a constant posture with respect to the housing by abutting on the housing; a retracting position for retracting the posture stable member to the outside of the housing; And a release member provided so as to be displaced while maintaining a constant posture between the release position and the release position for entering the lance and displacing the lance in the release release direction. jig. 2. The release jig for retaining a terminal fitting according to claim 1, further comprising a return spring for urging the release member toward the retreat position. 3. A front end face of the housing, which is used for a connector having a terminal receiving port for receiving a mating terminal fitting, wherein the posture stabilizing member is in contact with a front end face of the housing. The jig for retaining and releasing the terminal fitting according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the jig is adapted to be fitted to the terminal receiving port. A retaining jig for releasing a terminal fitting, wherein a restricting portion for restricting play of the posture stabilizing member on a front end surface of the housing is provided. 4. The removal of the terminal fitting according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper for restricting the release member from being excessively displaced beyond the release position. Stop release jig.