JP2010186612A - Front holder, connector housing, and connector - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a front holder or the like capable of preventing erroneous insertion of a mating terminal, improving workability related to terminal removal, and further simplifying a mold structure and improving terminal holding force. provide.
A lance interference portion has an elastic portion and an inelastic portion that are continuous from the distal end side toward the proximal end side. Further, the lance interference part 7 has a slope 13. The elastic portion 11 is formed in a shape that matches the inclination of the inclined surface 13. The elastic portion 11 is formed in a shape having a bending space 14 on the lower side. The elastic portion 11 is formed to be able to bend slightly toward the bending space 14 with its tip abutting against the lower surface of the lance forming hole 17 and the lance 16 abutting against the inclined surface 13. The non-elastic portion 12 is formed as a portion that does not bend even when the lance 16 slides on the slope 13.
[Selection] Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a front holder, a connector housing, and a connector including these.

  The connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 below includes a plurality of female terminals and a connector housing. The connector housing is formed with a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers for accommodating female terminals. When the female terminal is accommodated in the corresponding terminal accommodating chamber, the female terminal is locked by a flexible lance so that it does not come out of the terminal accommodating chamber. In the case of the connector housing in the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a punch hole (lance forming hole) is formed to form a lance. This die-cutting hole is a relatively large hole because the opening size at the front surface of the housing is determined according to the size of the lance and the amount of deflection.

  By the way, when it is necessary to remove the female terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber, a rod-shaped terminal extracting jig is inserted into the mold punching hole, and the lance and the terminal are connected by the inserted terminal extracting jig. The locked state is released. As a result, the terminal can be pulled out and removed from the terminal accommodating chamber.

JP 2006-100227 A

  In the above prior art, since the die-cutting hole (lance forming hole) of the connector housing is a relatively large hole, the tip of the mating male terminal connected to the female terminal is erroneously inserted. There is a fear. If it is mistakenly inserted, the tip of the male terminal will bend, and this will interfere with normal connection thereafter.

  In addition, the prior art has a problem that it is a troublesome removal work because it is necessary to use a terminal removal jig for removing the terminals. In addition, the above prior art has a problem that the mold structure for molding the connector housing becomes complicated because the lance and the die-cutting hole must be formed while forming the front surface of the connector. is doing.

  In the above prior art, in order to improve the terminal holding force by the lance, the reinforcing rib is provided on the lance. However, depending on the shape of the reinforcing rib, the structure of the molding die becomes more complicated. There is a fear.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and prevents misinsertion of a mating terminal, improves workability related to removal of the terminal, and further simplifies the mold structure and terminal holding force. It is an object of the present invention to provide a front holder, a connector housing, and a connector capable of improving the above.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the front holder of the present invention according to claim 1 has a lance interference part inserted into a lance forming hole of a connector housing generated to form a lance, and the lance interference part is An elastic portion and an inelastic portion are continuous from the distal end side toward the proximal end side, and the elastic portion and the inelastic portion have a slope that changes the position by bending the lance. Yes.

  According to the present invention having such characteristics, the lance forming hole of the connector housing is closed by the lance interference portion. The lance interference part is inserted into the lance forming hole to bend the lance and change the position of the lance. The lance interference portion keeps the lance from bending at the inelastic portion. The lance interfering portion allows removal of the terminal before changing the position of the lance, in other words, before being bent. The front holder is a connector component for forming the front surface of the connector.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a front holder according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the front holder has a holder-side locking portion that is hooked and locked to the connector housing, and the holder-side locking portion is hooked. The portion is characterized in that it moves between three positions of a temporary locking position, a final locking position, and a releasing position of the housing side locking portion in the connector housing.

  According to the present invention having such characteristics, the locking position with respect to the connector housing includes a temporary locking position, a final locking position, and a release position. The operation at these locking positions will be described in detail in the section of the embodiment.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a connector housing according to a third aspect of the present invention is the connector housing as a locking destination of the front holder according to the first or second aspect, wherein the lance is associated with the front holder. It is characterized in that it is formed so that the position changes according to the stop position.

  According to the present invention having such a feature, the lance is not bent by a force from the terminal when the terminal is attached or detached, but is bent by the lance interference portion of the front holder to change its position.

  A connector housing according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the connector housing according to the third aspect, wherein the lance has a convex portion that comes into sliding contact with the terminal when the terminal is attached or detached.

  According to the present invention having such characteristics, a certain holding force (friction force) is ensured when the terminal is attached or detached by bringing the convex portion into contact with the terminal.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a connector according to the present invention according to claim 5 is a front holder according to claim 1 or 2, a connector housing according to claim 3 or 4, and the connector. And a terminal accommodated in the housing.

  According to the present invention having such characteristics, the front surface of the connector is constituted by the front holder. Since the front surface of the connector is constituted by the front holder, the mold structure of the connector housing is simplified. The front holder displaces the lance according to this locking position, and keeps the lance from being bent at the final locking position.

  According to the front holder of the present invention described in claim 1, since the lance forming hole of the connector housing is closed, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent erroneous insertion of the mating terminal. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to remove the terminal without using a terminal removal jig, and as a result, there is an effect that the workability can be improved. Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the front holder of the present invention is a connector constituent member for forming the front surface of the connector, there is an effect that the mold structure of the connector housing can be simplified. Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is an effect that the terminal holding force can be improved by the structure of the front holder of the present invention. Thereby, there exists an effect that the structure of a lance can be simplified.

  According to the front holder of the present invention described in claim 2, it is possible to change the position of the lance according to the locking position with respect to the connector housing, thereby improving the workability, for example. Play.

  According to the connector housing of the present invention described in claim 3, there is an effect that it can be provided as a better locking point of the front holder described in claim 1 or claim 2.

  According to the connector housing of this invention described in Claim 4, there exists an effect that it can contribute to securing a certain amount of holding power at the time of terminal attachment / detachment.

  According to the connector of this invention described in Claim 5, there exists an effect that a better connector can be provided. That is, it is intended to provide a connector capable of preventing erroneous insertion of a mating terminal, improving workability related to terminal removal, and further simplifying a mold structure and improving terminal holding power. There is an effect that can be.

It is a perspective view which shows the connector of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the front holder of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the back side of a front holder. It is sectional drawing of a front holder. It is a perspective view of the connector housing of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the holder side latching | locking part and housing side latching | locking part in a temporary latching position. It is sectional drawing which shows the lance interference part and lance in a temporary latching position. It is sectional drawing which shows the holder side latching | locking part and the housing side latching | locking part in this latching position. It is sectional drawing which shows the lance interference part and lance in this latching position. It is sectional drawing which shows the holder side latching | locking part and housing side latching | locking part in a cancellation | release position. It is sectional drawing which shows the lance interference part and lance in a cancellation | release position.

  A lance interference part is provided in the front holder, and the lance forming hole of the connector housing is closed by this lance interference part. The lance interference part is inserted into the lance forming hole to bend the lance and change the position of the lance. The conventional lance is bent by the action from the terminal when the terminal is attached or detached, but the lance in the present invention is bent by the action from the lance interference portion of the front holder.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a connector of the present invention provided at a terminal of a wire harness (not shown). The connector 1 includes a front holder 2 according to the present invention, a connector housing 3 according to the present invention, and terminals 4 (female-type terminals; see FIG. 7) connected to terminals of a plurality of electric wires constituting the wire harness. (It is assumed that a spacer for locking the terminal 4 doubly may be included in the configuration).

  A plurality of terminals 4 are accommodated in the connector housing 3. The front holder 2 is locked to the front portion of the connector housing 3 to prevent the terminal 4 from being pulled out forward. The front surface of the connector 1 is formed by a front holder 2. First, each component will be described.

  The front holder 2 is shown in FIGS. 2 is a perspective view showing the front holder of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the back side of the front holder, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the front holder.

  2 to 4, the front holder 2 is a molded product made of synthetic resin having insulation properties, and includes a holder main body 5 and a pair of holder-side locking portions coupled to the left and right sides of the holder main body 5. 6 and a plurality of lance interference portions 7 coupled to the back surface of the holder body 5.

  The holder body 5 is a part constituting the front surface of the connector 1 (see FIG. 1), and has a plurality of apertures 8 arranged in a horizontal row and in two vertical rows. The front hole 8 is formed to be able to guide a mating male terminal (not shown) toward the terminal 4 (see FIG. 7).

  The holder side locking portion 6 is connected to the upper side of the left and right sides of the holder body 5 and is formed in a shape that is substantially in a U-shape. More specifically, the holder side locking portion 6 has a pair of upper and lower arm portions 9 having flexibility, and a locking projection portion 10 (a catching portion) that protrudes outward from the distal end of each arm portion 9. ing. The pair of upper and lower arm portions 9 are formed so that they can bend in the direction in which they approach. As will be described later, the locking projection portion 10 moves in three positions: a temporary locking position portion 28 of the housing side locking portion 24, a main locking position portion 29, and a release position portion 27 in the connector housing 3. (See FIGS. 7, 9, and 11).

  The lance interference part 7 is coupled to the back surface of the holder body 5 and below the front holes 8. The lance interference portions 7 are formed by the number of the front holes 8, in other words, by the number of lance forming holes 17 (see FIG. 7) described later. The lance interference part 7 is arranged and formed in accordance with the position of the lance forming hole 17. The lance interference portion 7 is formed so as to close the lance forming hole 17.

  The lance interference portion 7 has an elastic portion 11 and an inelastic portion 12 that are continuous from the distal end side toward the proximal end side. Moreover, the lance interference part 7 has a slope 13 formed so as to straddle the elastic part 11 and the non-elastic part 12.

  The elastic part 11 is formed in a thin piece shape. The elastic portion 11 is formed in a shape that matches the inclination of the slope 13. Further, the elastic portion 11 is formed in a shape having a bending space 14 on the lower side. The tip of the elastic portion 11 is formed so as to abut against the lower surface of a lance forming hole 17 (see FIG. 7) described later. The elastic portion 11 can be bent slightly toward the bending space 14 with its tip abutting against the lower surface of the lance forming hole 17 and a lance 16 (see FIG. 7), which will be described later, in sliding contact with the inclined surface 13. Is formed.

  Unlike the elastic portion 11, the non-elastic portion 12 is formed as a portion that does not bend even when a lance 16 (see FIG. 7) described later slides on the inclined surface 13. The lower surface of the inelastic portion 12 is disposed and formed at the same position as the tip of the elastic portion 11. The slope 13 in the inelastic portion 12 has the same inclination as the slope 13 in the elastic portion 11. The slope 13 is formed in a state and shape that reduces frictional resistance against a lance 16 (see FIG. 7) described later. The inclination of the inclined surface 13 is arbitrary (when the inclination is not steep as shown in FIG. 4, the assembly of the front holder 2 and the displacement of the lance 16 described later can be made smooth).

  FIG. 5 shows the connector housing 3. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the connector housing of the present invention.

  In FIG. 5, the connector housing 3 is a molded product made of synthetic resin having insulation properties, and has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 15, lances 16, and lance molding holes 17 inside thereof. Further, the connector housing 3 has a lock arm 18 and a housing lock protection part 19 on the outer upper part. Further, the connector housing 3 has a front holder assembly 20 on the front side.

  The terminal accommodating chamber 15 is formed so as to penetrate the connector housing 3 in the front-rear direction. The terminal accommodating chambers 15 are arranged and formed so as to be arranged in one horizontal row and two upper and lower rows. The terminal accommodating chamber 15 is formed according to the shape of the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal 4 (see FIG. 7).

  The lance 16 (see FIG. 7) is formed in a cantilevered arm shape extending obliquely downward from the position of the lower surface of the terminal accommodating chamber 15. At the tip of the lance 16, a terminal locking portion 21 for locking the terminal 4 and a convex portion 22 (convex portion) that becomes a small protrusion are formed. The terminal locking portion 21 and the convex portion 22 are arranged and formed so as to be continuous as shown in the figure (the terminal locking portion 21 is formed in a shape that is substantially L-shaped in a side view and hooks the terminal 4. Can be) The convex portion 22 is formed as a portion that slidably contacts the bottom surface of the electrical contact portion of the terminal 4 when the terminal 4 is attached or detached. The lance 16 is shaped so that the protruding portion 22 slightly protrudes from the lower surface position of the terminal accommodating chamber 15 when the terminal 4 is not accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 15 and when the lance interference portion 7 of the front holder 2 does not interfere. Is formed.

  The lance forming hole 17 is a die-cutting hole for forming the lance 16, and is formed under the terminal accommodating chamber 15.

  The lock arm 18 is formed as a part used when mating with a mating connector housing (not shown), and the housing lock protection part 19 is formed as a part protecting the lock arm 18.

  The front holder assembling portion 20 includes a holder main body accommodating portion 23 for accommodating the holder main body 5 of the front holder 2 (see FIG. 2), and a housing side engaging portion 24 corresponding to the pair of holder side engaging portions 6 of the front holder 2. And have. The holder main body accommodating portion 23 is formed in a concave portion corresponding to the thickness of the holder main body 5.

  With respect to the housing side locking portion 24, reference is made to FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the holder side locking portion and the housing side locking portion at the temporary locking position.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the housing side locking portion 24 includes a groove-like portion 25 for guiding the holder side locking portion 6, and a holder locking position determining portion 26 for determining the locking position of the front holder 2. have. The holder locking position determining portion 26 has a longitudinal groove-shaped release position portion 27, a temporary locking position portion 28, and a main locking position portion 29 in order from the front side of the connector housing 3. In the front holder 2, the lower locking projection portion 10 of the holder side locking portion 6 moves through the holder locking position determining portion 26 and is caught by this. Regarding the locking position of the front holder 2, there are usually two positions, a temporary locking position and a main locking position. However, in the present invention, the release position is also included.

  FIG. 7 shows the terminal 4. The terminal 4 is a female terminal, and is formed by pressing a conductive metal thin plate. The terminal 4 has a box-shaped electrical contact portion 30 and a wire connection portion for connecting a terminal of a wire (not shown). An elastic contact piece 31 that elastically contacts a mating male terminal (not shown) is formed inside the electrical contact portion 30. The bottom wall portion of the electrical contact portion 30 is formed with a locking recess 32 that is hooked and locked to the terminal locking portion 21 of the lance 16. A known terminal 4 is used.

  Next, the effect | action which concerns on latching of the front holder 2 is demonstrated, referring FIG. 6 thru | or FIG.

  6 is a cross-sectional view showing the holder-side locking portion and the housing-side locking portion at the temporary locking position, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the lance interference portion and the lance at the temporary locking position, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the lance interference part and the lance at the main locking position, and FIG. 10 is a holder side locking part at the release position. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the lance interference part and the lance at the release position.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the front holder 2 is temporarily locked with respect to the connector housing 3, at this time, the locking protrusion 10 of the holder side locking portion 6 in the front holder 2 It is caught in the temporary locking position portion 28 of the position determining portion 26. Further, the lance interference portion 7 of the front holder 2 is inserted into the lance forming hole 17 of the connector housing 3. The lance interference portion 7 is in sliding contact with the lower surface of the elastic portion 11 while the tip of the elastic portion 11 contacts the lower surface of the lance forming hole 17. When the lance 16 comes into contact with the inclined surface 13, the lance interference unit 7 lifts the lance 16 toward the terminal accommodating chamber 15. The raised lance 16 of the raised lance 16 protrudes upward from the position of the lower surface of the terminal accommodating chamber 15. When the convex portion 22 protrudes, the upper side of the terminal locking portion 21 also slightly protrudes.

  When the terminal 4 is inserted and accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 15 in such a state, the convex portion 22 of the lance 16 comes into sliding contact with the bottom surface of the electrical contact portion 30 in the terminal 4. At this time, since the lance 16 receives the force from the terminal 4, the elastic portion 11 of the lance interference portion 7 is slightly bent toward the bending space 14, thereby absorbing the force. When the terminal 4 is accommodated up to a predetermined position, the terminal locking portion 21 in a slightly protruding state is inserted into the locking recess 32 of the terminal 4. The terminal 4 is housed and locked at a position where holding by shearing occurs.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the front holder 2 is brought into the final locking state with respect to the connector housing 3, the locking projection portion 10 of the holder side locking portion 6 in the front holder 2 at this time It is caught in the final locking position 29 of the position determining portion 26. The front holder 2 is completely assembled to the connector housing 3. When in the fully locked state, the lance interference portion 7 of the front holder 2 is inserted further into the lance forming hole 17. When the lance interference portion 7 is further inserted, the front holder 2 further lifts the lance 16 toward the terminal accommodating chamber 15 by the inclined surface 13 of the inelastic portion 12. When the lance 16 is lifted, the terminal locking portion 21 is completely inserted into the locking recess 32 of the terminal 4. Since the inelastic portion 12 does not have a spring property, the lance 16 does not bend and the terminal 4 is securely locked.

  By the way, when it is necessary to remove the terminal 4 accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 15, it is set as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 (the front holder 2 is moved to the front side of the connector housing 3). At this time, the locking projection portion 10 of the holder side locking portion 6 in the front holder 2 is caught by the release position portion 27 of the holder locking position determining portion 26. Further, the lance interference portion 7 of the front holder 2 is in a state where there is no interference with the lance 16. Since the lance interference unit 7 does not interfere, the lance 16 returns to its original state by this restoring force. When the lance 16 returns to the original state, the terminal 4 can be pulled out from the terminal accommodating chamber 15 and removed.

  In addition, since the convex portion 22 of the lance 16 is in sliding contact with the bottom surface of the electrical contact portion 30 while the terminal 4 is being pulled out, a certain holding force (frictional force) can be secured to the terminal 4. become. The holding force is effective when, for example, only the necessary terminals 4 are removed.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11, according to the present invention, the front holder 2 closes the lance forming hole 17 of the connector housing 3, thereby preventing erroneous insertion of the mating terminal. There is an effect that can be done.

  Moreover, according to this invention, there exists an effect that the terminal 4 can be removed according to the structure of the lance interference part 7, without using a terminal extraction jig | tool. Thereby, there exists an effect that workability | operativity can be aimed at.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the front holder 2 forms the front surface of the connector 1, the mold structure of the connector housing 3 can be simplified as compared with the conventional example.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the structure of the lance interference portion 7 provides an effect that the terminal holding force can be improved. Thereby, there exists an effect that the structure of the lance 16 can be simplified rather than a prior art example.

  It goes without saying that the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Connector 2 ... Front holder 3 ... Connector housing 4 ... Terminal 5 ... Holder main body 6 ... Holder side latching part 7 ... Lance interference part 8 ... Frontage hole 9 ... Arm part 10 ... Locking protrusion part (hook part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Elastic part 12 ... Non-elastic part 13 ... Slope 14 ... Deflection space 15 ... Terminal accommodating chamber 16 ... Lance 17 ... Lance molding hole 18 ... Lock arm 19 ... Housing lock protection part 20 ... Front holder assembly part 21 ... Terminal latching Part 22 ... Convex part (convex part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 23 ... Holder main body accommodating part 24 ... Housing side latching | locking part 25 ... Groove-shaped part 26 ... Holder latching position determination part 27 ... Release position part (release position)
28: Temporary locking position (temporary locking position)
29 ... Main locking position (main locking position)
30 ... Electric contact portion 31 ... Elastic contact piece 32 ... Locking recess

Claims (5)

A lance interference portion inserted into a lance forming hole of the connector housing generated to form the lance,
The lance interference portion has an elastic portion and an inelastic portion continuous from the distal end side toward the proximal end side,
The front holder according to claim 1, wherein the elastic portion and the non-elastic portion have a slope that changes the position by bending the lance. The front holder according to claim 1,
A holder side locking portion that is hooked and locked with respect to the connector housing, and the hooked portion of the holder side locking portion includes a temporary locking position and a main locking position of the housing side locking portion in the connector housing; A front holder that moves in three release positions. In the connector housing which becomes the latching point of the front holder according to claim 1 or claim 2,
The lance is formed so that the position thereof changes according to the locking position of the front holder. The connector housing according to claim 3,
The lance has a convex portion that comes into sliding contact with the terminal when the terminal is attached or detached. The front holder according to claim 1 or claim 2,
A connector housing according to claim 3 or claim 4,
Terminals accommodated in the connector housing;
The connector characterized by comprising.

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