JP2003243079A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector in which a metal piece as terminal is accommodated in a cavity certainly in the rattle stopped condition. <P>SOLUTION: A lance 26 to be primarily engaged with a female side terminal metal piece 10 is formed on the bottom wall 25 of the cavity 21 and is furnished with an engagement part 28 on the oversurface of an arm 27 in the two-side supported form. The front part of the arm 27 is formed two-pronged, and a rattle stop 37 is formed on the oversurface of the forefront of the pronged part 36. An overhang 38 is formed at the forefront of the ceiling surface of the cavity 21. The female side terminal metal piece 10 is inserted while it deflects the lance 26, and when the insertion attains the regular position, the lance 26 deformed is restored and engaged with a part to be engaged 13 etc. At the same time, the connection part 11 of the female side terminal metal piece 10 gets on the overhang 38 to be pushed out downward, and the forefront of the connection part 11 is pinched resiliently by it and the rattle stop 37 of the restored lance 26, and the metal piece as terminal is accommodated in the cavity 21 in the rattle stopped condition in vertical direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector in which a terminal fitting can be positively locked and housed in a cavity.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 7, a general structure of a connector is such that, when a terminal fitting 3 is inserted into a cavity 2 formed in a connector housing 1, a lance provided on the bottom surface of the cavity 2, for example. 4 is elastically locked, so that it is temporarily locked in the pull-out direction, and is further double-locked by the retainer 5. On the other hand, it is also important that the terminal fitting 3 is housed in the cavity 2 without rattling. Therefore, in the above connector, the rattling ribs 6 are formed so as to project from the bottom positions of the left and right side walls of the cavity 2, and The terminal fitting 3 is sandwiched between the second ceiling surface and the ceiling surface of the second ceiling surface so as to stop the rattling. Incidentally, such a connector is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-144499.

[0003]

However, in the case where the ribs 6 are rattled as described above, in order to allow the smooth insertion of the terminal fittings 3 and the like, the ribs 6 and the ceiling surface are inevitable. There was a problem that extra clearance was needed and complete rattling could not be achieved. The present invention has been completed in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to house the terminal fitting by securely ratcheting it in the cavity.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the invention, a cavity is formed in a connector housing into which a terminal fitting is inserted, and one wall surface of the cavity is elastically engageable with the terminal fitting. In a connector provided with a lance, the lance is provided with a ratchet portion capable of sandwiching the terminal fitting between the lance and a wall surface opposite to the lance. It has characteristics. A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the lance also serves as an outer wall of the connector housing or a partition wall with the adjacent cavity. The invention of claim 3 relates to claim 1 or claim 2.
The lance is characterized in that both ends of the lance are formed in a cantilevered shape supported by the inner wall of the cavity.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the front end of the lance in the insertion direction of the terminal fitting is formed into a bifurcated shape, and the bifurcated portion forms the rattling stop portion. It is characterized in that it is formed and a groove between the rattling portions forms a jig insertion port into which a releasing jig can be inserted to forcibly elastically deform the lance. The invention of claim 5 is based on any one of claims 1 to 4,
The wall surface on the side opposite to the side provided with the lance is characterized in that a projecting portion projecting toward the wall surface on the side provided with the lance is formed at the front end portion in the insertion direction of the terminal fitting. Have.

[0006]

<Advantages and Effects of the Invention><Invention of Claim 1> When the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity, it is prevented from coming off by the lance, and the gap is provided between the ratchet portion provided on the lance and the opposing wall surface. The terminal fitting is elastically clamped and accommodated without rattling. Since the lash that elastically deforms is formed with a rattling part, after ensuring the smooth insertion of the terminal fitting,
More reliable rattling can be performed. <Invention of Claim 2> Since the lance also serves as the outer wall or the partition wall, it can contribute to downsizing of the connector housing. <Invention of Claim 3> Since the lance has a double-sided shape, a large restoring elasticity can be obtained, and more secure backlash can be achieved.

<Invention of Claim 4> The structures of the rattling stop portion of the terminal fitting and the locking release portion of the lance can be easily put together. <Invention of Claim 5> At the final stage of the insertion of the terminal fitting, the terminal fitting rides on the overhanging portion and is pushed out toward the lance side, and is clamped with greater elasticity between the terminal fitting and the ratchet stopper. Even if the insertion resistance of the terminal fitting becomes large, it is only in the final stage, so the insertion work of the terminal fitting can be done smoothly as a whole.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
Or, it demonstrates based on FIG. In this embodiment, a female connector is shown as an example. As shown in FIG. 1, a female terminal fitting 10 is housed in a connector housing 20 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a housing).
In the following, the left side of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the female-side terminal fitting 10 is provided with a rectangular tube-shaped connecting portion 11 at the tip, which is connected to the tab of the mating male-side terminal fitting.
By caulking the barrel 12 provided on the rear end side, the electric wire W
Is crimped to the end of. A locked portion 13 is formed by cutting and raising at a position slightly inserted from the tip end on the lower surface of the connection portion 11, and a recess 14 is further formed behind the locked portion 13. Further, a stabilizer 15 is formed at one edge (left edge when viewed from the front) at the rear end of the lower surface of the connecting portion 11.

The housing 20 is made of synthetic resin, and a cavity 21 facing the front-rear direction capable of accommodating the female-side terminal fitting 10 is formed inside the housing 20 in two steps. The front wall 22 of each cavity 21 has a terminal insertion port 2 into which a tab of a mating male terminal fitting can be inserted.
3 is opened. A lance 26 is provided at a position on the tip end side of the bottom wall 25 of each cavity 21 for temporarily locking the normally inserted female side terminal fitting 10 in a retaining shape. The bottom wall 25 of the upper cavity 21 also serves as a partition wall from the lower cavity 21, and the bottom wall 25 of the lower cavity 21 is an outer wall.

The structure of the formation portion of the lance 26 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, taking the upper side as an example. The lance 26 roughly has a cantilevered arm 27 whose front and rear ends are supported, and the upper surface of the arm 27 is a locking portion that can be locked to the locked portion 13 of the female terminal fitting 10. 28 is formed. The arm 27 has a width dimension slightly smaller than the width dimension of the cavity 21 and is flexibly deformed in the vertical direction. On the other hand, below the position where the arm 27 is formed on the bottom wall 25, an opening groove that opens to the ceiling surface of the lower cavity 21 is formed, and inside this opening groove, a bending space that allows the lance 26 to bend and deform. It is 29.

A concave groove 31 is formed in the center of the upper surface of the arm 27 in the width direction, and a locking portion 28 is formed in the groove bottom at substantially the center of the groove bottom in the longitudinal direction.
The locking portion 28 has a height dimension that slightly projects from the upper surface of the arm 27, in other words, the locked portion 1 of the female-side terminal fitting 10.
It is formed in such a size that it can be locked at almost the entire height from 3 to the recess 14. The front surface of the locking portion 28 is a locking surface 33 that locks from the locked portion 13 to the front edge of the recess 14, and is formed in an overhang shape with the upper end inclined forward. On the other hand, the rear surface of the locking portion 28 is a guide surface 34 having a downward slope toward the rear.

On the rear side of the arm 27, its entire width is connected to the bottom wall 25. On the other hand, on the front side of the arm 27, the central portion in the width direction in which the concave groove 31 is formed is the front wall 2
The front portion of the arm 27 has a bifurcated shape and is connected to the front wall 22. The upper surface of the front end portion of the bifurcated portion 36 is formed one step higher through a gentle slope portion, and this higher surface serves as a rattling stop portion 37. On the other hand, at the front end of the ceiling surface of the cavity 21, a projecting portion 38 projecting downward through the same gently inclined portion is formed.

The opening of the front wall 22 serves as a jig insertion port 40 for inserting a releasing jig (not shown) for forcibly bending and deforming the lance 26. Also, the locking portion 2
The groove bottom in front of 8 serves as an operation surface 41 that is pushed down by a release jig, and the stepped portion at the front end of the operation surface 41 is a tapered guide surface 42. The shape of the lance 26 of the lower cavity 21 is the same as that of the upper lance 26 described above.

Further, behind the position where the lance 26 is formed on the bottom surface of the housing 20, the upper and lower cavities 2 are provided.
A retainer insertion opening 46 for inserting the retainer 45 is formed so as to pass through 1 upward. The retainer 45 is formed with a retaining portion 47 capable of engaging with the jaw portion 16 of the female terminal fitting 10 in two steps, and each retaining portion 47 retreats below the corresponding cavity 21 to form a cavity. From the temporary locking position that allows the female terminal fitting 10 to be inserted into and removed from the female terminal 21, the retaining portions 47 can be pushed and mounted toward the main locking position where the retaining portions 47 project into the corresponding cavity 21 from below.

The left side edge of the bottom wall 25 of the cavity 21 as viewed from the front side is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, to a position slightly forward of the retainer insertion port 46 and to the stabilizer of the female terminal fitting 10. Guide groove 4 for inserting and guiding 15
8 is cut. Therefore, the arm 2 of the lance 26
The side edges 50 which are raised one step on both sides of the concave groove 31 in FIG.
Of A and 50B, the rear surface of the left side edge 50A as viewed from the front (right rear side in FIG. 4) is shortened forward. The rear surfaces of the left and right side edges 50A and 50B serve as tapered guide surfaces 51, respectively.

This embodiment has the structure as described above,
Next, the operation will be described. In assembling the connector, the retainer 45 is inserted into the retainer insertion port 46, held at the temporary locking position as shown in FIG. 1, and the female terminal fitting 10 is inserted into the cavity 21 from the rear in such a state. The female-side terminal fitting 10 is inserted while the stabilizer 15 is inserted into the guide groove 48, and the connecting portion 11 is pushed while being placed on both side edges 50A and 50B of the arm 27 in the lance 26. It hits the guide surface 34 of the locking portion 28. If pushed further from this state,
As shown in FIG. 5, while the lance 26 flexes and deforms toward the lower flexing space 29, the locked portion 13 follows the tip edge of the connecting portion 11 and passes through the upper surface of the locking portion 28.

When the female terminal fitting 10 is pushed to the normal position where it hits the front wall 22 of the cavity 21, the locked portion 1
Since 3 passes through the locking portion 28 of the lance 26, as shown in FIG. 6, the lance 26 is restored and deformed to the original posture, and the locking surface 33 of the locking portion 28 moves from the locked portion 13 to the recessed portion 14. It is locked over the front edge of, and is temporarily locked in the pull-out direction. At the same time, the connecting portion 11 of the female-side terminal fitting 10 has the cavity 2
1 is pushed onto the overhanging portion 38 of the ceiling surface and pushed toward the bottom wall 25 of the cavity 21, while the lance 26 is restored and deformed as described above.
The front end side of the connecting portion 11 of the above is elastically sandwiched between the rattling stop portion 37 of the lance 26 and the projecting portion 38 of the ceiling surface, that is, the female terminal fitting 10 is vertically slid in the cavity 21. It is stopped and stored.

All the female terminal fittings 10 are cavities 2.
When the retainer 45 is pushed into the main locking position as shown in FIG. 6 after it is inserted into the inside 1, the retaining portion 47 projects into the corresponding cavity 21, and the jaw portion 1 of the female-side terminal fitting 10 is inserted.
The female terminal fitting 10 is locked behind 6 and is in a so-called double-locked state. On the other hand, when the female terminal fitting 10 is to be removed from the housing 20 for maintenance or the like, after returning the retainer 45 from the main locking position to the temporary locking position (see FIG. 5), the jig of the front wall 22 of the cavity 21 is removed. When the release jig is inserted from the insertion opening 40 and the operation surface 41 is pressed to push down the lance 26, the locking of the female side terminal metal fitting 10 with respect to the locked portion 13 and the recessed portion 14 is released. By pulling while holding W, the female-side terminal fitting 10 can be pulled out from the cavity 21.

As described above, according to this embodiment,
Since the rattling portion 37 is formed on the elastically deformable lance 26, the female terminal fitting 10 is not hindered from being smoothly inserted.
More reliable rattling can be performed. Lance 26
Is the outer wall of the cavity 21 or the adjacent cavity 2
Since it also serves as a partition wall with 1, it can contribute to downsizing of the housing 20. Further, since the lance 26 has a double-sided shape, a large restoring elasticity can be obtained and the rattling can be more firmly prevented.

The front portion of the lance 26 is formed in a bifurcated shape, and a ratchet portion 37 is formed on the forked portion 36, and a groove between the ratchet portions 37 is used for unlocking. Since the tool insertion port 40 is formed, the structure of the rattling stop portion of the female side terminal fitting 10 and the unlocking portion of the lance 26 can be easily put together. The overhanging portion 38 is provided on the ceiling surface of the cavity 21, and the connecting portion 1 of the female-side terminal fitting 10 is provided.
1 is pushed out toward the lance 26 side, the connecting portion 1
It can be clamped with greater resilience with the rattling stop 37. The projecting portion 38 is provided at the front end of the ceiling surface, and even if the insertion resistance of the female-side terminal fitting 10 becomes large, it is only in the final stage. Therefore, the insertion work of the female-side terminal fitting 10 can be smoothly performed as a whole.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition to the above, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) In the above-described embodiment, the lance having a two-sided support is illustrated, but the lance may have a one-sided support, and such a lance is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. (2) The present invention can be similarly applied to a male connector that houses a male terminal fitting.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view before insertion of a female-side terminal fitting according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Bottom view of female terminal fittings

FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view showing a formation portion of a lance.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the insertion of the female terminal fitting.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the completion of insertion of the female-side terminal fitting.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Female terminal fitting (terminal fitting) 11 ... Connection part 13 ... Locked part 20 ... Connector housing 21 ... Cavity 25 ... Bottom wall 26 ... Lance 27 ... Arm 28 ... Locking part 36 ... Forked part 37 ... rattling stop 38 ... Overhanging part 40 ... Jig insertion slot 41 ... Operation surface 50A, 50B ... Side edge (of arm 27)

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Hideto Nakamura             Sumitomo Den 1-14 Nishi-Suehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Prefecture             Sozo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kenji Tsuji             Sumitomo Den 1-14 Nishi-Suehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Prefecture             Sozo Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 5E087 EE14 FF08 GG15 GG37 RR04                       RR06 RR25 RR49

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A connector in which a cavity into which a terminal fitting is inserted is formed in a connector housing, and a lance capable of elastically engaging with the terminal fitting is provided on one wall surface of the cavity. The connector is characterized in that a ratchet stop portion capable of holding the terminal fitting is formed between the wall surface on the side opposite to the side on which the lance is provided. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the lance also serves as an outer wall of the connector housing or a partition wall for adjoining the cavity. 3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein both ends of the lance are supported by the inner wall of the cavity so as to have both ends. 4. The end of the lance on the front side in the insertion direction of the terminal fitting is formed in a bifurcated shape, and the bifurcated portion forms the rattling stop, and between the rattling stop. 4. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the groove forms a jig insertion port into which a release jig can be inserted to forcibly elastically deform the lance. 5. A projecting portion projecting toward the wall surface on the side where the lance is provided is formed at a front end portion in the insertion direction of the terminal fitting on a wall surface opposite to the side where the lance is provided. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the connector is provided.