JP2729557B2 - Movable connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a male and female connector used for connecting a wire harness inside and outside of a panel, which is used to connect one of the connectors to be movable so as to prevent displacement during the fitting. The present invention relates to a movable connector capable of absorbing and enabling normal connection.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, assembling an automobile meter is as follows.
An engagement member of a connector is fitted and fixed in an opening of an instrument panel, and a meter is assembled from the outside of the vehicle body. In this case, by attaching the connector to the panel via a bracket having an opening having a hole diameter larger than the outer dimension of the connector,
The degree of freedom in the left-right direction is increased, errors in the meter are absorbed, and the assembling work of the meter is facilitated.

As an example of such a connector, there is a movable connector described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 59-20578. This movable connector is composed of two members, a connector part 1 shown in FIG. 5 and a bracket part 6 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the connector unit 1
For example, in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, a flange portion 2 is protruded from an intermediate portion of an outer peripheral wall of the housing, and a connector body portion 3 having a plurality of terminals and a meter fitting portion 4 are formed inside the flange portion 2 as a boundary. . On the side wall surface of the connector main body 3, a claw-shaped locking piece 5 to be mounted on the bracket 6 shown in FIG. 6 is formed.

FIG. 6 shows a bracket 6 for attaching the connector 1 shown in FIG. 5 to a panel. In the figure, (a) is a top view of the bracket portion 6, and (b) is a side view. The bracket part 6 is provided at the center of the substrate 7.
A frame 9 constituting an opening 8 into which the connector 1 is inserted is formed, and a clip 10 for attaching to a panel is protruded on the opposite side of the frame 9. Inside the frame 9, a locking arm 11 having flexibility extending from the upper end surface 9 a of the frame toward the center of the opening 8 is provided at a position corresponding to the locking piece 5 of the connector portion 1. Is formed.

The connector section 1 is mounted on a panel via a bracket section 6. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the connector unit 1 is mounted on the panel. By inserting the connector body 3 of the connector portion 1 from the frame 9 side of the bracket portion 6, that is, from the vehicle compartment side A toward the opening portion 8, the connector portion 1 is inserted.
The locking piece 5 of the connector part 1 enters the frame 9 of the bracket part 6 against the elasticity of the locking arm 11 while abutting on the locking arm 11 formed on the frame body 9 of the bracket part 6. When it comes into contact with the upper end surface 9a, the locking piece 5 rides over the end of the locking arm 11 and simultaneously engages with the end by elastic return of the locking arm. The bracket 6 to which the connector 1 is fitted in this manner is attached to the opening 13 formed in the panel 12 with the clip 10.

[0006] A meter 15 is connected to the meter fitting section 4 of the connector section 1. At this time, since the connector portion 1 is elastically supported from all directions by the flexible locking arms 11 of the bracket portion 6, the connector portion 1 is connected to the locking arms 11.
Opening 8 of bracket portion 6 by a distance corresponding to the amount of deflection of
Inside the panel 12 can be displaced vertically and horizontally.

As described above, the mounting error of the meter 15 is absorbed by mounting the connector portion 1 on the panel 12 with the bracket portion 6 interposed therebetween.

[0008]

Recently, the process of assembling an automobile has been increasingly automated by robots, and the same applies to the assembly of meters and lamps. As shown in FIG. 8, for example, in assembling the meter M, the terminal portion C of the wire-harness W on the vehicle body B is connected to the instrument panel P from the vehicle body B via a movable connector (not shown). The meter M is attached to the opening O, and the meter M is mounted on the instrument panel P by pressing from the passenger compartment side A so as to engage the connecting portion with the meter connecting portion of the movable connector.

When the terminal portion C of the wire harness W and the meter M are assembled into the opening O via the movable connector having the above structure, the terminal portion C on the vehicle body side B is once moved from the opening O to the vehicle compartment side A. The drawer was connected to the movable connector on the passenger compartment side A, and then attached to the opening O from the passenger compartment side A. As shown in FIG. 7, since the movable connector having the above-described structure has a two-member structure of the connector portion 1 and the bracket portion 6, when the movable connector is mounted, the connector portion 1 is connected to the opening portion of the panel 12 via the bracket portion 6. 13 must be installed. Here, the connector portion 1 is inserted into the frame 9 of the bracket portion 6 from above (in the vehicle compartment side A) to below (in the vehicle body side B) in FIG. It has a structure in which it is displaceably inserted into the arm 11.

In order to mount the movable connector having such a two-member structure on the panel 12, since the connector portion 1 is inserted into the bracket portion 6 in the direction from the compartment side A to the vehicle body side B, The wire 14 of the wire harness W on the vehicle body side B is once passed through the opening 13 of the panel 12 to the vehicle room side A.
, And after connecting to the electric wire connection part 3 of the connector part 1, a series of operations of inserting the connector part 1 into the opening part 8 of the bracket part 6 from the passenger compartment side A toward the vehicle body side B is required. Also, after connecting the wire 14 and the wire connection portion 3 of the connector portion 1 on the vehicle body side B in advance, even when the connector portion 1 is inserted into the bracket portion 6, the connector portion 1 is once passed through the opening 8 and the vehicle side A To the connector part 1
The operation of inserting the vehicle into the opening 8 of the bracket portion 6 from the vehicle interior side A toward the vehicle body side B remains unchanged.

Therefore, in order to mount such a movable connector having a two-member structure on the panel 12, the wire 14 is always used.
Alternatively, the connector portion 1 is pulled out from the vehicle body side B to the vehicle interior side A through the opening portion 8 of the bracket portion 6, and then the connector portion 1 is inserted into the opening portion 8 of the bracket portion 6 from the vehicle interior side A toward the vehicle body side B. A series of operations to do so is required. The mounting of the meter 15 is performed by pressing the meter 15 from the passenger compartment side A to the meter fitting portion 4 of the connector portion 1. At this time, the structure is such that the pressing from the passenger compartment side A is received by the flange portion 2 of the connector portion 1 and the upper end surface 9a of the frame 9 of the bracket portion 6 and the substrate 7 continuous therewith.
Therefore, it is more advantageous in strength that the frame 9 of the bracket 6 protrudes toward the passenger compartment side A. Therefore, since it is preferable that the substrate 7 continuous with the frame 9 also abuts on the surface of the panel 12 on the vehicle side A, the bracket portion 6 moves from the vehicle side A to the vehicle body B with respect to the panel 12. It is attached toward.

As described above, in the movable connector having the two-member structure including the connector portion 1 and the bracket portion 2, the meter 1
5 is assembled from the vehicle interior side A to the vehicle body side B. However, in the automatic assembly by the robot, various inconveniences are caused by using the movable connector having the two-member structure as described above.

Since it is composed of two members, the connector portion 1 and the bracket portion 6, not only the work of assembling the two members individually but also the increase in the number of steps of assembling both members, and also the workability is improved. With difficulty. As described above, in assembling the meter 15 using the movable connector having the two-member structure, it is necessary to pull out the wire 14 or the connector portion 1 from the vehicle body side B to the vehicle interior side A once. In order to perform this pull-out operation, the arm of the robot approaches the opening 8 of the panel 12 from the vehicle body side B while holding the wire 14 and the connector unit 1 or inserts the opening 8 into the vehicle room side A An operation of transferring the information to another arm located at the position is required.

With the complexity of such an arm operation,
Assembly work is delayed and productivity is reduced. Further, in addition to the reduction in workability and productivity as described above, the connector section 1 and the bracket section 6 must be manufactured separately, which increases costs.

[0015]

The object of the present invention is to provide a movable connector which is attached to an opening formed in a panel and connects devices inside and outside the panel. A terminal receiving portion having a connection terminal with the terminal and a connector portion formed with a wire introduction portion of a wire harness at the other end, and a stopper surface protruding from an outer peripheral wall surface of the connector portion, and a stopper surface. From the notch that swells the panel opening outward.
A plurality of locking pieces that are inserted and engage with the peripheral edge of the panel opening, and are located between the locking pieces and the locking pieces and open from the outer peripheral wall surface of the connector portion toward the outer peripheral end of the stopper surface . Missing part
: It is formed, also in the connector portion, through said missing portion
And projecting from the stopper surface and
Elastically deflectable flexible arm portion is provided, the flexible
When the arm part is placed in the missing part and is elastically biased,
The locking piece is located between the notch and the periphery of the panel opening.
The problem is solved by a movable connector characterized by transitioning and engaging with the periphery .

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an example of a movable connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the movable connector according to the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. FIG.
It is a perspective view showing the appearance of a movable connector. The movable connector 16 is provided with a connector portion 17 composed of a rectangular parallelepiped housing.
A disc-shaped stopper surface 18 is integrally formed at a substantially intermediate portion of the above. On the stopper surface 18, a plurality of locking pieces 21 that engage with the periphery of the opening 20 formed in the panel 19 on the surface and the housing of the connector portion 17 are directed from the outer peripheral wall surface to the peripheral edge of the stopper surface 18. Missing part 2
2 is open . Further, the connector portion 17 extends obliquely from the end portion toward the stopper surface 18, and is integrally formed with a plurality of flexible arms 23 guided through the notch 22 of the stopper surface 18.

The movable connector 16 having such a structure
Is mounted on the panel 19 by inserting the connector portion 17 into the opening 20 of the panel 19 from the right side in the figure, abutting the stopper surface 18 against the panel 19, and rotating by a predetermined angle. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of the movable connector 16 shown in FIG. The connector portion 17 is formed of a hollow housing, and a stopper surface 18 is provided on the outer peripheral wall surface of the housing substantially at the center in the longitudinal direction. Connector part 17
Is divided into two regions by a stopper surface 18, and in one region (an upper portion in the figure), a terminal accommodating portion for accommodating a terminal 24 for connection to an external device (not shown) inside the housing. 25 is a wire introduction part 2 for introducing a wire 26 of a wire harness connected to a connection terminal 24 with an external device from below in the figure in the other region (the lower part in the figure).
7 is formed. Furthermore, on the outer peripheral wall of the electric wire introduction portion 27,
A plurality of flexible arms 23 extending obliquely from the end on the side of the electric wire introduction port 28 toward the stopper surface 18 are extended.

The stopper surface 18 has a disk shape, and a peripheral wall 29 extending toward the electric wire introducing portion 27 is vertically provided on an outer peripheral edge thereof. At a position corresponding to the flexible arm 23 formed in the connector 17, a notch 22 is formed radially from the outer peripheral wall of the housing of the connector 17 to the outer peripheral edge of the stopper surface 18. A flexible arm 23 has a top portion 30 protruding from the stopper surface 18 toward the terminal accommodating portion 25, and a side portion 31 of the flexible arm portion 23 .
Guided to abut the inner wall .

Further, the stopper surface 18 has a
A plurality of locking pieces 21, which are located between the notches 22 and 22, protrude more than the thickness of the panel 19 toward the terminal connection part 25 , and extend parallel to the stopper surface 18. . FIG. 3 shows the movable connector 1 shown in FIGS.
FIG. 6 is a top view of FIG. As shown, the connector section 17
The plurality of notches 22, the flexible arms 23 and the locking pieces 2 are radially formed on the surface of the disc-shaped stopper surface 18 around the center.
1 is arranged. In the figure, four notches 22 and four flexible arms 23 guided by the notches 22 are respectively arranged at an angle of 90 °, and the notches 22 and 2
The four locking pieces 21 are arranged at the middle of the two, that is, at an angle of 45 ° with respect to the missing part 22.

Here, the missing portion 22, the flexible arm portion 23
The locking pieces 21 do not need to be provided at four locations, but may be provided at three locations and arranged at an angle of 120 °. Similarly, the number of the cutout portions 22, the flexible arm portions 23, and the locking pieces 21 and the arrangement angles corresponding thereto can be appropriately selected. However, considering the stability of mounting to the panel 19, the number is three or more. Preferably, there is.

Next, the operation of mounting the movable connector 16 having the above structure according to the present invention on the panel 19 will be described with reference to FIG. The panel 19, as shown, is the circular opening 20 of the minor diameter bored than the diameter of the disc-shaped stop surface 18 of the movable connector 16 (broken line in the figure), on its peripheral edge 34, the movable At a position corresponding to the number of the locking pieces 21 of the connector 16 and corresponding to the arrangement angle, a substantially rectangular cutout 33 bulging outwardly to the extent that the end 32 of the locking piece 21 can be inserted is formed. ing. For example, in the case of FIG.
However, the cutouts 33 are formed at four locations at an angle of 90 °, since they are arranged at four locations at an angle of 90 °.

When mounting the movable connector 16 on the panel 19, first, the terminal accommodating portion 25 of the connector portion 16 is set such that the locking piece 21 of the stopper surface 18 overlaps the notch 33 of the opening 20 of the panel 19. From the back side of the paper toward the front side, that is, from the right side in FIG.
Until it contacts the panel 19 (state (a) in the figure). At this time, the locking piece 21 of the stopper surface 18 protrudes forward of the panel 19 from the paper surface, while the connector portion 17
The flexible arm portion 23 is bent toward the connector portion 17 and the side portion 31 comes into contact with the peripheral edge 34 of the opening 20 of the panel 19 to press the peripheral edge 34 outward.

After the connector 17 is inserted, the movable connector 1
6 the whole, the flexible arm 2 3 during insertion, panel 19
Is rotated by a predetermined angle so as to come to the position of the notch 33 of the opening 20. For example, in the case of FIG. 4, by 45 ° rotation, you can move the flexible arms 23 to the position of the notch portion 33 (the state in FIG. (B)). By such rotation, the end 32 of the locking piece 21 is moved to the opening 20 of the panel 19.
The lower surface of the flexible arm 23 projects outward from the peripheral edge of the notch 33 and contacts the panel 19, and the flexible arm 23 bent toward the connector 17 resiliently returns to the peripheral edge 35 of the notch 33. The portion 31 presses the peripheral edge 35. Here, since the displacement in the rotating direction of the flexible arm 23 is regulated by the side edge 36 of the notch 33, the movable connector 16 can be positioned at the same time.

The movable connector 1 thus mounted
6 has a degree of freedom of displacement in the vertical and horizontal directions in the figure with respect to the plane of the panel 19 by means of the flexible arm portion 23, and when assembling an external device such as a meter, the assembling pressure is applied to the locking piece 21. And the stopper surface 18. By the above series of operations, the movable connector 16
Is mounted on the panel 19.

[0025]

As described above, by using the movable connector according to the present invention, the wiring inside and outside the panel can be easily and reliably rotated by inserting the movable connector into the panel opening and rotating. Can be done. In particular, the direction in which the movable connector is attached to the panel is a direction in which the wire connection portion of the connector portion is inserted into the panel opening from the side on which the connection terminal with the external device is formed, with the wire connection portion of the connector portion being the rear end. When assembling to a panel such as a meter or a lamp, as shown in FIG. 8, as shown in FIG. The panel P can be mounted on the panel P by rotating in contact with the opening O of the panel P toward the passenger compartment side A. At this time, the connecting portion C can be mounted on the panel P from the vehicle body side B without having to pull out the connecting portion C from the opening O of the panel P as in the related art.

As described above, since the movable connector can be mounted on the panel from the vehicle body side, the connector portion is connected to the bracket portion when connecting the connector, which is a problem that the conventional two-member movable connector has. To increase the number of operations for attaching to the vehicle body, and to eliminate the complexity of the operation of once pulling out the electric wire on the vehicle body side B from the panel opening to the vehicle interior side A, and assembling the meter and lamp to the panel. Can be simplified, and the robot can be automatically assembled.

Further, since the movable connector having the above structure according to the present invention is formed integrally, the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with the conventional one having a two-member structure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a movable connector according to the present invention;
It is a figure for explaining a mounting method to a panel.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the movable connector shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the movable connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a method of mounting the movable connector according to the present invention on a panel.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a connector portion of a conventional movable connector having a two-member structure.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a bracket of a conventional movable connector having a two-member structure.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which a conventional movable connector having a two-member structure is mounted on a panel.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the assembling of a vehicle meter to an instrument panel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector part 2 Flange part 3 Connector body part 4 Meter fitting part 5 Locking piece 6 Bracket part 7 Substrate 8 Bracket opening 9 Frame 10 Clip 11 Locking arm 12 Panel 13 Panel opening 14 Electric wire 15 Meter 16 Movable connector 17 Connector portion 18 Stopper surface 19 Panel 20 Panel opening 21 Locking piece 22 Missing portion 23 Flexible arm portion 24 Connection terminal 25 Terminal accommodating portion 26 Electric wire 27 Electric wire introduction portion 28 Inlet 29 Side wall 30 Arm top 31 Arm side 32 Locking One End 33 Notch 34 Panel Opening Edge 35 Notch Perimeter 36 Notch Side Edge

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A movable connector which is attached to an opening formed in a panel and connects devices inside and outside the panel, wherein the movable connector has a terminal having a connection terminal with an external terminal at one end of a housing. The housing portion and the other end include a connector portion in which a wire introduction portion of a wire harness is formed, and a stopper surface protruding from an outer peripheral wall surface of the connector portion, and the stopper surface has the panel opening . Outside
A plurality of locking pieces that are inserted through the cutouts swelling in the direction and engage with the peripheral edge of the panel opening; and a stopper located between the locking pieces and the outer peripheral wall surface of the connector portion. towards the Mengaishu end is formed with missing portions that open, also in the connector portion, said through said missing portion stopper
Elastically deflectable <br/> flexible arm portion is provided within該欠penetration point with protruding from tapered surface, the flexible arm portion is disposed on said missing portion elastic polarized
When the locking piece is biased, the locking piece is
A movable connector that transitions to and engages with the periphery of the portion .