JP4826501B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

Conventionally, a connector having a fitting detection function is known. For example, the connector described in Patent Document 1 is moved from the standby position to the detection position only when both connector housings are properly fitted into one of the male and female connector housings that can be fitted and detached. A detection member that is allowed to move is attached. This detection member has a portion that largely protrudes from the rear surface of one connector housing at the standby position, and is moved from the standby position to the detection position in the same direction (forward) as the fitting direction of one connector housing. In the position, it has a portion projecting small from the rear surface of one connector housing.
JP 2004-63090 A

  If both connector housings are in a semi-fitted state that has not yet been properly fitted, even if the detection member is pushed in the same direction as the fitting direction of one of the connector housings to reach the detection position, the detection member The pushing operation is restricted by interfering with the rear end of the lock arm formed in one connector housing. However, since the amount of change from the standby position to the detection position is small, it is difficult to clearly determine whether the detection member has reached the detection position, and both connector housings are left in the half-fitted state. There is a fear.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent the two connector housings from being left in a half-fitted state.

As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that one of the pair of connector housings that can be fitted to and detached from each other is in a standby state when both connector housings are not fitted. A detection member that is allowed to move to a detection position in a state in which both connector housings are normally fitted is mounted, and the detection member is moved from the standby position toward the detection position. The one connector housing is moved in the same direction as the fitting direction of the other connector housing, and the one connector housing is formed with a temporary locking portion for holding the detection member at the standby position, and the detection member is moved to the standby state. A temporary locking portion that is held at a temporary stop position on the way from the position to the detection position is formed, and the other connector housing includes the detection member and A release portion for releasing the locked state with the temporary locking portion is formed, and the detection member is engaged with the other connector housing after being released from the temporary locking portion by the release portion. Accordingly, the present invention is characterized in that it automatically reaches the temporary stop position and is moved from the temporary stop position to the detection position by manual operation after the connector housings are fitted together .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the one according to the first aspect , the one connector housing includes a lock receiving portion formed on the other connector housing when the two connector housings are properly fitted. The lock arm to be locked is formed to be elastically displaceable, and the temporary lock portion is provided in the lock arm and has a function as a lock body for locking the lock receiving portion. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, when the detection member reaches the detection position, the temporary locking portion restricts displacement of the detection member in the pull-out direction. It has a feature in that it has a function as a retaining portion.

<Invention of Claim 1>
After both connector housings are fitted, when the detection member mounted on one connector housing is moved to the detection position, if both connector housings are in the half-fitted state, the detection member moves to the detection position. Due to the fact that the direction is the same as the fitting direction of the other connector housing, one connector housing is separated from the other connector housing as the detection member moves. Therefore, both connector housings are clearly separated without being left in the half-fitted state.

And since the detection member passes through the temporary stop position on the way from the standby position to the detection position, it is inadvertent even if the locking state with the temporary locking portion is released by the releasing portion during the fitting of both connector housings. Therefore, it is possible to stop at a pause position with a sense of moderation. In addition, since the detection member is automatically reached with the mating operation with the other connector housing from the standby position to the temporary stop position, manual operation during that time is not required, but temporary stop Since it is moved manually from the position to the detection position, a movement operation to the detection position after fitting is obligatory.

<Invention of Claim 2 >
Since the temporary locking portion also has a function as a lock body that locks the lock receiving portion in the lock arm, the configuration can be simplified as compared with the case where the lock body is provided independently.

<Invention of Claim 3 >
Since the temporary locking portion also functions as a retaining portion that prevents the detection member from coming off, the configuration can be simplified as compared with the case where the retaining portion is provided independently.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector of the present embodiment is a pair of male and female connector housings that can be fitted to and detached from each other, and a female connector housing among them (hereinafter referred to as “one connector housing” in the present invention. And a detection member 60 to be mounted. The detection member 60 is sequentially moved from the standby position to the detection position via the temporary stop position with respect to the female housing 10. In the following description, in the front-rear direction, the fitting surface side of both connector housings is the front, and the detection member 60 is in accordance with the front-rear reference on the female housing 10 side.

  The male connector housing (the “other connector housing” in the present invention, hereinafter simply referred to as the male housing 40) is made of synthetic resin, and is arranged at the rear end as shown in FIGS. A rectangular plate-like base 41 and a cylindrical hood 42 projecting forward from the front surface of the base 41 are configured. A square pin-shaped male tab 45 is inserted through the base 41 in two upper and lower stages, and a front portion of the male tab 45 is disposed so as to protrude into the hood portion 42. A lock receiving portion 43 that can be elastically locked to the lock arm 17 on the female housing 10 side is projected from a substantially central portion in the width direction of the outer peripheral upper surface of the hood portion 42. In addition, on the upper surface of the outer periphery of the hood portion 42, release portions 44 are provided on both sides of the lock receiving portion 43 to release the locked state between the detection member 60 and the female housing 10 at the standby position. . The front surface of the release portion 44 is a release surface that is cut substantially vertically, while the rear surface of the release portion 44 is an inclined surface that is inclined downward toward the rear.

  The female housing 10 is made of a synthetic resin, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the female housing 10 has a block shape as a whole, and covers the terminal accommodating portion 11 fitted in the hood portion 42 and the periphery of the terminal accommodating portion 11. It is provided with a substantially cylindrical covering portion 12 and a connecting portion 13 that connects the covering portion 12 and the terminal accommodating portion 11 at the rear end, and between the covering portion 12 and the terminal accommodating portion 11 in front of the connecting portion 13. In addition, a gap through which the peripheral wall of the hood portion 42 enters is retained. The terminal accommodating portion 11 is formed with upper and lower two-stage cavities 14 at positions corresponding to the mating male tabs 45, and the female terminal fittings 15 connected to the ends of the electric wires 90 from the rear are inserted into the cavities 14. Is done.

  A bulging portion 16 bulges out in a substantially arc shape at a substantially central portion in the width direction of the upper wall of the cover portion 12. A lock receiving portion 43 is formed between the bulging portion 16 and the terminal accommodating portion 11. A lock arm 17 is arranged to lock the two housings 10 and 40 in the fitted state (disengagement restricted state). The inner space of the bulging portion 16 is an assembly space 18 in which the detection member 60 is assembled while allowing the lock arm 17 to bend. An escape recess 19 that allows the operation portion 61 of the detection member 60 to enter is cut out at the front end portion of the bulging portion 16, and a pair of left and right pressing portions 21 that form a substantially square plate shape is escaped in the recess 19. Is formed to protrude. Both pressing portions 21 play a role of substantially double-locking the housings 10 and 40 by restricting the bending operation of the lock arm 17 by pressing the detection member 60 reaching the detection position from above.

  A pair of left and right guide grooves 22 are recessed in the front-rear direction in a substantially front half portion of the inner peripheral surface of the bulging portion 16, and the mounting operation of the detection member 60 is guided along the guide grooves 22. It is like that. In addition, a pair of left and right recesses 23 are formed in the substantially rear half of the inner peripheral surface of the bulging portion 16 by notching the lower side thereof, and as shown in FIG. In addition, a hooking portion 24 is formed in which the rear end of the guide groove 22 faces and the detection member 60 is hooked and locked at the standby position.

  The lock arm 17 has a fulcrum portion 25 connected at substantially the same position in the front and rear directions of the connecting portion 13 on the upper surface of the terminal accommodating portion 11, and a swingable and displaceable (elastically displaceable) direction via the fulcrum portion 25. And an elongated arm portion 26. The fulcrum part 25 is erected in a pair on both sides in the width direction of the arm part 26, and is sandwiched between both fulcrum parts 25 at the substantially central part in the width direction of the arm part 26 as shown in FIGS. A slot-like lock groove 27 is formed in the front-rear direction. A temporary locking portion 28 is formed on the front end portion of the arm portion 26 so as to extend in the width direction, and the rear surface of the temporary locking portion 28 faces the lock groove 27. A notched portion 29 having a downward slope is formed in a substantially central portion in the width direction at the front end of the upper surface of the temporary locking portion 28 so as to be inclined forward.

  The arm portion 26 is formed with a guide portion 31 that is behind the temporary locking portion 28 and crosses the lock groove 27 and guides the detection member 60 to the temporary stop position. Furthermore, the arm portion 26 is formed with a form that is behind the guide portion 31 and crosses the lock groove 27 and that holds the detection member 60 that has reached the temporary stop position. The temporary locking portion 28, the guide portion 31, and the temporary locking portion 32 are arranged substantially parallel to each other with a space in the front and rear, and the temporary locking portion 28 has the entire thickness of the arm portion 26 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the guide portion 31 is formed in the upper half of the arm portion 26 in the thickness direction, and the temporary locking portion 32 is formed in the lower half of the arm portion 26 in the thickness direction. The rear surface of the temporary locking portion 28, the front surface of the guide portion 31, and the front and rear surfaces of the temporary locking portion 32 are respectively locking surfaces that are cut substantially vertically, while the upper surface of the guide portion 31 faces rearward. The slope is a downward slope.

  The detection member 60 is made of a synthetic resin, and is separate from the female housing 10 and the male housing 40 described above. The detection member 60 is disposed at a position covering the upper side of the lock arm 17 (in the direction away from the lock receiving portion 43) and is displaced following the lock arm 17 in the process of fitting the two housings 10 and 40, while the two housings 10 , 40 is moved to the detection position to restrict the bending operation of the lock arm 17. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the detection member 60 includes an operation part 61 extending in the width direction, a pair of left and right leg parts 62 projecting rearward from both ends of the operation part 61, and the leg parts 62. And a connecting portion 63 that bridges the intermediate portion. A substantially second half portion of the upper surface of the operation portion 61 is a step portion 64 that gradually increases as it goes rearward, and a substantially front half portion of the upper surface of the operation portion 61 is a receiving portion 65 that has a horizontal plane shape. It is covered and pressed by the pressing part 21.

  The leg portion 62 has a rectangular bar shape elongated in the front-rear direction, and the connecting portion 63 has a rectangular bar shape elongated in the width direction, and can be elastically bent in the vertical direction. Then, at a position near the operation portion 61 on the lower surface of both legs 62, a released portion 66 that slides with the release portion 44 and tilts and displaces the detection member 60 in the standby position in the unlocking direction protrudes downward. Is formed. The front surface of the to-be-released portion 66 is an inclined surface that is inclined upward so as to be slidable with the releasing portion 44. Further, the front ends (rear ends) of the both leg portions 62 are configured to protrude to the left and right sides after being lowered by one step, and are hooked and locked to the hook portion 24 at the standby position, thereby moving the detection member 60 forward. A pair of left and right hooked portions 67 that form a stopper are formed.

  At the substantially central portion in the width direction on the lower surface of the connecting portion 63, the detection member 60 is in a movement restricted state at each of the standby position, the temporary stop position, and the detection position relative to the lock arm 17 (female housing 10). A latch receiving portion 68 to be retained is formed so as to protrude downward. Specifically, the lock receiving portion 68 is disposed between the temporary lock portion 28 and the guide portion 31 in the standby position and abuts against both the front and rear portions 28 and 31 to detect the detection member with respect to the lock arm 17. 60 is held in the movement restricted state at the standby position, and is arranged between the guide portion 31 and the temporary locking portion 32 at the temporary stop position, and hits both the front and rear portions 31, 32, thereby preventing the lock arm 17 from moving. The detection member 60 is held in the movement restricted state at the temporary stop position, and the detection member 60 is detected with respect to the lock arm 17 by the front surface of the detection member 60 contacting the front and rear of the temporary locking portion 32 at the detection position. Hold it in a position that prevents it from slipping forward at the position.

  Further, the latch receiving portion 68 allows the tilting of the detection member 60 between the temporary lock portion 28 and the guide portion 31 when the detection member 60 starts moving from the standby position to the temporary stop position. On the other hand, during the movement of the detection member 60 from the standby position toward the temporary stop position, the inclined surface of the guide portion 31 is slid while maintaining the inclination posture of the detection member 60. The lower surface of the latch receiving portion 68 includes an inclined surface that is inclined upward toward the rear, and this inclined surface facilitates the ride-up operation of the latch receiving portion 68 on the guide portion 31 and the temporary operation of the latch receiving portion 68. The locked state with the locking portion 32 can be easily released manually.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
First, the detection member 60 is assembled to the female housing 10. In assembling, the detection member 60 is advanced from the front into the assembling space 18 of the female housing 10, and the hooked portion 67 is fitted into the guide groove 22 while the width of the leg 62 is reduced. In the process in which the detection member 60 moves to the standby position, the latch receiving portion 68 of the detection member 60 slides on the notch 29 of the lock arm 17 and elastically displaces the lock arm 17 downwardly. When the detection member 60 reaches the standby position, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 17, the hooked portion 67 is hooked and locked to the hooking portion 24 by the return operation of the leg portion 62, and the lock arm 17 is By the returning operation, the latch receiving portion 68 is fitted between the temporary latch portion 28 and the guide portion 31, and the detection member 60 is held in the movement restricted state. In this standby position, the operation portion 61 of the detection member 60 is arranged to protrude forward from the front surface of the female housing 10.

  After the detection member 60 is assembled, the female housing 10 is fitted to the mating male housing 40 along the direction of the arrow in FIGS. 8, 14, and 17. In the initial stage of fitting, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 15, the released portion 66 of the detection member 60 slides with the release portion 44 of the male housing 40, and the entire detection member 60 has the latch receiving portion 68. It tilts forward (backward) as a fulcrum. When the fitting operation proceeds as it is, the released portion 66 rides on the upper end of the release portion 44, and then the inclined surface of the latch receiving portion 68 rides on the upper end of the guide portion 31. When the fitting operation further proceeds, as shown in FIG. 10, the to-be-released portion 66 goes down the inclined surface of the releasing portion 44, and the latch receiving portion 68 goes down the inclined surface of the guide portion 31. In contrast, a propulsive force toward the temporary stop position is applied.

Further, in the process in which the locking receiving portion 68 moves down the inclined surface of the guide portion 31 in parallel with the swinging displacement of the detection member 60, the temporary locking portion 28 of the lock arm 17 is connected to the male housing 40 as shown in FIG. And the lock arm 17 swings and displaces forwardly (downwardly).
Thus, when the detection member 60 automatically reaches the temporary stop position, the detection member 60 returns to the original horizontal posture, and accordingly, the locking receiving portion 68 is fitted between the guide portion 31 and the temporary locking portion 32. Thus, the detection member 60 is held in the movement restricted state. At this temporary stop position, the entire operation portion 61 of the detection member 60 enters the escape recess 19 of the female housing 10, and the upper end of the inclined surface of the engagement receiving portion 68 is at the upper end of the front surface of the temporary engagement portion 32. It will come.

  At the same time or slightly after the detection member 60 reaches the temporary stop position, as shown in FIG. 12, the lock arm 17 returns to the original horizontal posture, and accordingly, the lock receiving portion is inserted into the lock groove 27 of the lock arm 17. 43 is fitted, and the rear surface of the temporary locking portion 28 and the rear surface of the lock receiving portion 43 abut on each other along the fitting orthogonal direction, whereby both housings 10 and 40 are firmly locked in the disengagement restricted state. When the housings 10 and 40 are properly fitted in this way, both male and female terminal fittings are connected so as to be conductive at a normal depth.

  Subsequently, the detection member 60 is moved to the detection position side in order to confirm whether or not the two housings 10 and 40 are properly fitted. In the moving operation, the detection member 60 at the temporary stop position is manually pushed in the same direction as the fitting direction of the male housing 40, in other words, the same direction as the detaching direction of the female housing 10 while picking the operation portion 61. Then, the latch receiving portion 68 rides on the temporary latching portion 32 while causing the connecting portion 63 to bend by the pushing operation force, and further climbs over the temporary latching portion 32, as shown in FIGS. The detection member 60 reaches the detection position.

  At the detection position, the rear surface of the locking receiving portion 68 locks the rear surface of the temporary locking portion 32, and the detection member 60 is prevented from coming off forward. At this detection position, the holding portion 65 of the detection member 60 covers the holding portion 21 of the female housing 10 to restrict the bending operation of the lock arm 17, and the step 64 of the detection member 60 has a front end of the holding portion 21. Comes into contact with each other, and the detection member 60 is restricted from moving backward further. The operation portion 61 of the detection member 60 at the detection position is displaced to the substantially second half of the escape recess 19, and it can be confirmed that the detection member 60 has reached the detection position by observing this state. When the detection member 60 is displaced to the detection position side in the state where both the housings 10 and 40 are properly fitted in this way, the temporary locking portion 28 of the lock arm 17 is closely contacted with the lock receiving portion 43 side. Needless to say, the locked state of both the members 17 and 43 is not released.

  On the other hand, when both the housings 10 and 40 are kept in the half-fitted state before being properly fitted, if the detection member 60 is pushed from the temporary stop position to the detection position side, the detection member 60 Due to the movement direction to the detection position being the same direction as the direction in which the female housing 10 is detached from the male housing 40, the pushing operation force on the detection member 60 acts in a direction to separate the female housing 10 from the male housing 40. Will be. Then, since the lock arm 17 and the lock receiving portion 43 are not yet in the locked state, the female housing 10 is separated from the male housing 40 side, and the two housings 10 and 40 are separated from each other as shown in FIG. It becomes.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
When both the housings 10 and 40 are in the normal fitting state, when the detection member 60 is pushed to the detection position side, the detection member 60 is brought to the detection position while the fitting state of both the housings 10 and 40 is maintained. Can do.
On the other hand, when both the housings 10 and 40 are in the half-fitted state, if the detection member 60 is pushed into the detection position side, the operation force of the push-in is determined regardless of whether or not the detection member 60 reaches the detection position. The two housings 10 and 40 are separated from each other. Thereby, it can be known clearly and surely that both housings 10 and 40 are in a semi-fitted state. As a result, both housings 10 and 40 can be prevented from being left in a semi-fitted state.

  Further, since the detection member 60 passes through the temporary stop position on the way from the standby position to the detection position, the release member 44 is allowed to be displaced toward the detection position before the housings 10 and 40 are properly fitted. However, the detection position is not inadvertently reached, and is kept at a temporary stop position with a sense of moderation. Further, the detection member 60 is securely held in the retaining state with respect to the female housing 10 at the standby position when both the housings 10 and 40 are not fitted, while when the both housings 10 and 40 are fitted, It is automatically moved from the standby position to the pause position by the fitting operation, and can be easily moved from the pause position to the detection position by manual operation.

  Furthermore, the temporary locking portion 28 serves as a lock body that prevents the detection member 60 in the standby position from coming off forward and that locks with the lock receiving portion 43 side when both housings 10 and 40 are properly fitted. Therefore, the configuration can be simplified as compared with the case where the portions having the respective functions are provided individually. In addition, the temporary locking portion 32 regulates the displacement of the detection member 60 at the temporary stop position to the detection position side (rear) and prevents the detection member 60 at the detection position from moving forward. Therefore, the configuration can be further simplified as compared with the case where portions having the respective functions are provided individually.

<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.
(1) In the above embodiment, the detection member has a locking function for restricting the bending operation of the lock arm by pressing by the pressing portion. However, according to the present invention, the detection member has such a locking function. It may have only a fitting detection function.
(2) At least one of the temporary locking portion, the guide portion, and the temporary locking portion may be provided in a portion of the female housing other than the rocker.
( 3 ) The front surface of the release portion may be an inclined surface and the front surface of the release target portion may be a standing surface, or both the front surface of the release portion and the front surface of the release target portion may be inclined surfaces. In short, any form that can guide the displacement operation of the detection member to the temporary stop position may be used.
( 4 ) There may be no guide part.
( 5 ) The pressing portion may be formed on the male housing side.
( 6 ) The detection member may be assembled on the male housing side.

The perspective view of the connector of Embodiment 1 Perspective view of female housing Top view of female housing Perspective view of male housing Perspective view of detection member Rear view of detection member Rear view of connector Sectional drawing which shows the state before the fitting operation | movement of both housings is started in the position of the XX cross section of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state which the fitting operation of both housings was started and the detection member tilted by the cancellation | release part Sectional drawing which shows the state of the process in which a detection member reaches a temporary stop position in the middle of fitting of both housings Sectional drawing which shows the state which the lock arm tilted by the lock receiving part in the middle of fitting of both housings Sectional view showing the state where both housings are properly fitted Sectional drawing which shows the state which the detection member reached the detection position Sectional drawing which shows the state before the fitting operation | movement of both housings is started in the position of the YY cross section of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state which the fitting operation of both housings was started and the detection member tilted by the cancellation | release part Sectional drawing which shows the state which the detection member reached the detection position Sectional drawing which shows the state before the fitting operation | movement of both housings is started in the position of the ZZ cross section of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10: Female housing (one connector housing)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Terminal accommodating part 12 ... Cover part 17 ... Lock arm 21 ... Pressing part 28 ... Temporary latching part 31 ... Guide part 32 ... Temporary latching part 40 ... Male housing (other connector housing)
42 ... Hood part 43 ... Lock receiving part 44 ... Release part 60 ... Detection member 61 ... Operation part 62 ... Leg part 65 ... Receiving part 66 ... Released part 67 ... Hooked part 68 ... Locking receiving part

Claims (3)

Of a pair of connector housings that can be fitted and detached from each other, one connector housing is in a standby position when both connector housings are not fitted, and a detection position when both connector housings are properly fitted. A detection member that is allowed to move to is installed,
The detection member is moved in the same direction as the fitting direction of the other connector housing toward the detection position after fitting the two connector housings ,
The one connector housing is formed with a temporary locking portion for holding the detection member at the standby position, and temporarily holding the detection member at a temporary stop position on the way from the standby position to the detection position. A locking part is formed,
The other connector housing is formed with a release portion for releasing the locking state between the detection member and the temporary locking portion,
The detection member is automatically disengaged from the temporary locking portion by the release portion and then automatically reaches the temporary stop position in accordance with the fitting operation with the other connector housing. The connector is moved from the pause position to the detection position by a manual operation . In the one connector housing, when both the connector housings are normally fitted, a lock arm that locks a lock receiving portion formed in the other connector housing is formed to be elastically displaceable,
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the temporary locking portion is provided on the lock arm and has a function as a lock body that locks the lock receiving portion . The temporary locking unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it has a function as a retaining portion for the detection member to regulate the displacement of the dropout direction of the detecting member when reaching the detection position Connector described in.

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