JP7384611B2 - Housing and connector - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to housings and connectors.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a resin housing in a connector includes, for example, a lance (flexible locking arm) integrally provided within a cavity (terminal accommodating chamber) of the housing (see Patent Document 1, etc.). The lance as a whole is formed in a slanted shape so that it gradually extends into the cavity toward the front end, and the projecting portion into the cavity is pressed by the female terminal fitting to be inserted. The protruding base end can be used as a fulcrum to bend and deform in a direction intersecting the insertion/extraction direction of the female terminal fitting. During this deflection, the lance retreats into the cavity or into a deflection space secured outside the cavity. When the female terminal fitting is inserted into a predetermined position in the cavity, the lance elastically returns and locks the female terminal fitting, thereby preventing the female terminal fitting from coming off in the opposite direction to the insertion direction (backward withdrawal). .

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-55233

However, since the housing in the conventional connector has a complicated lance shape, it is difficult to manufacture a mold, and the mold manufacturing cost is high. Additionally, there was a problem in that mold maintenance costs were also high.
Further, in the housing of the conventional connector, in order to ensure the engagement of the terminal fitting and the lance, a large space must be secured in the cavity for forming the lance. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is disadvantageous to downsizing the housing and the structure becomes complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a housing and a connector that can eliminate the lance and have a simple structure.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a housing and a connector that can reduce the size of the lance and simplify the structure.

The above object according to the present invention is achieved by the following configuration.
(1) a protrusion formed on one of the partition walls formed on the entire surface of the four sides that partition the terminal storage chamber of the housing and protrudes toward the terminal accommodated in the terminal storage chamber;
The protrusion is formed on the protruding partition wall, and is movable between an approach position and a separation position in which the protrusion locks the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal and prevents the terminal from coming off later. a thin wall portion having flexibility;
A housing characterized by comprising:

According to the housing having the configuration (1) above, the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing is partitioned by partition walls on four sides, and has a substantially similar shape to the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal, which has a rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the insertion direction, for example. A housing space is formed in at least a portion of the housing. When the terminal is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber, the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces of the box-shaped electrical contact portion are close to the four partition walls defining the contact portion accommodating space. One of the four partition walls is integrally molded with a protrusion that projects toward the terminal. The protruding portion is formed with a pressing slope that gradually becomes higher in the direction away from the partition wall in the terminal insertion direction. When the protrusion is pressed by the box-shaped electrical contact part of the terminal into which the pressing slope is inserted, the protrusion bends the thin wall part formed on the partition wall from which the protrusion protrudes, and is pushed to the outside of the terminal accommodation chamber. Displacement is possible. That is, the thin wall portion of the partition wall allows the protrusion to move between an approach position and a separation position with respect to the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal. In the terminal, a locking portion provided on the box-shaped electrical contact portion is locked with a projection portion provided on the thin wall portion, thereby preventing the terminal from coming off later.
Therefore, in the housing having this configuration, it is possible to prevent the terminal from falling out from the terminal accommodating chamber without molding the conventional complicated-shaped lance in the terminal accommodating chamber. In other words, in the housing of this configuration, the lance can be eliminated. The only structure that can replace the lance is a protrusion and a thin wall portion formed on the partition where the protrusion is provided. The protrusion may have a simple convex shape protruding from the partition wall. The thin wall portion can be formed as a thin wall portion that can be easily molded, for example, by making the wall thickness of the partition wall on which the protruding portions protrude thinner than other portions. As a result, in the housing, there is no need to provide a lance formation space and a lance retreat space in the terminal accommodating chamber, and the structure of the terminal accommodating chamber can be significantly simplified compared to the case where a lance is provided. Particularly, in a housing in which a large number of terminal accommodating chambers are arranged in parallel vertically and horizontally, the vertical and horizontal dimensions can be made significantly smaller. Also, eliminating the lance leads to the simplification of the mold. Thereby, according to the housing of this configuration, compared to a conventional housing provided with a lance, it is possible to reduce mold manufacturing costs and mold maintenance costs.

(2) a protrusion formed on a partition wall of a housing that partitions a terminal accommodating chamber and protrudes toward the terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber; and a protrusion formed on the partition wall from which the protrusion protrudes; a thin wall portion having flexibility that is movable between an approach position and a separation position in which the protrusion locks the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal and prevents the terminal from coming off backward; and the protrusion. between a locking position and a non-locking position formed on a partition wall different from the partition wall with a protruding portion, which locks the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal to prevent the terminal from coming off backward; A housing comprising: a flexible locking arm that is displaceable;

According to the housing having the configuration (2) above, the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing is partitioned by partition walls on four sides, and has a substantially similar shape to the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal, which has a rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the insertion direction, for example. A housing space is formed in at least a portion of the housing. When the terminal is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber, the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces of the box-shaped electrical contact portion are close to the four partition walls defining the contact portion accommodating space.
One of the four partition walls is integrally molded with a protrusion that projects toward the terminal. The protruding portion is formed with a pressing slope that gradually becomes higher in the direction away from the partition wall in the terminal insertion direction. When the protrusion is pressed by the box-shaped electrical contact part of the terminal into which the pressing slope is inserted, the protrusion bends the thin wall part formed on the partition wall from which the protrusion protrudes, and is pushed to the outside of the terminal accommodation chamber. Displacement is possible. That is, the thin wall portion of the partition wall allows the protrusion to move between an approach position and a separation position with respect to the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal. Furthermore, a flexible locking arm for locking a terminal is formed on a partition wall different from the partition wall on which the protruding portion is provided among the four partition walls. Therefore, in the terminal, the locking part provided on the box-shaped electrical contact part is locked with the projection part provided on the thin wall part, and the other locking part provided in the box-shaped electrical contact part can be locked. By being locked by the flexible locking arm, the terminal is prevented from coming off later.
Therefore, in the housing having this configuration, it is possible to prevent the terminal from falling out from the terminal accommodating chamber without forming a conventional large lance in the terminal accommodating chamber. In other words, in the housing having this configuration, the flexible locking arm can be made smaller. As a result, the housing can reduce the formation space and retreat space for the flexible locking arm, and compared to the case where a large lance is provided, the structure of the terminal accommodating chamber can be significantly simplified and the housing can be made smaller. Can be done.

(3) A locking surface is formed on the protrusion, and the locking portion of the box-shaped electrical contact portion comes into contact with the terminal in a direction opposite to the terminal insertion direction to prevent the terminal from coming out later. The housing according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the locking surface is formed at an angle smaller than perpendicular to the partition wall that is parallel to the partition wall.

According to the housing having the configuration (3) above, the locking surface is formed at an angle θ (θ<90°) smaller than perpendicular to the partition wall parallel to the terminal insertion direction. That is, the end of the locking surface in the direction in which it projects from the partition wall into the terminal accommodating chamber is a surface that is inclined toward the insertion direction side relative to the base end in the projecting direction. Note that when the locking surface is formed at an angle greater than perpendicular to the partition wall, the leading end in the projecting direction becomes a surface that is inclined toward the opposite side to the terminal insertion direction relative to the proximal end in the projecting direction. In this case, when a force is applied to the terminal in the backward pull-out direction, the locking portion of the box-shaped electrical contact portion tends to slide in the direction in which it is removed from the locking surface. In other words, the holding force decreases.
On the other hand, according to the housing of this configuration, since the tip of the locking surface in the protruding direction is inclined toward the terminal insertion direction, when force is applied in the backward pull-out direction, the locking portion of the box-shaped electrical contact portion slides more towards the locking surface. As a result, the holding force of the terminal does not decrease.

(4) A back surface of the thin wall portion opposite to the protrusion is exposed on one side of the housing, and an external resin wall covering the thin wall is formed on the one side. The housing according to any one of (1) to (3) above, characterized in that:

According to the housing having the configuration (4) above, the back surface of the thin wall portion on the side opposite to the protruding portion is exposed on one side of the housing in which the terminal accommodating chamber is formed. An external resin wall is formed on one side of the housing to cover the back surface of the thin wall section. As a result, in the housing, the thin wall portion whose strength is reduced due to the thin thickness is covered by the external resin wall, and damage to the thin wall portion due to contact with other members is suppressed.

(5) The above-mentioned ( The housing described in 4).

According to the housing having the configuration (5) above, the back surface of the partition wall and the external resin wall are connected through the resin flow portion. The back surface to which the resin flowing portion is connected is the back surface excluding the back surface of the protrusion, which is the back side of the thin wall portion on which the protrusion is formed. This is because the resin flowing portion is connected to the rear surface of the protrusion, thereby restricting deformation of the thin wall portion and preventing the protrusion from being displaced.
When injection molding the housing, for example, the outer surface of the outer resin wall serves as a gate for the injection resin. In this case, in injection molding of a housing without a resin flow section, it becomes difficult for the molten resin to flow around the thin wall section near the gate (molding defects such as short shots are more likely to occur). Therefore, by providing a resin flow part in the housing that directly connects the molding space of the external resin wall to the molding space of the thin wall part over a short distance, the flowability of the resin to the thin wall part during injection molding of the housing is improved. , it is possible to suppress molding defects in thin wall portions.
In addition, in a housing provided with a resin flowing portion, the mold can be divided into two parts, front and back in the terminal insertion direction, with the resin flowing portion as a boundary. In a mold that is divided into two parts, the thin-wall molded portion extending in the terminal insertion direction is shorter than in a mold that is not divided into two parts. Thereby, the rigidity of the thin-walled molded portion of the two-divided mold can be increased. As a result, with the housing provided with the resin flow section, it is possible to suppress molding defects such as wall thickness fluctuations due to bending and tilting of the thin-walled molded part due to injection pressure, which are likely to occur in a long thin-walled molded part that is not divided into two parts. Can be done.

(6) A back surface of the thin wall portion opposite to the protrusion is exposed on one side of the housing, and the one side covers at least a portion of the thin wall and is connected to the housing. The housing according to any one of (1) to (3) above, characterized in that an incorrect fitting prevention rib is formed to prevent incorrect fitting with a mating housing.

According to the housing having the configuration (6) above, the back surface of the thin wall portion on the side opposite to the protruding portion is exposed on one side of the housing in which the terminal accommodating chamber is formed. A misfit prevention rib is formed on one side of the housing to cover at least a portion of the back surface of the thin wall portion. As a result, in the housing, at least a portion of the thin wall portion whose strength is reduced due to the thin thickness is covered with the misfit prevention rib, and damage to the thin wall portion due to contact with other members is suppressed.
In addition, the housing prevents incorrect fitting between the housing and a mating housing due to the incorrect fitting prevention rib.
Therefore, with a housing that covers the thin wall portion with the misfit prevention rib, it is possible to prevent damage to the thin wall portion while preventing misfitting with the mating housing without forming a dedicated part. . Thereby, the mold structure can be simplified.

(7) An anti-rolling rib that abuts against a side surface of the contact portion of the box-shaped electrical contact portion is provided on the opposing partition wall surface opposite to the partition wall from which the protruding portion is protruded across the box-shaped electrical contact portion. The housing according to any one of (1) to (6) above, characterized in that the housing is formed with:

According to the housing having the configuration (7) above, the anti-rolling rib is formed on the opposing partition wall surface on the opposite side of the partition wall from which the protruding portion is protruded across the box-shaped electrical contact portion. The anti-rolling rib comes into contact with a side surface of the contact portion opposite to a side surface of the contact portion that faces the protrusion of the terminal mounted in the terminal accommodating chamber. In the terminal accommodating chamber, the contact portion accommodating space is formed to be slightly larger than the outer shape of the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal. Therefore, the box-shaped electrical contact portion moves, albeit slightly, within the contact portion housing space. Therefore, when the box-shaped electrical contact part rotates (rolls) around the central axis in the terminal insertion direction, the locking part formed on the box-shaped electrical contact part of the terminal moves in a direction away from the locking surface of the protrusion. do. Due to this rolling of the terminal, the locking area (locking margin) between the locking surface of the protrusion and the locking portion becomes small, and there is a concern that the terminal holding force may be reduced.
Therefore, in the housing according to this configuration, rolling prevention ribs are formed on the opposing partition wall surface opposite to the partition wall provided with the protrusion, thereby preventing rolling around the central axis of the box-shaped electrical contact part. has been done. By restricting the rolling of the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal, an appropriate locking area between the locking portion and the protrusion is always ensured. As a result, in the housing having this configuration, the reliability of holding the terminal can be improved.

(8) A band attachment portion is provided at the rear of the housing for attaching a binding band for bundling and fixing the electric wires that are attached to the terminals and pulled out from the terminal storage chamber. The housing according to any one of (1) to (7) above.

According to the housing having the configuration (8) above, the electric wires pulled out from the terminal accommodating chamber are bundled and fixed by the binding band attached to the band attachment part. Therefore, when the electric wire is pulled backward, the pulling force is prevented from being applied to the terminal attached to the terminal, and it is possible to prevent the terminal from coming off later. In particular, by bundling and fixing multiple electric wires with a cable tie, it prevents tensile force from being applied to a single electric wire when routing the electric wires, and reliably prevents the terminals locked to the protrusions of the bulkhead from coming off. can do.
The band attachment part on which the electric wire is placed has a curved part with a concave central part along the binding direction of the cable tie, on the placement surface narrower than the width of the housing in which a plurality of terminal accommodation chambers are arranged side by side. Preferably, a support surface is formed. That is, by forming a curved support surface on the mounting surface having a width narrower than the width of the housing, the bundle of wires (a plurality of wires) placed on the mounting surface and bound with a cable tie can be attached with a cable tie. This allows the tightening force to be applied evenly from the outer circumferential side, and the wire bundle can be securely fixed.

(9) The housing according to any one of (1) to (8) above, and a locking portion that prevents the terminal from coming off later by being locked to the protrusion are provided in the box-shaped electrical contact portion. A connector characterized by comprising:

According to the connector having the configuration (9) above, the terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber of the housing has a rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the insertion direction, for example, so that the top, bottom, left and right surfaces of the box-shaped electrical contact part are in the contact part accommodation space. It is close to the partition walls on all sides of the terminal accommodating chamber that partition the terminal accommodating chamber. The protruding part integrally formed on one of the four partition walls is pressed by the box-shaped electrical contact part of the terminal, so that the thin wall part formed on the partition wall from which the protruding part protrudes is pressed. It is possible to bend it and move it to the outside of the terminal accommodation chamber. The locking portion of the box-shaped electrical contact portion is locked to the protrusion provided on the thin wall portion, so that the terminal is prevented from slipping out. Therefore, in the connector of this configuration, the backward withdrawal of the terminal from the terminal accommodating chamber is restricted without molding the conventional complicated-shaped lance into the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing.

(10) The housing described in (2) above, and a terminal in which a box-shaped electrical contact portion is provided with another locking portion that prevents the terminal from coming off later by being locked with the flexible locking arm. A connector characterized by comprising:

According to the connector having the configuration (10) above, the terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber of the housing has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the insertion direction, and the top, bottom, left and right surfaces of the box-shaped electrical contact part are in the contact part accommodation space. It is close to the partition walls on all sides of the terminal accommodating chamber that partition the terminal accommodating chamber. The protruding part integrally formed on one of the four partition walls is pressed by the box-shaped electrical contact part of the terminal, so that the thin wall part formed on the partition wall from which the protruding part protrudes is pressed. It is possible to bend it and move it to the outside of the terminal accommodation chamber. Furthermore, the flexible locking arm formed on the other partition wall, which is different from the partition wall on which the protrusion is provided, is pushed by the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal, so that the flexible locking arm is moved to the non-locking position. It is possible to move to In the terminal, a locking part of the box-shaped electrical contact part is locked to a protrusion provided on the thin wall part, and another locking part provided to the box-shaped electrical contact part is locked to a flexible locking arm. By being locked, the terminal is prevented from coming off later. Therefore, in the connector having this configuration, it is possible to prevent the terminal from falling out from the terminal accommodating chamber without forming a conventional large lance in the terminal accommodating chamber.

According to the housing and connector according to the present invention, the lance can be eliminated and the structure can be simplified.
Moreover, according to the housing and connector according to the present invention, the lance can be downsized and the structure can be simplified.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the mode for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention. (a) is a perspective view of the housing shown in FIG. 1 viewed from the terminal insertion side, (b) is an enlarged view of section A in (a), and (c) is a view of the terminal attached state in (b). (a) is a rear view of the housing shown in FIG. 1 viewed from the terminal insertion side, and (b) is an enlarged view of part B in (a). FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the housing shown in FIG. 1 in the middle of terminal insertion. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a state in which terminals are accommodated in an upper terminal accommodating chamber of the housing shown in FIG. 1; (a) is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part of a terminal accommodating chamber in which a terminal is mounted, and (b) is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part of a protrusion in which an upright piece of a terminal is locked on a locking surface. (a) is a perspective view of a housing of a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention viewed from the terminal insertion side, and (b) is an enlarged rear view of the main part near the external resin wall shown in (a). (a) is a rear view of the housing shown in FIG. 7 when viewed from the terminal insertion side, and (b) is a sectional view taken along line CC in (a). (a) is a perspective view of a housing of a connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the terminal insertion side, and (b) is a side view of (a). (a) is a sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 9, and (b) is a sectional view taken along the line EE in FIG. (a) is a perspective view of a housing according to modification example 1 of the housing shown in FIG. 9, viewed from the terminal insertion side, and (b) is a horizontal sectional view of the housing shown in (a). (a) is a perspective view of a housing according to modification example 2 of the housing shown in FIG. 9, viewed from the terminal insertion side, and (b) is a rear view of the housing shown in (a), viewed from the terminal insertion side. (a) is a perspective view of a housing according to modification example 3 of the housing shown in FIG. 9, viewed from the terminal insertion side, and (b) is a rear view of the housing shown in (a), viewed from the terminal insertion side. FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. 13. (a) is a perspective view of a housing of a connector according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention viewed from the terminal insertion side, and (b) is an enlarged view of the main part of the terminal accommodating chamber shown in (a). (a) is an enlarged rear view of a state in which a terminal is attached to the terminal storage chamber shown in FIG. 15, and (b) is an enlarged view of a main part of (a). FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a connector according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the terminal as seen diagonally from above and from the front, and FIG. FIG. 18 is a perspective view and an enlarged view of essential parts of the housing shown in FIG. 17 when viewed from the terminal insertion side. FIG. 18 is a rear view and an enlarged view of essential parts of the housing shown in FIG. 17 with terminals attached thereto, as seen from the terminal insertion side. FIG. 18 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the housing shown in FIG. 17 during terminal insertion; FIG. 18 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a state in which terminals are accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chamber of the housing shown in FIG. 17; (a) is a perspective view of a connector according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a perspective view of the housing shown in (a). 23(a) is a sectional view taken along line GG in FIG. 23(a), and FIG. 23(b) is a rear view of the housing shown in FIG. 23(a) when viewed from the terminal insertion side. FIG. 24 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the connector shown in FIG. 23(a).

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector 11 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
The connector 11 according to the first embodiment includes a protrusion 13 (see FIG. 2) and a thin wall 15 formed on the partition wall 21 of the housing 23, and a locking portion provided on the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31. It has an upright piece 17 as a main component.

The protrusion 13 is formed on the partition wall 21 of the housing 23 that defines the terminal accommodating chamber 19 . The housing 23 is integrally molded from insulating resin. In the first embodiment, the housing 23 has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 arranged vertically and horizontally. In the illustrated housing 23 of the connector 11, a total of 22 terminal accommodating chambers 19 are formed in two stages, upper and lower, and 11 on the left and right sides. Note that the connector 11 may have one terminal accommodating chamber 19 or any plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19.

The housing 23 is formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a flat outer shape. A locking protrusion 29 is provided on the upper surface 25 of the housing 23 so as to protrude from the upper surface 25 of the housing 23. The locking protrusion 29 has a locking surface 27 that is engaged with a locking claw of a mating housing (not shown).

In this specification, for convenience of explanation, the side where the lock protrusion 29 in FIG. The side is the front side. The terminal insertion direction (arrow a direction) of the terminal 31 attached to the housing 23 is from the rear side of the housing 23 to the front side. Therefore, in this specification, the front, back, top, bottom, left and right directions are as shown in the arrows in FIG.

A terminal 31 is attached to each terminal accommodating chamber 19. The terminal 31 is, for example, a female terminal fitting having a box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 at the tip in the insertion direction. Note that the terminal 31 is not limited to a female terminal fitting, but may be a male terminal fitting. The box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 has a rectangular parallelepiped appearance that is elongated in the insertion direction. A leaf spring piece 35 (see FIG. 5) is provided inside the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 to make conductive contact with the tab terminal portion of the male terminal fitting housed in the mating housing. In the terminal 31, a conductor crimping part 39 for crimping the conductor 37 and a covering crimping part 43 for fixing the electric wire 41 are arranged in succession behind the box-shaped electrical contact part 33. Further, in the terminal 31, an upright piece 17, which is a locking part, is formed at the rear end of one side of the box-shaped electrical contact part 33 (vertically provided in FIG. 1).

2(a) is a perspective view of the housing 23 shown in FIG. 1 viewed from the terminal insertion side, FIG. 2(b) is an enlarged view of section A in FIG. 2(a), and FIG. 2(c) is a perspective view of the housing 23 shown in FIG. It is a figure of the terminal attachment state in (b) of FIG.
In the housing 23, for example, a misfit prevention rib 47 is formed on the left outer wall portion 45. The incorrect fitting prevention rib 47 restricts the fitting and insertion operation when the housing 23 is fitted to the mating housing in an incorrect posture that is upside down from the normal fitting posture.

Each terminal accommodating chamber 19 formed in the housing 23 is partitioned by partition walls on four sides. A contact portion accommodating space having a substantially similar shape to the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 is formed in at least a portion of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 . The protrusion 13 is formed on one of the four partition walls 21 in the left-right direction so as to protrude into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 . That is, the protruding portion 13 protrudes toward the terminal 31 accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 19 . In the first embodiment, the protrusion 13 is arranged on the right partition wall 21 of each terminal accommodating chamber 19 shown in FIG. Note that the protrusion 13 may be arranged on the left partition wall. However, all of the protrusions 13 are arranged on either the right or left partition wall 21, and are not arranged on both the left and right sides.

The protrusion 13 is formed with a pressing inclined surface 49 that becomes higher (projects into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 ) in a direction that gradually moves away from the partition wall 21 in the insertion direction of the terminal 31 . The surface of the protrusion 13 opposite to the pressing inclined surface 49 (front surface) serves as a locking surface 51 (see FIG. 6) that locks the upright piece 17 of the terminal 31.

A thin wall portion 15 is formed on the partition wall 21 from which the projection portion 13 is provided. In the first embodiment, the thin wall portion 15 is formed over substantially the entire height of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 of the partition wall 21 in which the projection portion 13 is provided. Note that the thin wall portion 15 may be formed only in the vicinity of the protrusion 13 in a narrower range than this. The thin wall portion 15 has flexibility because the partition wall 21 is thin, and allows the projection portion 13 to move toward and away from the terminal 31. That is, the partition wall 21 is provided with the thin wall portion 15 having flexibility, so that the protrusion portion 13 can be displaced to the approaching position and the separating position with respect to the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31. . When the protrusion 13 is pressed by the upright piece 17 of the terminal 31 into which the pressing inclined surface 49 is inserted, the protrusion 13 bends the thin wall portion 15 formed on the partition wall 21 from which the protrusion 13 is protruded, and moves to the approach position. It is possible to displace the terminal accommodating chamber 19 from the terminal accommodating chamber 19 to a remote position which is the side of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 on the adjacent right side.

FIG. 3(a) is a rear view of the housing 23 shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 3(b) is an enlarged view of section B in FIG. 3(a).
The terminal 31 is provided with an upright piece 17 at the rear of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33. The standing piece 17 is
When forming the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 by sheet metal processing, it can be provided as a part of the expanded shape. In the first embodiment, a conventional stabilizer is used as the upright piece 17. The stabilizer regulates the insertion operation when the terminal 31 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 in an incorrect posture different from the normal insertion posture. The upright piece 17, which is a locking portion, prevents the terminal 31 from coming off backward by being locked to the protrusion 13 provided on the thin wall portion 15. The upright piece 17 is formed by being bent into a U-shape as shown in FIG. 3 in order to increase the contact area of the protrusion 13 with the locking surface 51 and to ensure strength for holding the terminal 31. is desirable.

In the connector 11 according to the first embodiment, a locking portion that prevents the terminals 31 from coming off backward by being locked to the protrusion 13 of the housing 23 is provided at the rear of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33. Although the upright piece 17 is used, the present invention is not limited to this. The locking portion of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 can be secured to the protrusion 13 to prevent the terminal 31 from coming off later, for example, the rear edge of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 or , the opening edge of a locking hole drilled in the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33, etc. may take various forms.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the housing 23 shown in FIG. 1 during terminal insertion.
The terminal 31 is mounted by elastically deforming the thin wall portion 15 formed on the right partition wall 21 from which the protruding portion 13 is protruded so as to protrude toward the right terminal accommodating chamber 19 side. Therefore, it is required that the terminal 31 is not attached to the terminal accommodating chamber 19 on the right side of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 into which the terminal 31 is inserted. Therefore, in the housing 23 of the first embodiment in which a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, the terminals 31 are sequentially mounted from the left terminal accommodating chamber 19 to the right terminal accommodating chamber 19. When the terminal 31 attached to the terminal accommodating chamber 19 on the left side is attached to the adjacent terminal accommodating chamber 19 on the right side, the thin wall portion 15 comes into contact with the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 on the right side. It will no longer bend. As a result, in the connector 11 to which all the terminals 31 are attached, the displacement of each protrusion 13 is restricted, and the disconnection of the terminals 31 is doubly restricted. However, the terminal 31 attached to the rightmost terminal accommodating chamber 19 whose back surface of the thin wall portion 15 is exposed on one side 59 of the housing 23 is excluded.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the terminal 31 accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chamber 19 of the housing 23 shown in FIG.
The upright piece 17 of the terminal 31 is formed in the vertical direction of the housing 23 . The rear end surface of the upright piece 17 contacts the locking surface 51 of the protrusion 13 . The locking surface 51 of the protrusion 13 can lock the rear end surface of the upright piece 17 that projects downward from the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 . Therefore, the protrusion 13 is formed closer to the vertical center of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 than the vertical partition wall 53 that partitions the upper and lower terminal accommodating chambers 19 . That is, the protrusion 13 is spaced apart from the partition wall 53 in the vertical direction. By disposing the protrusion 13 apart from the partition wall 53 in the vertical direction, it is possible to utilize greater bending deformation of the thin wall portion 15 than when the protrusion section 13 is disposed close to the partition wall 53 in the vertical direction. That is, the protrusion 13 can be easily displaced during terminal insertion, and the workability of inserting the terminal 31 can be improved.

FIG. 6(a) is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the main part of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 in which the terminal 31 is attached, and FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view of the main part of
In the housing 23 of the connector 11 according to the first embodiment, a locking surface 51 is formed on the protrusion 13 . The upright piece 17 of the terminal 31 comes into contact with the locking surface 51 in a direction opposite to the terminal insertion direction a, and prevents the terminal 31 from coming off backward. In the horizontal cross section shown in FIG. 6, this locking surface 51 forms an included angle θ smaller than perpendicular to the partition wall 21 (thin wall portion 15 in the first embodiment) parallel to the terminal insertion direction a. (θ<90°).

Next, the functions of the housing 23 and the connector 11 according to the first embodiment described above will be explained.
In the connector 11 according to the first embodiment, a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 are formed in the housing 23. The terminal 31 is mounted in the terminal accommodating chamber 19 . The terminal 31 is a female terminal fitting having a box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 at the tip in the insertion direction. The box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is elongated in the insertion direction. Therefore, the terminal accommodating chamber 19 that accommodates the box-shaped electrical contact section 33 is partitioned by partition walls on four sides, and a contact section accommodating space having a substantially similar shape to the box-shaped electrical contact section 33 is formed in at least a portion thereof. .

The terminal 31 inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 of the housing 23 is connected to the four partition walls (the horizontal partition 21 and the vertical partition 53 etc.). In the terminal accommodating chamber 19, one of the four partition walls 21 is integrally molded with a protrusion 13 that protrudes toward the terminal 31 accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 19. In other words, among the four partition walls, one partition wall 21 is a partition wall with projections.

The protruding portion 13 is formed with a pressing inclined surface 49 that becomes taller (projects into the terminal accommodating chamber 19) in a direction that gradually moves away from the partition wall 21 in the direction in which the terminal 31 is inserted. When the protruding part 13 is pressed by the upright piece 17 of the terminal 31 into which the pressing inclined surface 49 is inserted, the protruding part 13 bends the thin wall part 15 formed on the partition wall 21 from which the protruding part 13 is protruded, so that the terminal can be accommodated. Displacement to the outside of the chamber 19 is possible.

That is, the partition wall 21 is provided with the thin wall portion 15, so that the protrusion 13 locks the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 and prevents the terminal from coming out later. It is possible to move between a separation position and a separation position with respect to the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of 31. It is desirable that the displacement of the thin wall portion 15 be within the elastic limit. The protrusion 13 functions as a locking means for the terminal 31. Therefore, by keeping the displacement of the thin wall portion 15 within the elastic limit, it is possible to prevent the thin wall portion 15 from plastically deforming and reducing the amount of engagement with the terminal 31.

The box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 is provided with an upright piece 17 . The upright piece 17 prevents the terminal 31 from coming off backwards by being engaged with the protrusion 13 provided on the thin wall portion 15 .
That is, in the terminal 31, when the box-shaped electrical contact section 33 reaches the contact section housing space, the upright piece 17 comes into contact with the protrusion section 13. When the terminal 31 is further inserted, the upright piece 17 presses the pressing slope 49 of the protrusion 13. When the protrusion 13 is pressed by the upright piece 17 of the terminal 31, the thin wall portion 15 is displaced to the outside of the terminal accommodating chamber 19, and is pushed out to the outside of the traveling path of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33. This pushing away is performed until the upright piece 17 connected to the rear of the box-shaped electrical contact part 33 passes through the projection part 13. In the terminal 31, when the box-shaped electrical contact part 33 enters the normal position of the contact part accommodation space, the upright piece 17 passes through the projection part 13. When the upright piece 17 passes through the protrusion 13, the pressing force from the upright piece 17 is released. The protruding portion 13 whose pressing force has been released protrudes inward again into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 due to the elastic restoring force of the thin wall portion 15, thereby locking the rear end surface of the upright piece 17. As a result, the upright piece 17 of the terminal 31 is locked to the locking surface 51 of the protrusion 13, preventing the terminal 31 from coming off backwards, and the installation into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 is completed.

The terminal 31 locked to the protrusion 13 cannot be easily removed from the terminal accommodating chamber 19 unless the protrusion or the partition wall 21 is destroyed. The terminal 31 cannot be removed in the same manner as if it were built into the terminal housing chamber 19. That is, the terminal 31 is fixed in the terminal housing chamber 19 in a tightly fitted state.

Therefore, in the housing 23 and the connector 11 according to the first embodiment, it is possible to prevent the terminals 31 from falling out from the terminal accommodating chamber 19 without forming a conventional complicated-shaped lance in the terminal accommodating chamber 19. can. That is, in the housing 23 and connector 11 of the first embodiment, the lance can be eliminated. The only structure that can replace the lance is the protrusion 13 and the thin wall portion 15 formed on the partition wall 21 on which the protrusion 13 is provided. The protrusion 13 can have a simple convex shape that protrudes from the partition wall 21. The thin wall portion 15 can be formed as an easily moldable thin wall portion in which the wall thickness of the partition wall 21 from which the projection portion 13 is protruded is made thinner than other portions.

As a result, it is no longer necessary to provide a lance formation space and a lance retreat space in the terminal accommodating chamber 19, and the structure of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 can be significantly simplified compared to the case where a lance is provided. In particular, in the connector 11 in which a large number of terminal accommodating chambers 19 are arranged in parallel vertically and horizontally, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the housing 23 can be made significantly smaller.

Also, eliminating the lance leads to the simplification of the mold. As a result, the housing 23 and connector 11 of the first embodiment can reduce mold manufacturing costs and mold maintenance costs, compared to conventional housings and connectors provided with lances.

Furthermore, in the housing 23 and connector 11 of the first embodiment, the locking surface 51 is formed at an angle θ (θ<90°) smaller than perpendicular to the partition wall 21 parallel to the terminal insertion direction. That is, the locking surface 51 has a front end thereof extending from the partition wall 21 into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 that is inclined toward the insertion direction than a proximal end thereof. Note that when the locking surface 51 is formed at an angle greater than perpendicular to the partition wall 21, the leading end in the projecting direction becomes a surface that is inclined toward the side opposite to the terminal insertion direction relative to the proximal end in the projecting direction. In this case, when the terminal 31 is subjected to a force in the backward pulling direction, the upright piece 17 tends to slide in the direction in which it comes off the locking surface 51. In other words, the holding force decreases.

In contrast, in the housing 23 and connector 11 of the first embodiment, the tip of the locking surface 51 in the projecting direction is inclined toward the terminal insertion direction. slides in the direction of locking onto the locking surface 51. As a result, the holding force of the terminal 31 does not decrease.

FIG. 7(a) is a perspective view of a housing 55 of a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention viewed from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 7(b) is an external resin wall 57 shown in FIG. 7(a). FIG. 3 is an enlarged rear view of the main parts in the vicinity. Note that the same components as the housing 23 and the connector 11 according to the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the connector according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, an external resin wall 57 is formed in a resin housing 55 in which a terminal accommodating chamber 19 is provided. In the housing 23 shown in FIG. 1 , the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 is exposed on one side portion 59 . In contrast, in the housing 55 according to the second embodiment, an external resin wall 57 is formed on one side portion 59, and the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 is covered with the external resin wall 57.

Furthermore, in the housing 55 of the connector according to the second embodiment, a resin flowing portion 61 is formed between the partition wall 21 and the external resin wall 57. The resin flowing portion 61 connects the back surface of the partition wall 21 excluding the back surface of the protrusion on the back side of the thin wall portion 15 on which the protrusion 13 is formed, and the external resin wall 57 .

8(a) is a rear view of the housing 55 shown in FIG. 7 when viewed from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 8(b) is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 8(a).
As shown in FIG. 8, the resin flowing portion 61 is arranged approximately at the center of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the resin flowing portion 61 is arranged rearwardly shifted with respect to the protruding portion 13 . A hollowed out part 63 is formed on the rear side of the resin flow part 61 in the housing 55 to suppress molding defects due to voids, sink marks, etc. during molding.

In the housing 55 of the second embodiment, the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 on the side opposite to the projection 13 is exposed on one side 59 of the housing 55 in which the terminal accommodating chamber 19 is formed. An external resin wall 57 that covers the back surface of the thin wall section 15 is formed on one side section 59 of the housing 55 . As a result, in the housing 55, the thin wall portion 15 whose strength is reduced due to its thin thickness is covered by the external resin wall 57, and damage to the thin wall portion 15 due to contact with other members is suppressed.

Further, in the housing 55 of the second embodiment, the back surface of the partition wall 21 and the external resin wall 57 are connected by the resin flow portion 61. The back surface to which the resin flowing portion 61 is connected is the back surface excluding the back surface of the protrusion, which is the back side of the thin wall portion 15 on which the protrusion 13 is formed. This is because the resin flowing portion 61 is connected to the rear surface of the protrusion, thereby restricting the deformation of the thin wall portion 15 and preventing the protrusion 13 from being displaced.

When the housing 55 is injection molded, the outer surface of the external resin wall 57 shown in FIG. 8(b), for example, becomes the gate 65 of the injection resin. In this case, in injection molding of a housing in which the resin flow section 61 does not exist, it becomes difficult for the molten resin to flow around the thin wall section 15 near the gate 65 (molding defects such as short shots are likely to occur). Therefore, in the housing 55, a resin flow section 61 that directly connects the molding space of the external resin wall 57 to the molding space of the thin wall section 15 over a short distance is provided in the housing 55. Resin flowability to the portion 15 is improved, and molding defects in the thin wall portion 15 can be suppressed.

In addition, the housing 55 provided with the resin flow section 61 can divide the mold into two parts, with the resin flow section 61 as a boundary, at the front and back in the terminal insertion direction. In a mold that is divided into two parts, the thin-wall molded portion extending in the terminal insertion direction is shorter than in a mold that is not divided into two parts. Thereby, the rigidity of the thin-walled molded portion of the two-divided mold can be increased. As a result, in the housing 55 provided with the resin flow section 61, molding defects such as wall thickness fluctuations due to deflection or inclination of the thin-walled molded part due to injection pressure, which are likely to occur in a long thin-walled molded part that is not divided into two, can be suppressed. Can be done.

9(a) is a perspective view of a housing 67 of a connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention viewed from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 9(b) is a side view of FIG. 9(a).
In the connector according to the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a misfit prevention rib 47 is formed on a resin housing 67 in which a terminal accommodating chamber 19 is provided. In the housing 23 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 on the side opposite to the protrusion 13 is exposed on one side portion 59 . In contrast, in the housing 67 according to the third embodiment, the misfitting prevention rib 47 that covers at least a portion of the thin wall portion 15 is formed on one side portion 59, and a portion of the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 is formed on the one side portion 59. It is covered with a misfit prevention rib 47.

10(a) is a sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 9, and FIG. 10(b) is a sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 11(a) is a perspective view of a housing 69 according to modification example 1 of the housing 67 shown in FIG. 9, viewed from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 11(b) is a perspective view of the housing 69 shown in FIG. 11(a). FIG.

The incorrect fitting prevention rib 47 according to the third embodiment covers the thin wall portion 15 on the lower front side of the one side portion 59, as shown in FIG. The other thin wall portion 15 on one side portion 59 is exposed. In the third embodiment, a small mis-mating prevention rib 47 (a small amount of injected resin material) is effective, especially in the usage mode of the connector where there is a high probability that other members will interfere with the thin wall portion 15 on the lower front side of the one side portion 59. Therefore, the thin wall portion 15 can be protected. This suppresses damage to the thin wall portion 15 due to contact with other members.

Therefore, in the housing 67 of the third embodiment in which the thin wall portion 15 is covered by the misfit prevention rib 47, the thin wall portion 15 is prevented from misfitting with the mating housing without forming a dedicated portion. The effect of suppressing damage can be obtained. Therefore, the mold structure can be simplified.

As shown in FIG. 11, the housing 69 according to the first modification of the connector according to the third embodiment includes a misfit prevention rib 47 that covers at least a portion of the thin wall portion 15, and is formed on one side portion 59. A portion of the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 is covered with a misfit prevention rib 47 . The misfit prevention rib 47 according to the first modification covers the thin wall portion 15 on the front side of the upper and lower stages of the one side portion 59 . The other thin wall portion 15 on one side portion 59 is exposed. In this modification example 1, the small mis-mating prevention rib 47 (a small amount of injection resin material) is effective, especially in the usage mode of the connector where there is a high probability that other components will interfere with the thin wall portion 15 on the front side of the upper and lower stages of the one side portion 59. Therefore, the thin wall portion 15 can be protected.

12(a) is a perspective view of the housing 71 according to modification example 2 of the connector shown in FIG. 9, viewed from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 12(b) is a perspective view of the housing 71 shown in FIG. 12(a). FIG. 3 is a rear view seen from the terminal insertion side.
As shown in FIG. 12, in the housing 71 according to the second modification, a misfit prevention rib 47 that covers at least a portion of the thin wall portion 15 is formed on one side portion 59, and a portion of the back surface of the thin wall portion 15 is formed. The portion is covered with a misfit prevention rib 47. The incorrect fitting prevention rib 47 according to the second modification covers the lower thin wall portion 15 of the one side portion 59 . The other thin wall portion 15 on one side portion 59 is exposed. In this modified example 2, the small mis-mating prevention rib 47 (a small amount of injection resin material) can be used effectively, especially in the usage mode of the connector where there is a high probability that other parts will interfere with the thin wall part 15 at the lower stage of the one side part 59. The thin wall portion 15 can be protected.

FIG. 13(a) is a perspective view of the housing 73 according to modification example 3 of the connector shown in FIG. 9, viewed from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 13(b) is a perspective view of the housing 73 shown in FIG. 13(a). FIG. 3 is a rear view seen from the terminal insertion side. FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. 13.
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, in the housing 73 according to the third modification, a misfit prevention rib 47 covering the entire thin wall portion 15 is formed on one side portion 59, and the rear surface of the thin wall portion 15 is All are covered with ribs 47 to prevent incorrect fitting. The incorrect fitting prevention rib 47 according to the third modification covers all the thin wall portions 15 before and after the upper and lower stages of the one side portion 59. At one side portion 59, the thin wall portion 15 is not exposed. In the third modification, the thin wall portion 15 can be reliably protected, especially in a connector usage mode in which there is a high probability that other members will interfere with the thin wall portion 15 in the entire one side portion 59.

FIG. 15(a) is a perspective view of a housing 75 of a connector according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention viewed from the terminal insertion side, and FIG. 15(b) is a terminal accommodating chamber 19 shown in FIG. 15(a). It is an enlarged view of the main part. 16(a) is an enlarged rear view of the terminal 31 installed in the terminal accommodating chamber 19 shown in FIG. 15, and FIG. 16(b) is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 16(a).

In the housing 75 of the connector according to the fourth embodiment, the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 is disposed on the opposing partition wall surface 77 on the opposite side of the partition wall 21 on which the protruding portion 13 is protruded across the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33. An anti-rolling rib 81 is formed which comes into contact with the side surface 80 of the contact portion (see FIG. 16). The anti-rolling rib 81 can be formed by a pair of upper and lower protruding ribs extending in parallel in the terminal insertion direction.

In the housing 75 of the connector according to the fourth embodiment, the pair of upper and lower anti-rolling ribs 81 are arranged at the contact portion opposite to the contact side surface 79 that faces the protrusion 13 of the terminal 31 mounted in the terminal accommodating chamber 19. It abuts against the side surface 80. The terminal accommodating chamber 19 has a contact portion accommodating space that is slightly larger than the outer shape of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 . Therefore, the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 moves, albeit slightly, within the contact portion housing space. Therefore, when the box-shaped electrical contact section 33 rotates (rolls) around the central axis in the terminal insertion direction, the upright piece 17 formed on the box-shaped electrical contact section 33 of the terminal 31 is arranged so that the locking surface 51 of the projection section 13 move in the direction away from. In the terminal 31, due to this rolling, the locking area (engaging allowance) between the locking surface 51 of the protrusion 13 and the upright piece 17 becomes small, and there is a concern that the terminal holding force may decrease.

Therefore, in the housing 75 of the connector according to the fourth embodiment, a pair of upper and lower anti-rolling ribs 81 are formed on the opposing partition wall surface 77 on the opposite side to the partition wall 21 on which the projection 13 is provided. Rolling around the central axis of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 is restricted. In the terminal 31, by restricting the rolling of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33, an appropriate locking area between the upright piece 17 and the protrusion 13 is always ensured. As a result, in the connector according to the fourth embodiment, the reliability in holding the terminals 31 can be improved.

Further, the anti-rolling rib 81 also has the effect of reducing looseness of the terminal 31. Since the anti-rolling rib 81 has a sufficiently small cross section perpendicular to the extending direction, it can be plastically deformed to some extent by the force received from the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 when the terminal is inserted. Thereby, the clearance between the opposing partition wall surface 77 and the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33, which is caused by dimensional tolerances, can be reduced depending on each connector. Thereby, the reliability of the holding structure for the terminal 31 can be improved.

In addition, in the housing 75 of the connector according to the fourth embodiment, the terminals 31 are loosely packed by the anti-rolling ribs 81, so that the thin wall portion 15 of each terminal accommodating chamber 19 is moved in the direction in which the protrusion 13 is unlocked. becomes difficult to displace. This also allows the housing 75 of the connector according to the fourth embodiment to improve the reliability of holding all the terminals 31.

Therefore, according to the housing 75 and connector 11 according to the fourth embodiment, the lance can be eliminated and the structure can be simplified.

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of a connector 11A according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the terminal 31 as seen from diagonally above and from the front ((a), and (b) showing the terminal 31 as seen from diagonally from above and behind. FIG. 19 is a perspective view and an enlarged view of the main parts of the housing 91 shown in FIG. 17 when viewed from the terminal insertion side. FIG. 20 is a rear view and an enlarged view of the main parts of the housing 91 shown in FIG. 17 in which the terminal 31 is attached (the electric wire 41 is not shown), as seen from the terminal insertion side.
Note that the same components as those of the connector 11 according to the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and detailed explanations will be omitted.

The connector 11A according to the fifth embodiment has a protrusion 13 (see FIG. 19) and a thin wall portion 15 formed on the partition wall 21 of the housing 91, and another structure different from the partition wall 21 from which the protrusion 13 is protruded. The flexible locking arm 16 formed on the partition wall 53, the upright piece 17 which is a locking portion provided on the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31, and the upright piece 17 provided on the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 The main structure includes a locking protrusion 18 which is another locking part.

As shown in FIG. 17, the housing 91 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape with a flat outer shape, and has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 arranged vertically and horizontally. In the housing 91 of the illustrated connector 11A, a total of 22 terminal accommodating chambers 19 are formed in two stages, upper and lower, and 11 on the left and right sides. On the left and right sides of the upper surface 25 of the housing 91, guide protrusions 48 that extend and stand up in the front-rear direction are provided to guide fitting with a mating connector.

A terminal 31 is attached to each terminal accommodating chamber 19. The terminal 31 is, for example, a female terminal fitting having a box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 at the tip in the insertion direction. As shown in FIG. 18, the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 has a rectangular parallelepiped appearance that is elongated in the insertion direction. A leaf spring piece 35 is provided inside the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 to make conductive contact with a tab terminal portion of a male terminal fitting housed in a mating housing. In the terminal 31, a conductor crimping part 39 for crimping the conductor 37 and a covering crimping part 43 for fixing the electric wire 41 are arranged in succession behind the box-shaped electrical contact part 33. Furthermore, the terminal 31 has an upright piece 17, which is a locking part, formed at the rear end of one side of the box-shaped electrical contact part 33, and a raised piece 17, which is a locking part, at the front end of one side of the box-shaped electrical contact part 33. , a locking protrusion 18, which is another locking portion, is formed.

Each terminal accommodating chamber 19 formed in the housing 91 is partitioned by partition walls on four sides. A contact portion accommodating space having a substantially similar shape to the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 is formed in at least a portion of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 . The protrusion 13 is formed on one of the four partition walls 21 in the left-right direction so as to protrude into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 . That is, the protruding portion 13 protrudes toward the terminal 31 accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 19 . Further, on one of the four partition walls 53 in the vertical direction, a cantilever-shaped flexible locking arm 16 is formed which is inclined so as to gradually protrude into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 toward the front end side. In the fifth embodiment, the flexible locking arm 16 is arranged on the lower partition wall 53 of each terminal accommodating chamber 19 shown in FIG. Note that the flexible locking arm 16 may be arranged on the upper partition wall. However, the flexible locking arms 16 are all arranged on either the upper or lower partition wall 53, and are not arranged on both the left and right sides.

The flexible locking arm 16 is movable with respect to the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 between a locking position and a non-locking position. When the flexible locking arm 16 is pressed by the locking protrusion 18 of the terminal 31 into which the free end is inserted, the flexible locking arm 16 is bent and moved from the locking position to the lower side of the terminal accommodating chamber 19. Displacement to a certain unlocked position is possible.

The terminal 31 is provided with a locking protrusion 18 in front of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33. The locking protrusion 18 can be provided by press working on the top wall when forming the box-shaped electrical contact part 33 by sheet metal processing. A locking protrusion 18, which is another locking portion, is locked to a flexible locking arm 16 provided on the partition wall 53, thereby preventing the terminal 31 from coming off backward.

In the connector 11A according to the fifth embodiment, the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 is another locking portion that prevents the terminal 31 from coming off backward by being locked to the flexible locking arm 16 of the housing 91. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Other locking portions of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 may be used, for example, as long as they can prevent the terminals 31 from coming off backwards by being locked with the flexible locking arm 16. Various forms can be taken, such as an opening edge of a locking hole drilled in the hole.

FIG. 21 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the housing 91 shown in FIG. 17 during terminal insertion. FIG. 22 is a longitudinal sectional view of the housing 91 shown in FIG. 17, with the terminal 31 accommodated in the upper terminal accommodating chamber 19.
The terminal 31 elastically deforms the thin wall portion 15 formed on the right partition wall 21 from which the protruding portion 13 is protruded so as to protrude toward the right terminal accommodating chamber 19 side. The flexible locking arm 16 is bent and attached to the lower side of the terminal accommodating chamber 19. Therefore, it is required that the terminal 31 is not attached to the terminal accommodating chamber 19 on the right side of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 into which the terminal 31 is inserted. Therefore, even in the housing 91 of the fifth embodiment in which a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, the terminals 31 are inserted from the left terminal accommodating chamber 19 similarly to the housing 23 of the first embodiment. The terminal accommodating chamber 19 on the right side is sequentially loaded.

Next, the operation of the housing 91 and connector 11A according to the fifth embodiment described above will be explained.
In the connector 11A according to the fifth embodiment, the terminal accommodating chamber 19 of the housing 91 is partitioned by partition walls on four sides, and has a substantially similar shape to the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31, which has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is elongated in the insertion direction. A contact portion accommodating space is formed in at least a portion of the contact portion.

The terminal 31 inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 of the housing 91 is connected to the four partition walls (the horizontal partition 21 and the vertical partition 53 etc.). In the terminal accommodating chamber 19, one of the four partition walls 21 is integrally molded with a protrusion 13 that projects toward the terminal 31.
The protruding portion 13 is formed with a pressing inclined surface 49 that gradually becomes higher in the direction away from the partition wall 21 in the direction a in which the terminal 31 is inserted. When the protruding part 13 is pressed by the upright piece 17 of the terminal 31 into which the pressing inclined surface 49 is inserted, the protruding part 13 bends the thin wall part 15 formed on the partition wall 21 from which the protruding part 13 is protruded, so that the terminal can be accommodated. Displacement to the outside of the chamber 19 is possible.

That is, by providing the thin wall portion 15, the partition wall 21 has an approach position where the protrusion 13 locks the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 of the terminal 31 to prevent the terminal from coming off; It is possible to move between a separation position and a separation position with respect to the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33.
Further, among the four partition walls, a flexible locking arm 16 for locking the terminal 31 is formed on another partition wall 53 that is different from the partition wall 21 on which the protruding portion 13 is provided. Therefore, in the terminal 31, the upright piece 17 provided on the box-shaped electrical contact portion 33 is engaged with the protrusion 13 provided on the thin wall portion 15, and the By locking the protrusion 18 with the flexible locking arm 16, the terminal 31 is prevented from coming off later.

Therefore, in the housing 91 having this configuration, it is possible to prevent the terminal from coming out from the terminal accommodating chamber 19 without forming a conventional large lance in the terminal accommodating chamber 19. That is, in the housing 91 having this configuration, the flexible locking arm 16 can be made smaller. As a result, the housing 91 can reduce the formation space and retreat space for the flexible locking arm 16, and the structure of the terminal accommodating chamber 19 can be greatly simplified compared to the case where a large lance is provided. Can be made smaller.

FIG. 23(a) is a perspective view of a connector 11B according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 23(b) is a perspective view of the housing 95 shown in FIG. 23(a). FIG. 24(a) is a sectional view taken along line GG in FIG. 23(a), and FIG. 24(b) is a rear view of the housing 95 shown in FIG. 23(a) when viewed from the terminal insertion side. FIG. 25 is a longitudinal sectional view of the connector 11B shown in FIG. 23(a).
Note that the same components as those of the connector 11 according to the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and detailed explanations will be omitted.

The connector 11B according to the sixth embodiment includes a projection 13 (see FIG. 24) and a thin wall 15 formed on the partition wall 21 of the housing 95, a band attachment section provided at the rear of the housing 95, and a terminal 31. The main structure includes an upright piece 17 which is a locking part provided on the box-shaped electrical contact part 33.

As shown in FIGS. 23(a) and 23(b), the housing 95 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape with a flat outer shape, and has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 arranged vertically and horizontally. Further, behind the downward partition wall 53 in the housing 95, there is a band attachment part 97 for attaching a binding band 100 for bundling and fixing the electric wires 41 with the terminals 31 attached to the terminals and pulled out from the terminal accommodating chamber 19. are integrally formed.

Each terminal accommodating chamber 19 formed in the housing 95 is partitioned by partition walls on four sides. The protrusion 13 is formed on one of the four partition walls 21 in the left-right direction so as to protrude into the terminal accommodating chamber 19 .
The band mounting portion 97 extending rearward from the lower partition wall 53 of the housing 95 gradually extends from a wide base having the same width as the housing 95 in which the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 are arranged side by side toward the distal end. It is formed into a substantially trapezoidal plate shape with a narrow width. As shown in FIG. A curved support surface with a concave central portion is formed along the direction (orthogonal to the electric wire 41 drawn out from the wire 19).

Then, the plurality of electric wires 41 pulled out from the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 19 are placed on the placement surface 98 of the band attachment section 97, and then bundled and fixed by the binding band 100 attached to the band attachment section 97. Ru.
As shown in FIG. 24(b), a curved support surface is formed on the mounting surface 98 having a width narrower than the width of the housing 95, so that the material can be placed on the mounting surface 98 and bound with the cable ties 100. A tightening force is evenly applied to the wire bundle (the plurality of wires 41) from the outer circumferential side by the binding band 100, so that the wire bundle can be securely fixed.

Next, the operation of the housing 95 according to the sixth embodiment described above will be explained.
According to the housing 95 according to the sixth embodiment, the plurality of electric wires 41 pulled out from the terminal accommodating chamber 19 are bundled and fixed by the binding band 100 attached to the band attachment part 97. Therefore, when the electric wire 41 is pulled backward, the pulling force is prevented from being applied to the terminal 31 attached to the terminal, and the terminal can be prevented from coming off backward. In particular, by bundling and fixing the plurality of electric wires 41 with the cable ties 100, it is possible to prevent a tensile force from being applied to a single electric wire when routing the electric wires 41, and to prevent the terminals 31 that are locked to the projections 13 of the partition wall 21 from being applied. It is possible to reliably prevent the terminal from coming off.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

Here, the features of the embodiments of the housing and connector according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [10].
[1] The terminals (21) formed in the partition walls (21) of the housing (23, 55, 67, 69, 71, 75, 91, 95) that partition the terminal accommodating chamber (19) and accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber (19) a protrusion (13) protruding toward 31);
The protrusion is formed on the protruding partition wall, and the protrusion is between an approach position and a separation position in which the protrusion locks the box-shaped electrical contact part (33) of the terminal to prevent the terminal from coming off later. a thin wall portion (15) having flexibility that can be displaced by
A housing (23, 55, 67, 69, 71, 75, 91, 95) characterized by comprising:
[2] A protrusion (13) formed on the partition wall (21) of the housing (91) that partitions the terminal accommodating chamber (19) and protrudes toward the terminal (31) accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber;
The protrusion is formed on the protruding partition wall, and the protrusion is between an approach position and a separation position in which the protrusion locks the box-shaped electrical contact part (33) of the terminal to prevent the terminal from coming off later. a thin wall portion (15) having flexibility that can be displaced by
The protruding portion is formed on a partition wall (53) different from the protruding partition wall (21), and locks the box-shaped electrical contact portion (33) of the terminal to prevent the terminal from coming out later. a flexible locking arm (16) displaceable between a locked position and an unlocked position;
A housing (91) comprising:
[3] The locking portion (erecting piece 17) of the box-shaped electrical contact portion (33) abuts against the protrusion (13) in a direction opposite to the terminal insertion direction (a), and the terminal (31) A locking surface (51) is formed to restrict the rearward slippage of the
The housing (23, 55) according to [1] or [2] above, wherein the locking surface is formed at an angle smaller than perpendicular to the partition wall (21) parallel to the terminal insertion direction. , 67, 69, 71, 75, 91, 95).
[4] A back surface of the thin wall portion (15) opposite to the projection (13) is exposed on one side (59) of the housing (55);
The housing (55) according to any one of [1] to [3] above, wherein an external resin wall (57) that covers the thin wall portion is formed on the one side portion.
[5] The back surface of the partition wall (21) excluding the back surface of the protrusion on the back side of the thin wall portion (15) on which the protrusion (13) is formed, and the external resin wall (57) are in a resin flow section. The housing (55) according to item [4] above, characterized in that the housing (55) is connected by (61).
[6] A back surface of the thin wall portion (15) opposite to the projection (13) is exposed on one side (59) of the housing (67, 69, 71, 75),
A misfitting prevention rib (47) is formed on the one side portion to cover at least a portion of the thin wall portion and prevent misfitting between the housing and a mating housing to be fitted. The housing (67, 69, 71, 75) according to any one of [1] to [3] above.
[7] On the opposite side partition surface (77) opposite to the partition wall (21) from which the protrusion (13) protrudes across the box-shaped electrical contact portion (33), the box-shaped electrical contact portion (33) is provided. The housing (75) according to any one of [1] to [6] above, characterized in that an anti-rolling rib (81) is formed that comes into contact with the contact side surface (79) of the contact part.
[8] At the rear of the housing (95), there is provided a binding band (100) for bundling and fixing the electric wires (41) with the terminals (31) attached to the terminals and pulled out from the terminal accommodating chamber (19). The housing (95) according to any one of [1] to [7] above, characterized in that the housing (95) is provided with a band attachment part (97) for attachment.
[9] The housing (23, 55, 67, 69, 71, 75, 91, 95) according to any one of [1] to [8] above,
A terminal (31) is provided on the box-shaped electrical contact part (33), and a locking part (standing piece 17) that prevents the terminal from coming off later by being locked to the protrusion (13). Connectors (11, 11A, 11B) characterized by:
[10] The housing (91) according to [2] above,
Another locking part (locking protrusion 18) that prevents the terminal from coming off backward by being locked with the flexible locking arm (16) is provided on the terminal (31) provided on the box-shaped electrical contact part (33). ) A connector (11A) characterized by comprising:

11...Connector 13...Protrusion part 15...Thin wall part 17...Upright piece (locking part)
19... Terminal accommodation chamber 21... Partition wall 23... Housing 31... Terminal 33... Box-shaped electrical contact portion 47... Erroneous fitting prevention rib 51... Locking surface a... Terminal insertion direction

Claims (10)

a protrusion formed on one of the partition walls formed on the entire surface of four sides defining a terminal storage chamber of the housing and protruding toward the terminal accommodated in the terminal storage chamber;
The protrusion is formed on the protruding partition wall, and is movable between an approach position and a separation position in which the protrusion locks the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal and prevents the terminal from coming off later. a thin wall portion having flexibility;
A housing characterized by comprising: a protrusion formed on a partition wall of a housing defining a terminal accommodating chamber and protruding toward the terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber;
The protrusion is formed on the protruding partition wall, and is movable between an approach position and a separation position in which the protrusion locks the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal and prevents the terminal from coming off later. a thin wall portion having flexibility;
The projecting portion is formed on a partition wall different from the partition wall on which the protruding portion is provided, and has a locking position and a non-locking position in which the box-shaped electrical contact portion of the terminal is locked to prevent the terminal from coming off later. a flexible locking arm displaceable between;
A housing characterized by comprising: A locking surface is formed on the protrusion, and the locking portion of the box-shaped electrical contact portion comes into contact with the locking portion in a direction opposite to the terminal insertion direction to prevent the terminal from coming out later;
3. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the locking surface is formed at an angle smaller than perpendicular to the partition wall parallel to the terminal insertion direction. A back surface of the thin wall portion opposite to the protrusion is exposed on one side of the housing,
4. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the one side portion is formed with an external resin wall that covers the thin wall portion. According to claim 4, the back surface of the partition wall excluding the back surface of the protrusion on the back side of the thin wall portion on which the protrusion is formed and the external resin wall are connected by a resin flowing portion. housing. A back surface of the thin wall portion opposite to the protrusion is exposed on one side of the housing,
A misfitting prevention rib is formed on the one side portion to cover at least a portion of the thin wall portion and prevent misfitting between the housing and a mating housing. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A rolling prevention rib that abuts against a side surface of the contact portion of the box-shaped electrical contact portion is formed on the opposing partition wall surface opposite to the partition wall from which the protruding portion is protruded across the box-shaped electrical contact portion. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: A band attachment part is provided at the rear of the housing for attaching a binding band for bundling and fixing the electric wires that are attached to the terminal and pulled out from the terminal storage chamber. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
a terminal provided in the box-shaped electrical contact portion with a locking portion that prevents the terminal from coming off later by being locked with the protrusion;
A connector characterized by comprising: A housing according to claim 2;
a terminal in which a box-shaped electrical contact portion is provided with another locking portion that prevents the terminal from coming off backward by being locked with the flexible locking arm;
A connector characterized by comprising:

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