JPH0222943Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improvements in electrical connector housings.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional electrical connector housing, which consists of a male housing part 1 and a female housing part 2 which can be fitted into each other.
It has a strip-shaped latch arm 3 with a locking projection 4 on its outer side, which latch arm lies in a groove 5 formed in the outer wall of the male housing part and around one end fixed to the bottom surface of the groove. The female housing part 2 is elastically deflectable, and when the female housing part 2 is fitted with the male housing, it engages with the locking protrusion 4 of the latch arm 3 to releasably lock both housing parts. It has a protruding engaging portion 6.
Furthermore, the female housing part 2 has a protrusion 9 that guides and regulates the fitting of the male housing part 1 when the female and male housing parts are fitted together.
It is adapted to fit into a groove 7 provided between the outer wall 8 and the outer wall 8.

This known electrical connector housing has a latch arm 3 arranged in a groove 5 formed in the outer wall of the male housing part 1 and a large part of the latch arm 3 inside the female housing part 2 when the two housing parts are mated. The latch arm 3 has a great advantage in that it is less affected by external forces. However, on the other hand, since the groove 7 exists between the latch arm 3 and the outer wall 8, for example, during electrical connector assembly work, electric wires etc. may enter through the groove 7 and become entangled with the latch arm 3, causing deformation and breakage of the latch arm 3. A problem has arisen. In particular, in order to increase the strength of the protrusion 9, its wall thickness is increased, and as a result, the width W of the groove 7 is increased.
If it is necessary to make the latch arm 3 large, not only will there be a problem of wire entanglement, but the latch arm 3 will be more susceptible to external forces.In particular, if an external force is applied in a direction that crosses the latch arm 3, the fixed end of the latch arm 3 will be affected. A problem arises in that the fixed end is damaged due to excessive force.

This invention was created in view of the above problems.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector housing with an improved latch arm that can prevent entanglement of electrical wires, etc.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings 2 to 4.

The electrical connector housing includes a female housing part 10 and a male housing part 2 that can be fitted into the female housing.
0, all of which are molded from electrically insulating plastic material.

The female housing part 10 has a rear part 10a having a plurality of terminal accommodating holes 12 separated from each other by a partition wall 11, and a cavity 1 communicating with each terminal accommodating hole 12.
3. Each terminal accommodation hole 1
Although not shown in the drawings, each of the electrical connectors 2 is provided with an electrical connector, and a contact portion of the electrical connector projects into the cavity 13. A pair of side walls 16 are provided on the upper wall 14 of the front part 10b.
A protruding upper wall 14a is provided through the upper wall 14a, and a small cavity 13a communicating with the cavity 13 is provided on the inner wall thereof. A pair of projecting engagement parts 15 are formed at the front of the inner wall surface of the protruding upper wall 14a, and each projecting engagement part 15 includes an inclined front part 15a and a vertical back part 15b.
The protruding engaging portion 15 has a function of locking the male housing portion 20 within the female housing portion 10, and also cooperates with the inner surface of the side wall 16 when the housing portions 10 and 20 are fitted together to lock the male housing portion 20 into the female housing portion 10. It has a function of guiding and regulating the fitting of the part 10. Therefore, the protruding engaging portion 15 is formed to have a wall thickness that fits between a latch arm 27, which will be described later, and a wall portion 25 of a groove 26 that receives the latch arm.

The male housing 20 has a plurality of terminal accommodating holes 22 corresponding to each terminal accommodating hole 12 of the female housing 10, and the terminal accommodating holes 22 are separated from each other by a partition wall 21. Each terminal receiving hole 22 accommodates an electrical connector (not shown) that mates with each electrical connector in the female housing 10, respectively.

A pair of opposing wall portions 25 are provided on the upper wall surface 24 of the male housing 20 and extend in parallel from the fitting surface side toward the rear, and the opposing wall portions 25 form a groove 26 between the wall portions. A latch arm 27 is provided within the groove 26 and has one end fixed to the front end (fitting surface side) of the bottom wall of the groove and is elastically deflectable around the fixed end. The latch arm 27 rises vertically at its fixed end and then extends rearward substantially horizontally, and is provided with locking projections 28 on both side edges of its longitudinally central portion, and a pressing projection 29 at its rear free end. Each locking protrusion 28 has the same wall thickness as the latch arm 27, and projects from the side edge of the latch arm 27 toward the wall 25, and its end surface approaches the wall 25. Moreover, each locking protrusion 28 has an inclined surface 28 on the front part.
a. It has a vertical surface 28b at the rear. The locking protrusion 28 can be provided at any position on the fixed end and the free end of the latch arm 27, but the amount by which the latch arm 27 is pressed down when releasing the engagement between the locking protrusion 28 and the engaging portion 15 can be reduced. Therefore, it is desirable to provide the latch arm 27 at a position rearward from the center of the latch arm 27.

The wall portion 25 forming the groove 26 extends rearwardly from the mating surface side end at a height such that its upper edge is substantially flush with the upper wall surface of the latch arm 27 in order to protect the latch arm 27 from external forces. It extends to the vicinity of the end and is formed into a low wall 25a at the rear end. This low wall portion is the pressing protrusion 29 of the latch arm 27.
This corresponds to the portion shown in FIG. Each low wall 25a has a pressing protrusion 2
9 includes a protruding end 25b proximate the ridge of latch arm 27, which prevents electrical wires from entering the rearward free end of latch arm 27 during handling of the electrical connector.

In the above configuration, if both housing parts are fitted with the latch arm 27 portion of the male housing part 20 and the terminal receiving hole 22 facing the small cavity part 13a and the cavity part 13 of the female housing part 10, respectively, the male housing part 20 It is accurately guided into the female housing 10 by the inner wall surfaces of the female housing 10 and the protruding engagement portions 15 . When the locking projection 28 of the latch arm 27 comes into contact with the protruding engagement portion 15, the latch arm 27 is deflected downward, that is, toward the bottom surface 23 of the groove 26. When the fitting progresses further and the locking protrusion 28 overcomes the engaging part 15, the latch arm 27 elastically returns to the initial position, and the rear vertical surface 28b of the locking protrusion 28 and the vertical back 15b of the engaging part 15
are engaged, and both housing parts are locked. To unlock both housing parts 10 and 20, push the pressing protrusion 29 of the latch arm 27 downward, release the engagement between the locking protrusion 28 and the engaging part 15, and then push the male housing part 20 into the female position. Just pull it away from the housing 10.

As is clear from the above description, according to the electrical connector housing of the present invention, the latch arm 27 of the male housing 20 is cantilevered through the groove 26 between the pair of parallel walls 25 on its upper (outer) surface. A pair of locking projections 28 are formed and project into the groove 26.
has. Therefore, compared to a conventional housing having a single locking protrusion projecting from the upper surface of the latch arm 27, the height can be reduced and the engagement strength can be increased. Further, the protruding engaging portion 15 of the female housing 10 works as a guide member not only with the engaging portions of both housings 10 and 20 but also with the groove 26, so that it forms a guide protrusion as in the conventional case. There's no need. Furthermore, a groove 2 is provided at the rear of the wall portion 25.
Since the protruding end 25b is formed to cover the protruding end 25b and the locking protrusion protrudes into the groove 26, it is possible to effectively prevent a decrease in work efficiency due to wires etc. entering the groove 26. Can be done. Furthermore, since the locking protrusion 28 is formed at a position sufficiently distant from the fitting surface of the latch arm 27, a large displacement can be obtained by pressing the pressing portion, and reliable locking/unlocking of the housing is possible. It has various practical effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional electrical connector housing, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrical connector housing of the present invention before fitting, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line - in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of FIG. 3 in a fitted state. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10...Female housing, 20...Male housing, 27...Latch arm, 25...Wall part, 26
...Groove, 28...Locking protrusion, 25b...Protruding end portion, 15...Protruding engagement portion.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A female housing and a male housing are detachably fitted into each other, and an elastic latch arm is formed on the upper surface of the male housing, and is engaged at a position corresponding to the latch arm of the female housing. In the electrical connector housing, the latch arm has a fixed end on the mating surface side and a push-operated end on the other side across a groove between a pair of substantially parallel walls formed on the upper surface of the male housing. The wall has a cantilever shape as a free end and has a pair of locking protrusions protruding from both side edges at a position sufficiently distant from the fitting surface into the groove and close to the inner surface of the wall; has a protruding end portion that protrudes in a direction that covers the groove at an end opposite to the fitting surface of the female housing, and a protruding end portion that protrudes in a direction that covers the groove, and a groove is formed at a position corresponding to the groove of the male housing near the fitting surface of the female housing. An electrical connector housing comprising a pair of protruding engaging portions having the same width, the protruding engaging portions serving as guide portions of the male and female housings and engaging portions with the locking protrusions.