JP3755418B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, among waterproof connectors, those described in EP, 1005110, A2 are known as having a front retainer having a function of preventing terminal metal from being detached. In this case, when the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity of the housing, the cantilevered lance projecting from the inner surface of the cavity is once bent and then returned to be locked to the terminal fitting, and then the front side of the housing When the front retainer is assembled from the front, the bending restricting portion of the front retainer enters the bending space of the lance so that inadvertent bending deformation of the lance can be restricted.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, for example, when a stronger retaining force is required as the connector is downsized, it is conceivable to employ a side retainer instead of the front retainer. The side retainer has an advantage that it can exert a large locking force as compared with the front retainer by directly locking to the stepped portion of the terminal fitting.
However, when a side retainer is used for the waterproof connector as described above, a retainer mounting hole for inserting the side retainer is provided on the side surface of the housing so as to open to the outside of the side. There was a problem such as a loss of strength, and he was hesitant to adopt it in reality.
The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to employ a side type retainer without providing a side opening in the connector housing.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to a connector housing having a cavity capable of accommodating a terminal fitting, wherein a synthetic resin inner housing is provided in a synthetic resin outer housing that opens forward. Among them, the outer housing is provided with a lance that protrudes from the inner side surface of the cavity so as to be able to bend and deform and is locked to the terminal fitting, while the inner housing has the cavity. A front stop wall capable of supporting the terminal fitting inserted into the front stop state and a tab provided in the front stop wall and provided on the terminal fitting or a mating terminal of the terminal fitting is allowed. And the end of the inner housing in a stage before the inner housing is assembled into the outer housing from the front. From the side which intersects the inserting direction of the bracket and projects into the cavity and capable of engaging the retainer is assembled to the terminal fitting, the outer housing has a portion of said cavity, said from behind A terminal insertion part into which a terminal metal fitting can be inserted is provided, and a plurality of the lances are provided to protrude forward from a front end surface of the terminal insertion part, and each lance is provided in the terminal insertion part. The inner housing is surrounded by a cylindrical portion, whereas a cylindrical cavity peripheral wall that surrounds a portion of the terminal fitting that protrudes forward from the lance protrudes rearward from the front stop wall. It is characterized by the configuration provided .
[0005]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the lance and the through hole are arranged side by side along a bending direction of the lance, and a side surface of the lance has a bending direction of the lance. A release operation piece protruding in an intersecting direction is provided, and a jig for pressing the release operation piece can be inserted into the front stop wall to release the locked state of the lance with respect to the terminal fitting. A special release hole has a feature in that it is formed at a position shifted from the through hole in the protruding direction of the release operation piece.
[0006]
[Action and effect of the invention]
<Invention of Claim 1>
First, the retainer is assembled to the inner housing, and the assembled assembly is assembled into the outer housing from the front. Thereby, the opening part for assembling a retainer is not formed in the side surface of an outer housing, but the effect that the intensity | strength of a connector housing can be kept high is acquired. The terminal fitting inserted into the cavity is doubly locked by the lance and the retainer, and is held in a state of being prevented from coming out of the cavity.
In the present invention, since the lance is provided on the outer housing side and the front stop wall is provided on the inner housing side, the hole edge portion of the through hole that supports the tab provided on the terminal fitting or the mating terminal of the terminal fitting Can be secured. If the lance and the front stop wall are provided in the inner housing, a die-cutting hole for forming the lance is formed in the front stop wall, and this die-cutting hole is a through-hole through which the tab is inserted. If it is formed in communication with the hole, the hole edge portion of the through hole is cut out accordingly. On the other hand, according to the present invention, since the hole edge portion of the through hole can be sufficiently secured, the tab provided on the terminal fitting can be supported so as not to move, and the tab provided on the counterpart terminal penetrates. The insertion operation when inserted into the cavity through the hole can be smoothly guided.
[0007]
<Invention of Claim 2>
With the inner housing assembled to the outer housing, a jig is inserted into the release hole, and the release operation piece is pressed to release the lance locked to the terminal fitting. Removal work can be performed easily. Since the release hole is disposed at a position shifted from the through hole in a direction crossing the bending direction of the lance, a hole edge portion of the through hole that supports the tab can be secured.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, a male connector having a waterproof function is shown. As shown in FIG. 8, the male connector includes a connector housing 20 having a cavity 21 that can accommodate the male terminal fitting 10. The connector housing 20 includes an outer housing 22 and an inner housing 23 that is assembled inside the outer housing 22. In addition, a retainer 36 for locking the male terminal fitting 10 is mounted on the inner housing 23 side. As shown in FIG. 6, the cavities 21 are provided side by side along the width direction, and are divided into two parts on the outer housing 22 side and the inner housing 23 side in the front-rear direction. In the following, the insertion direction of the male terminal fitting 10 with respect to the connector housing 20 is the front.
[0009]
First, the male terminal fitting 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the male terminal fitting 10 is formed by pressing a metal plate, and has a substantially rectangular tube-shaped main body portion 11, a tab 12 protruding forward from the main body portion 11, and a main body. An insulation barrel 15 that protrudes rearward from the portion 11 and is crimped and connected to the core of the electric wire W, and an insulation barrel 15 that protrudes rearward and is attached to a waterproof rubber plug 14 that is fitted to the end of the covering of the electric wire W. And. The waterproof rubber plug 14 can waterproof the inside of the cavity 21 by being in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the rear portion (substantially circular portion 21B) of the cavity 21. A locking hole 16 that can lock the lance 28 is formed in the lower wall of the main body 11 shown in FIG. 1, and a locking projection 38 of the retainer 36 is locked at the rear end of the upper wall. A possible locked step 17 is provided.
[0010]
The outer housing 22 made of synthetic resin has a part of the cavity 21, a terminal insertion portion 24 into which the male terminal fitting 10 can be inserted from the rear, and a substantially square cylindrical tube portion that surrounds the periphery and opens forward. 25. The terminal insertion portion 24 is provided with a partition wall 26 that divides each cavity 21, and, of the cavities 21, a rear lower half shown in FIG. 1 in a substantially rectangular portion 21 </ b> A that houses the main body portion 11 and the wire barrel 13. A substantially circular portion 21B that accommodates the waterproof rubber plug 14 and the insulation barrel 15 is formed on the front and rear sides (see FIG. 8). Accordingly, the front portion of the terminal insertion portion 24 is open forward and upward, and the inner housing 23 having the remaining portion of the cavity 21 is fitted into the opening portion. As shown in FIG. 2, both end portions in the width direction front portion of the terminal insertion portion 24 are formed by notching each other while leaving a hook portion 27 capable of locking the holding projection 45 of the inner housing 23. The hook portion 27 also serves as the side wall of the cavity 21 at both ends in the width direction.
[0011]
Six cantilevered lances 28 that can be locked in the locked holes 16 of the main body 11 protrude from the position corresponding to the cavities 21 on the front end surface of the terminal insertion portion 24, respectively. Yes. As shown in FIG. 1, each lance 28 is inclined obliquely upward toward the tip so as to protrude into the cavity 21, and can be bent and deformed along the vertical direction of FIGS. ing. In addition, the main-body part 11 of the male terminal metal fitting 10 is accommodated in the state which made the front-end part protrude further ahead of the lance 28 (refer FIG. 8). From each side of the lance 28 on the back side in FIG. 2 (right side in FIG. 3), a release operation piece 29 is provided to project to the back side in FIG. 2 along the width direction (direction perpendicular to the bending direction of the lance 28). It has been. The release operation piece 29 is connected to the side surface of the lance 28 over almost the entire length and to the front end face of the terminal insertion portion 24. A predetermined gap is secured between the release operation piece 29 and the lance 28 adjacent to the back side in FIG.
[0012]
The cylinder part 25 is connected to the terminal insertion part 24 by a connection part protruding in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal insertion part 24. The cylindrical portion 25 is formed such that the rear end position thereof is aligned with the terminal insertion portion 24, while the front portion projects forward from the front end position of the terminal insertion portion 24. It is twice as large. A predetermined interval is secured between the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 25 and the outer peripheral surface of the terminal insertion portion 24.
[0013]
The inner housing 23 is made of a synthetic resin, and can be fitted into the cylindrical portion 25 of the outer housing 22 and surrounds the front portion of the terminal insertion portion 24 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It can be assembled. The inner housing 23 is provided with a partition wall 30 that can be aligned with the partition wall 26 on the terminal insertion portion 24 side so as to partition the cavities 21, and the front portion of the substantially rectangular portion 21 </ b> A (the lance 28 of the lance 28). A front portion from the base position) and a rear upper half shown in FIG. 1 are formed. Among these, the front portion of the substantially rectangular portion 21 </ b> A of the cavity 21 is in contact with the receiving wall 31 that receives the lower surface side of the main body 11 protruding forward from the lance 28 and the front surface of the main body 11. A front wall 32 that stops is provided (see FIG. 8). Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the part inserted between the lance 28 of the terminal insertion part 24 and the release | release operation piece 29 of the back | inner side among the partition 30 is formed thinly. Further, a space for allowing the lance 28 to bend and deformed is secured by a predetermined height between the lance 28 and the lower wall of the inner housing 23 inserted below the lance 28 shown in FIG. (See FIG. 8).
[0014]
The front wall 32 is provided with a through hole 33 for inserting the tab 12 of the male terminal fitting 10 so that the cavity 21 is opened forward. The tab 12 inserted through the through-hole 33 is supported so as not to be movable up and down and left and right by coming into contact with the hole edge portion of the through-hole 33. As shown in FIG. 3, the through hole 33 is disposed at a position aligned with the lance 28 along the vertical direction (the bending direction of the lance 28). In the front wall 32, there is a release hole at a position shifted in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the bending direction of the lance 28) from the through hole 33 and aligned with the release operation piece 29 protruding from the lance 28. 34 is drilled. A release operation piece 29 is exposed to the front and outside through the release hole 34, and a lance release jig (not shown) for pressing the release operation piece 29 is forward in the release hole 34. Can be inserted.
[0015]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a retainer mounting hole 35 that can be assembled by inserting a retainer 36 from the side is provided in the rear portion of the inner housing 23 in the width direction (perpendicular to the insertion direction of the male terminal fitting 10 into the cavity 21. (Through direction). The retainer 36 includes an elongated plate-shaped base 37 along the retainer mounting hole 35, and five locking protrusions 38 protrude downward on the lower surface side of the base 37 in FIG. Are provided respectively. On the front surface of the front end of the retainer 36 with respect to the inner housing 23 with respect to the inner housing 23, a piece-shaped operation protrusion 39 is provided to protrude forward. The operation protrusion 39 is disposed so as to be exposed to the outside of the front through an opening 41 provided in the upper portion of the inner housing 23 so as to open forward. A retainer operation jig (not shown) is provided from the front. For example, a pressing operation in the width direction is possible (see FIG. 7).
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 2, two retaining recesses 40 are formed side by side in the width direction on the front and rear surfaces of the retainer 36 on the rear side in the assembly direction, and these retaining recesses 40 are formed in the retainer mounting holes 35. By being locked by the holding protrusion (not shown), the retainer 36 is held at two positions, a temporary locking position on the near side in the assembling direction and a main locking position on the far side in the assembling direction. And can be moved between two positions along the width direction. When the retainer 36 is disposed at the temporary locking position, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the locking protrusions 38 are retracted to the sides of the cavities 21 and are positioned at positions where they are aligned with the partition walls 26 and 30. This allows the male terminal fitting 10 to be inserted into and removed from the cavity 21. When the retainer 36 is disposed at the main locking position, as shown in FIG. 8, the locking projections 38 enter the cavities 21 and are engaged with the locked step portions 17 of the male terminal fitting 10. It has come to be stopped.
[0017]
On both side walls in the width direction of the rear part of the inner housing 23, slits 42 having an elongated shape are formed along the front-rear direction below the retainer mounting holes 35 by a predetermined distance, so that the both-end holding arms 43 are formed. Each is provided. The holding arm 43 can be elastically deformed along the width direction with two connecting portions on the side wall as front and rear fulcrums. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a concave portion 44 is formed on the outer surface of the holding arm 43 so that the holding arm 43 is thinner than the side wall, so that the holding arm 43 is easily bent.
[0018]
Of the inner surfaces of the holding arms 43, holding protrusions 45 are provided at the positions closer to the rear than the center position in the front-rear direction so as to protrude inward. The front end surfaces of the holding projections 45 are locked to the rear end surface of the hooking portion 27 of the terminal insertion portion 24, so that the inner housing 23 is assembled to the outer housing 22 as shown in FIG. It is supposed to be retained. A taper surface 46 is formed on the rear surface of the holding projection 45 to facilitate the operation of the holding projection 45 on the hook 27. The taper surface 46 can be slidably brought into contact with the side surface of the male terminal fitting 10 inserted into the cavity 21 to guide the insertion operation. Further, the front wall 32 is formed with a die cutting hole for punching the holding projection 45.
[0019]
Next, the procedure for assembling the male connector will be described in detail. 2 and 3, the retainer 36 is inserted into the retainer mounting hole 35 from the side of the inner housing 23, and as shown in FIG. 1, the retainer 36 is assembled to the temporary locking position. Thereafter, the retainer 36 and the inner housing 23 that are unitized are inserted into the cylindrical portion 25 of the outer housing 22 from the front. After the holding projection 45 of the inner housing 23 rides on the hook portion 27 and the holding arm 43 is bent outward and deformed, when the inner housing 23 is fitted to the normal depth, as shown in FIG. After the elastic return, the front end surface of the holding projection 45 is locked to the rear end surface of the hook portion 27. As a result, the inner housing 23 assembled with the retainer 36 is assembled in the outer housing 22 so as not to be detached, and the cavity 21 that can accommodate the male terminal fitting 10 is formed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, each release operation piece 29 is exposed forward via each release hole 34.
[0020]
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5, the male terminal fitting 10 is inserted into each cavity 21 from the rear. In the insertion process, the tab 12 is inserted into the through-hole 33 and protrudes forward, and the lower portion of the front end of the main body 11 presses the lance 28, whereby the lance 28 is once elastically deformed downward. When the male terminal fitting 10 is inserted to a normal depth, the lance 28 is elastically restored and enters the locked hole 16 of the main body 11 and is locked to the front portion of the hole edge (see FIG. 8). . Thereby, the primary locking of the male terminal fitting 10 is achieved. At this time, since the tab 12 is supported by the hole edge portion of the through-hole 33 so as not to move freely, for example, even when a foreign matter that has entered the cylinder portion 25 hits the tab 12, the tab 12 is deformed. It can prevent as much as possible. Further, the lower surface of the main body 11 is received by the receiving wall 31, and the front end surface of the main body 11 is brought into contact with the front wall 32, so that the male terminal fitting 10 is supported in a front stopped state.
[0021]
Thereafter, for example, a retainer operating jig (not shown) is inserted into the cylindrical portion 25 from the front and outside, and the operating projection 39 of the retainer 36 is pressed in the width direction, so that the retainer 36 is moved to the full locking position. Move (see FIG. 7). When the retainer 36 is moved to the final locking position, as shown in FIG. 8, each locking projection 38 enters the cavity 21 and is locked to the locked step 17 of the main body 11. Thereby, the secondary locking of the male terminal fitting 10 is achieved. Thereafter, a mating female connector (not shown) is fitted into the cylindrical portion 25 of the male connector. At the same time as the fitting, the seal ring mounted on the female connector side comes into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 25 so that waterproofing between the two connectors is achieved.
[0022]
On the other hand, when the male terminal fitting 10 is removed from the connector housing 20 due to maintenance or the like, for example, a retainer operation jig is inserted into the cylindrical portion 25 from the front, and the operation protrusion 39 of the retainer 36 is moved in the width direction. By pressing, the retainer 36 is moved from the main locking position to the temporary locking position (see FIG. 7). As a result, the locked state of the locking projection 38 of the retainer 36 with respect to the locked stepped portion 17 is released. Thereafter, the lance 28 is retracted from the locked hole 16 by pressing the release operation piece 29 of the lance 28 downward while inserting, for example, a lance release jig (not shown) into the release hole 34 from the front. The locking state of the lance 28 with respect to the locked hole 16 is released by bending and deforming. The male terminal fitting 10 is pulled out from the cavity 21 by pulling the electric wire W while keeping the lance 28 in the released posture.
[0023]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the retainer 36 is assembled to the inner housing 23 first, and the assembled assembly is assembled in the outer housing 22. No part is formed. That is, if the connector housing 20 is formed by integrating the inner housing 23 and the outer housing 22, an opening for assembling the retainer 36 is provided on the side surface of the connector housing 20. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, such an opening is not formed, and the strength of the connector housing 20 and the waterproofness of the male connector can be kept high.
[0024]
Moreover, since the lance 28 is provided on the outer housing 22 side and the front wall 32 is provided on the inner housing 23 side, the hole edge portion of the through hole 33 that supports the tab 12 can be sufficiently secured. If both the lance 28 and the front wall 32 are provided on the inner housing 23 side, a die punching hole for forming the lance 28 is formed in the front wall 32, and this die punching hole penetrates. When the hole 33 is formed in communication, the hole edge portion of the through-hole 33 is cut out accordingly. On the other hand, according to this embodiment, the hole edge part (lower part of FIG. 1) of the through-hole 33 can fully be ensured, and the tab 12 can be reliably supported so as not to float.
[0025]
Furthermore, since the disposition position of the release hole 34 is shifted from the through hole 33 in a direction orthogonal to the bending direction of the lance 28, the hole edge portion of the through hole 33 can be sufficiently secured. If the release hole 34 is arranged in the front wall 32 at a position in front of the lance 28 (position along the bending direction of the lance 28), the release hole 34 is formed to communicate with the through hole 33, and the through hole The hole edge part 33 (lower part of FIG. 1) is notched. On the other hand, according to this embodiment, the hole edge portion of the through hole 33 can be sufficiently secured, and the tab 12 can be reliably supported.
[0026]
<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the inner housing is shown to be held by the holding protrusion engaging with the hook portion with respect to the outer housing. For example, the inner housing is connected to the terminal insertion portion of the outer housing. Those that are press-fitted and held between the cylindrical portions are also included in the present invention.
[0027]
(2) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the cavity is divided into the outer housing side and the inner housing side is shown. However, the cavity is provided only on the outer housing side, and only the front wall is provided on the inner housing side. However, such a thing is also included in the present invention.
(3) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the release hole is disposed at a position shifted in the width direction with respect to the through-hole is shown. However, for example, when there is a request to downsize the connector in the width direction. The release operation piece may be omitted and the release hole may be formed in communication with the through hole, and such a configuration is also included in the present invention.
[0028]
(4) In the above-described embodiment, the male connector is shown. However, the present invention can also be applied to the female connector. In that case, the tab of the mating male terminal disposed on the mating male connector of the female connector is inserted into the through hole in the front wall on the female connector side with the fitting operation of both connectors. . Therefore, by sufficiently securing the hole edge portion of the through hole, it is possible to smoothly guide the insertion operation of the tab of the mating male terminal when both connectors are fitted.
(5) In the above-described embodiment, the male connector having a waterproof function has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to a non-waterproof type connector.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded side sectional view of a male connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view of an outer housing, an inner housing, and a retainer. 4] Side view of the inner housing and the retainer as viewed from the front side of the retainer in the assembly direction. [FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional plan view of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a front view of FIG. 5. FIG. Explanation】
10 ... Male terminal fitting (terminal fitting)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Tab 20 ... Connector housing 21 ... Cavity 22 ... Outer housing 23 ... Inner housing 28 ... Lance 29 ... Release operation piece 32 ... Front wall (front stop wall)
33 ... Through hole 34 ... Release hole 36 ... Retainer

Claims (2)

A connector housing having a housing capable of cavity terminal fittings is configured to assemble the synthetic resin of the inner housing made of a synthetic resin outer housing which opens forward, to the one outer housing of said cavity A lance projecting from a side surface so as to be deformable and locked to the terminal fitting is provided, while the inner housing is provided with a front stop capable of supporting the terminal fitting inserted into the cavity in a front-stopped state. A wall and a through hole formed in the front stop wall to allow insertion of a tab provided in the terminal fitting or a mating terminal of the terminal fitting, and the inner housing is disposed in the outer housing. Before entering the cavity from the side that intersects the insertion direction of the terminal fitting. And lockable retainer is assembled to the terminal fitting Te,
The outer housing has a part of the cavity and is provided with a terminal insertion part into which the terminal fitting can be inserted from the rear, and a plurality of the lances are arranged forward from the front end surface of the terminal insertion part. While protruding and provided, each lance is collectively surrounded by a cylindrical portion provided in the terminal insertion portion,
The connector is characterized in that the inner housing is provided with a cylindrical cavity peripheral wall that surrounds a portion of the terminal fitting that protrudes forward from the lance so as to protrude rearward from the front stop wall .   The lance and the through hole are arranged side by side along the bending direction of the lance, and a release operation piece protruding in a direction intersecting the bending direction of the lance is provided on a side surface of the lance. The stop wall has a release hole into which a jig for pressing the release operation piece to release the locked state of the lance with respect to the terminal fitting is inserted into the through hole. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is formed at a position shifted in the protruding direction.

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