JPH10270116A - connector - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a connector that can protect a male terminal fitting when a sub-connector is alone and has good workability even if the sub-connector does not have a hood portion. A sub-connector (2) includes a housing (9) capable of accommodating a male terminal fitting (4) and a movable protection member (10) assembled in front of the housing (9). The movable protection member 10 can be engaged with the housing 9 at three different positions. In the protection position where the movable protection member 10 is most shallowly engaged, the distal end portion of the tab portion 20 of the male terminal fitting 4 slightly has a terminal protection surface 24. From the outside. Therefore, the male terminal fitting 4 is protected even when the sub-connector 2 is used alone.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a connector for accommodating a plurality of sub-connectors.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 14 and 15 show a connector 54 in which a plurality of sub-connectors 50 are accommodated inside a frame 51. FIG. A male terminal fitting 52 is attached to each of the sub-connectors 50. A front end face of the sub-connector 50 covers the terminal fittings 52 so as to cover the terminal fittings 52 in order to protect the tip of the terminal fitting 52. A part 53 is provided.

[0003]

However, the frame 5
On one side, a partition wall 55 for separating the sub-connector 50 is provided. When the sub-connector 50 is mounted on the frame 51, the partition wall 55 and the hood portion 53 form a double wall that overlaps. I have. That is, in this portion, the terminal fitting 52 is double protected.
By the way, the hood 53 of the sub-connector 50 is a portion for receiving the female housing, and is slightly larger than the portion in which the terminal fitting is accommodated. However, in the case where the sub-connector is entirely accommodated in the frame 51 as shown in the figure, unless the entire sub-connector is formed according to the size of the hood portion 53, rattling occurs inside. As a result, the interval between the partition walls is set according to the size of the expanded hood portion, and the frame 5
This leads to an increase in the size of the connector 1, and eventually to an increase in the size of the connector 54 as a whole.

In order to meet this demand, it is conceivable to abolish the hood portion of the sub-connector, but if it is simply abolished, the terminal fitting cannot be protected particularly when the sub-connector is used alone. Therefore, there has been a demand for the development of a connector that reliably meets such demands. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances.
An object of the present invention is to provide a connector which can protect the male terminal fitting when the sub-connector is not provided even when the sub-connector does not have a hood portion, and has good workability.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a frame having a frame-like shape, the inside of which is partitioned into a plurality of chambers by partition walls, and a male terminal fitting. A plurality of male sub-connectors housed therein and formed so as to be incorporated into each of the housing chambers, wherein the male sub-connectors are such that the front end portions of the male terminal fittings are exposed from the front surface thereof. A movable protection member is mounted on the front side of the housing of the male sub-connector so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and the movable protection member is provided with a male sub-connector before being mounted on the frame. Wherein the male terminal fitting is resiliently locked by a lance and substantially covers up to the tip of the male terminal fitting in a protected position, and the male sub-connector is assembled to a frame. And in, to restrict the resilient a deeper fitted position than the protective position of the lance assembly is held in a state retaining the male terminal fitting position when,
When the female connector is fitted, it is a fitting position deeper than the assembling position accompanying the fitting of the female connector, and the male terminal fitting is exposed so as to be connected to the female terminal fitting with a regular insertion allowance. The combination position is set.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the movable protection member and the housing of the male sub-connector are elastically deformable formed on the movable protection member. And a flexure engagement piece provided with a concave portion and three types of convex portions formed on the housing side and capable of engaging with the concave portion, and the flexure engagement piece is one of the convex portions. The force at the time of reaching the protection position over the temporary locking projection on the front side of the housing is such that the bending engagement piece has a final locking projection positioned at a deeper side than the temporary locking projection. It is characterized in that the force is smaller than the force when the vehicle gets over and reaches the assembly position.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the movable protection member is connected to the housing of the male sub-connector by three.
Held in position. Of these, in the shallowest protection position,
When the male sub-connector is used alone, the male terminal fitting is covered and concealed to the tip, so that the male terminal fitting is protected. In addition, when the movable protection member is mounted on the frame, the movable protection member is pushed from the protection position to the mounting position. Then, since the movable protection member enters the bending area of the lance and regulates the bending of the lance, the movable lance is assembled in a state where the male terminal fitting is more strongly held by the lance. Further, when the female connector is fitted, the movable protection member is retracted by this fitting operation, and the connection with the female terminal metal proceeds while exposing the tip of the male terminal metal. The metal fittings are in the normal connection state.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when assembling the housing and the movable protection member, the force for bringing the member in a state where both members are separated from each other to the protection position is changed from this position to the assembly position. When the force is smaller than.
For this reason, it is less likely to apply a large force during the work of assembling to the protection position and to assemble it to the assembling position, thereby improving workability.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 11 or FIG. 12, the connector 1 of the present embodiment includes a total of four sub-connectors 2 each capable of accommodating a male terminal fitting 4 and a frame 3 capable of accommodating each sub-connector 2 collectively. Be composed.

The frame 3 is formed of a synthetic resin in the shape of a box, and the inside is an accommodation space 6 capable of accommodating each sub-connector 2 (see FIG. 11). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13, each sub connector 2 is provided with a positioning projection 7 for the frame 3. These are inserted into positioning grooves (not shown in detail) formed at corresponding positions on the inner wall surface of the frame 3 when the sub-connector 2 is inserted into the frame 3, thereby serving as a guide at the time of insertion. It has become. Further, when each sub-connector 2 is fitted to a regular depth position, locking of the sub-connector 2 between the sub-connector 2 and the corresponding position of the frame 3 prevents the sub-connector 2 from coming off. I have.

In the accommodation space 6 described above, the frame 3
Partition walls 5 are provided at regular intervals in the width direction on the front end surface (the surface that mates with a mating female connector (not shown)), and guides the mating operation of the mating connector with each sub-connector 2. I can do it. In addition, this partition wall 5
After the sub-connector 2 is assembled in the housing space 6, the sub-connector 2 also functions as a protection wall for protecting the distal end of the male terminal fitting 4. The sub-connector 2 includes a housing 9 in which the male terminal fitting 4 can be stored, and a movable protection member 10 movably mounted on the housing 9.

The housing 9 is formed of a synthetic resin into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The housing 9 accommodates the male terminal fitting 4 therein. When the mating connector housing is fitted in the frame 3, the front face thereof is formed with the mating connector housing. The housing is brought into contact with the front surface of the housing, and in this state, the male and female terminal fittings are electrically connected. The front side of the housing 9 is a fitting portion 30 which is one size smaller than the rear side, and is fitted inside the movable protection member 10. When the movable protection member 10 is assembled, the fitting portion 30 is substantially flush with the entire sub-connector 2. For this reason, even if the movable protection member 10 is provided, the sub-connector 2 is prevented from becoming large. A central portion of the housing 9 is a terminal accommodating portion 11 for accommodating the male terminal fittings 4. In the case of this embodiment, the terminal accommodating portion 11 is formed so as to be able to be arranged in two vertical rows. Male terminal fitting 4 is located on the rear side of terminal accommodating section 11.
4A is a terminal accommodating port 11A for inserting the
reference).

At the center of the terminal accommodating portion 11, a lance 12 is provided, which can bend and deform from upper and lower wall surfaces toward the front. A terminal engaging claw 12 </ b> A is provided at a distal end portion of the lance 12, and engages with the lance engaging portion 13 of the male terminal fitting 4 for primary locking. In addition, the front end portion of the wall separating the upper and lower terminal accommodating portions 11 is made slightly thicker,
In this portion, a stabilizer engaging portion 14 is formed in a rail shape from the rear end surface along the length direction to guide the insertion of the stabilizer 21 formed on the male terminal fitting 4 and to invert the male terminal fitting 4 in an inverted posture. Regulate insertion at In addition, a portion of the terminal accommodating portion 11 that is forward of the lance 12 is opened outward (in a bending direction of the lance 12). Since the length of the terminal accommodating portion 11 is shorter than the length of the male terminal fitting 4 described later, when the male terminal fitting 4 is mounted on the terminal accommodating portion 11, the tab 20 in front of the male terminal fitting 4 becomes the housing 9. It is in a state protruding from.

The left and right wall surfaces 15 of the housing 9 are provided with three types of convex portions 16, 17, and 18 at substantially equal pitches in the front and rear directions so that a movable protection member 10 described later can be held at three positions. . Here, each pitch width is substantially the same as the length of the locking edge 19 of the movable protection member 10 described later,
It is somewhat wider than that. Of the locking projections, a pair of temporary locking projections 16 located in the front row are provided in a pair on the left and right wall surfaces 15 respectively, and the front end faces thereof are cut off in a tapered shape so that the movable protection member 10 is fitted. A guide surface 16A for guiding the operation is provided, and a rear end surface thereof is cut off at a substantially right angle. When the locking edge 19 of the movable protection member 10 gets over the temporary locking projection 16 and engages, the movable protection member 10 is held at the protection position.

A pair of upper and lower locking projections 17 are provided behind the temporary locking projections 16. A guide surface 17A is also formed on the front end side of the final locking projection 17,
The rising angle is the guide surface 1 in the temporary locking convex portion 16.
The angle is more obtuse than 6A. For this reason, a greater force is required when the locking edge 19 of the movable protection member 10 crosses the final locking projection 17 than when it crosses the temporary locking projection 16. When the locking edge 19 gets over and engages with the final locking projection 17, the movable protection member 10 is held at the assembly position. Further, a fitting projection 18 is provided behind the final locking projection 17.
However, it protrudes substantially at the center of the left and right wall surfaces 15. A guide surface 18 </ b> A similar to the final locking projection 17 is formed at a front end portion of the fitting projection 18. The locking edge 19 is the
When the movable protection member 10 is engaged after climbing over the position 8, the movable protection member 10 is held at the fitting position.

The male terminal fitting 4 is formed by bending a conductive metal plate, and a tab portion 20 is provided at a tip end thereof for insertion into a mating female terminal fitting (not shown). A pair of stabilizers 21 is formed behind the tab portion 20, and when the male terminal fitting 4 is mounted on the terminal accommodating portion 11, the male terminal fitting 4 is fitted into the stabilizer engaging portion 14. A lance engaging portion 13 is formed on a surface opposite to the surface on which the stabilizer 21 is protruded, and the terminal engaging claw 12 of the lance 12 is formed.
A engages. At the rear of the male terminal fitting 4, there is provided a barrel portion 22 for crimping an electric wire. As shown in FIG. 2, two types of male terminal fittings 4 having different sizes are used.

The movable protection member 10 is formed of a synthetic resin, and has three different positions in the front-rear direction with respect to the housing 9 (the above-described protection position, assembly position, and fitting position).
To be engageable. The movable protection member 10 is formed in the shape of a bottomed square tube, and has a front surface formed with a terminal protection surface 24 having a tab hole 23 through which the tab portion 20 of the male terminal fitting 4 can be inserted. The tab hole 23 is provided in accordance with the position of the male terminal fitting 4, and is opened so as to expand inward from the opening edge of the terminal protection surface 24, so that the tab portion 20 of the male terminal fitting 4 can be inserted. It is designed to be able to perform smoothly. The four side surfaces of the movable protection member 10 can receive the fitting portions 30 of the housing 9.
Since the rear side of each side surface is separated by the slit 27, the side surface can be bent and deformed in the expanding direction.

Of these side surfaces, the longer side (housing 9)
At a position corresponding to the surface on which the lance 12 is formed)
Are formed as a pair of regulating surfaces 25. When the movable protection member 10 and the housing 9 are assembled to the assembly position or the fitting position, the regulating surface 25
And restricts the lance 12 from bending and deforming outward, and double-locks the male terminal fitting 4. The inside portion of the distal end portion of the regulating surface 25 is made thin to form a relief portion 28. Movable protection member 10
Is in the protection position, the leading end of the lance 12 is located at the relief portion 28, so that the lance 12 can be flexibly deformed. The remaining pair of surfaces (that is, the positions corresponding to the surfaces on the housing 9 side where the convex portions 16, 17, and 18 are provided) are flexible engagement pieces 26 that can be expanded and deformed.
It is said. A central portion of the flexible engagement piece 26 is opened to form a concave portion 29, and a locking edge 19 is formed at a rear end portion. The locking edge 19 is formed by three convex portions 16, 17, 1
8, the housing 9, the movable protection member 10 and the projections 16, 17, 18 are located in the recesses 29.
Is engaged.

The protection position at which the locking edge 19 is locked to the temporary locking projection 16 is in a state before the sub-connector 2 is assembled and assembled to the frame 3. At this time, the tab portion 20 of the male terminal fitting 4 slightly penetrates the tab hole 23, and only the tip portion protrudes from the terminal protection surface 24 (see FIGS. 3, 4, and 6). Therefore, even when the sub-connector 2 is used alone, the tab portion 20 of the male terminal fitting 4 is protected from deformation and the like. In this protection position, since the relief portion 28 of the regulating surface 25 is located at the tip of the lance 12 as described above, the lance 12 can be elastically deformed. It can be inserted and removed from the terminal accommodating portion 11.

Next, at the assembly position where the locking edge 19 is engaged with the final locking projection 17, the tab portion 20 further projects from the tab hole 23. This assembling position corresponds to a state where the sub-connector 2 is inserted into the housing space 6 of the frame 3 and the assembling of the connector 1 is completed (see FIGS. 7, 8, and 12). At the installation position, the distal end of the regulating surface 25 is assembled so as to cover the distal end of the lance 12 from outside.
As a result, the lance 12 is less likely to bend outward and deform, so that the male terminal fitting 4 is substantially double-locked. At the assembly position, the partition wall 5 of the frame 3 is
Also serves as a protective wall. Finally, at the fitting position where the locking edge 19 is engaged with the fitting projection 18, the movable protection member 1
The 0 terminal protection surface 24 is in contact with the front end portion of the housing 9. The mating position is a front end surface of the female connector (a surface on which both connectors come into contact with each other when mating) when the mating female connector (not shown) and the connector 1 reach the mating position.
This is achieved by the movable protective member 10 being pressed and retreating (see FIGS. 9 and 10). At the fitting position, the regulating surface 25 completely covers the outside of the lance 12, so that the lance 12 cannot be bent and deformed and the male terminal fitting 4
Is doubly locked.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. First, the housing 9 and the movable protection member 10 are assembled and brought to the protection position. That is, when the fitting portion 30 of the housing 9 is pushed in from the rear side of the movable protection member 10, the temporary locking projection 16 of the wall surface 15 and the locking edge 19 of the movable protection member 10 abut. Here, when both members 9 and 10 are pushed in, the locking edge 19 rides on the guide surface 16A, so that the bending engagement piece 26 is bent and deformed in the expanding direction. When further pressed, the locking edge 19 gets over the temporary locking projection 16, the bending engagement piece 26 is deformed to return, and reaches the protection position. When in the protection position, the relief portion 28 of the regulating surface 25 is located outside the lance 12, so that the lance 12 is elastically deformable.

Next, the male terminal fitting 4 is mounted on the terminal accommodating portion 11 of the housing 9. Connect the male terminal fitting 4 to the terminal receiving port 11
When pushed in from the A side, the lance 1 is
2 is depressed and deformed outward. When the male terminal fitting 4 reaches a predetermined position, the lance 12 returns and deforms, and the terminal engaging claw 12A engages with the lance engaging portion 13.
Thus, the male terminal fitting 4 is primarily locked. At this time,
The tip of the tab portion 20 of the male terminal fitting 4 slightly projects from the tab hole 23 of the terminal protection surface 24. In this operation, the tab hole 23 is largely opened while forming a slope on the rear surface side of the terminal protection surface 24. For this reason, even if there is a slight displacement between the position of the tab portion 20 and the position of the tab hole 23, the tab portion 20 projects to the front side of the terminal protection surface 24 along this slope. Can be.

The inclination of the guide surface 16A of the temporary locking projection 16 is smaller than that of the guide surface 17A of the final locking projection 17, so that the locking edge 19 is May be smaller than the force when overcoming the final locking projection 17. For this reason, the locking edge 1 reaching the protection position
No. 9 is difficult to move to the assembling position over the final locking projection 17 with the same momentum.

The sub-connector 2 thus assembled at the protection position is assembled to the frame 3 as shown in FIG. First, the movable protection member 10 is pushed into the housing 9 side of the sub-connector 2 and moved to the assembly position. At this time, when the male terminal fitting 4 is inserted to the regular position of the terminal accommodating portion 11, the distal end portion of the regulating surface 25 of the movable protection member 10 is located in the bending area of the lance 12, Are almost double locked. On the other hand, when the male terminal fitting 4 is not inserted to the regular position of the terminal accommodating portion 11, the lance 12 is left bent and deformed outward by the male terminal fitting 4. The rim abuts the lance 12 and makes it impossible to move to the assembled position. For this reason, the operator knows that the male terminal fitting 4 is at the half-inserted position with respect to the terminal accommodating portion 11. In this manner, the sub-connector 2 into which the movable protection member 10 has been pushed to the mounting position is
To the predetermined position, the assembly of the connector 1 is completed (see FIG. 12). In this position, the tab portion 20 projects forward of the terminal protection surface 24,
The partition wall 5 of the frame 3 protects the male terminal fitting 4.

Thereafter, the female connector (not shown) and the connector 1 are fitted together. During this fitting, the terminal protection surface 24 of the movable protection member 10 is pressed by the front surface of the female connector. For this reason, the locking edge 19 is not
8 over the guide surface 18A. In this fitting position, since the regulating surface 25 covers almost the entire length of the lance 12, the male terminal fitting 4 is double-locked. Also, at this time, since the tab portion 20 is fitted to the mating female terminal fitting,
Electrical connection between both connectors is achieved. In the above description, in order to move the movable protection member 10 from the protection position to the assembly position, the operator has previously performed a pressing operation on the operator side.
The operation of pushing the sub-connector 2 into the frame 3 may be integrated. That is, when the sub-connector 2 is pushed into the housing space 6 of the frame 3, the rear end of the partition wall 5 and the terminal protection surface 24 of the movable protection member 10 abut at a predetermined position. So, if you push the sub-connector 2 as it is,
Since the terminal protection surface 24 is pressed to the rear position and the locking edge 19 rides on the guide surface 17A of the main locking projection 17, the bending engagement piece 26 expands and deforms. When pushed in as it is, the locking edge 19 gets over and engages with the final locking projection 17, and the bending engagement piece 26 returns to the assembled position and reaches the assembly position. In this way, the number of working steps can be reduced.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the movable protection member 10 is held at three positions with respect to the housing 9. Of these, at the shallowest protection position, the male terminal 4 is covered and concealed to the tip when the male sub-connector 2 is alone, so that the male terminal 4 is protected. When the movable protection member 10 is assembled into the frame 3, the movable protection member 10 is pushed from the protection position to the assembly position. Then, the movable protection member 10 enters the bending area of the lance 12 and the lance 1
In order to restrict the bending of the male terminal 2, the male terminal fitting 4 is held in a state where the holding of the male terminal fitting 4 by the lance 12 is strengthened. Further, when the female connector is fitted, the movable protective member 10 is retracted by this fitting operation, and the connection with the female terminal fitting (not shown) proceeds while exposing the tip of the male terminal fitting 4, and the fitting is performed. At the position, the male and female terminal fittings are in a normal connection state.

Further, when assembling the housing 9 and the movable protection member 10, the force for bringing the member in a state where both members are separated from each other to the protection position is larger than the force for moving the member from this position to the assembly position. Has been made smaller. For this reason, it is less likely to apply a large force during the work of assembling to the protection position and to assemble it to the assembling position, thereby improving workability.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the following ones are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. The protection surface projecting rearward from the movable protection member does not need to be planar. For example, a prismatic member may be protruded from the vertex of the terminal protection surface. In such a case, the movable protection member can be reduced in weight and size.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment before a sub-connector is assembled.

FIG. 2 is a plan view before assembling a sub-connector.

FIG. 3 is a side view when the sub-connector is in a protection position.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view when the sub-connector is in a protection position.

FIG. 5 is a front view when the sub-connector is in a protection position.

FIG. 6 is a plan view when the sub-connector is at a protection position.

FIG. 7 is a side view when the sub-connector is at an assembly position.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view when the sub-connector is at an assembly position.

FIG. 9 is a side view when the sub-connector is at a mating position.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view when the sub-connector is at a mating position.

FIG. 11 is a side sectional view before a plurality of sub-connectors are assembled to a frame.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view after a connector is assembled.

FIG. 13 is a front view after the connector is assembled.

FIG. 14 is a front view of a connector in a conventional example.

FIG. 15 is a side sectional view of the connector in the same example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Connector 2 ... Sub-connector 3 ... Frame 4 ... Male terminal fitting 5 ... Partition wall 6 ... Housing space (housing room) 9 ... Housing 10 ... Movable protection member 12 ... Lance 16 ... Temporary locking convex part 17 ... Full locking Convex part 26 ... Flexible engagement piece 29 ... Concave part

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A frame which is entirely frame-shaped and the inside of which is partitioned into a plurality of storage chambers by partition walls, and a plurality of male sides which are formed so that male terminal fittings can be stored therein and incorporated into each of the storage chambers. A connector comprising a sub-connector, wherein the male sub-connector has a front end portion of a male terminal fitting exposed from a front surface thereof, and a movable protection is provided on a front side of a housing of the male sub-connector. Before the male sub-connector is mounted on the frame, the male terminal fitting is resiliently locked by a lance before the male sub-connector is mounted on the frame. A protection position for substantially covering up to the tip of the terminal fitting, and a fitting position deeper than the protection position when the male sub-connector is assembled to a frame. An assembling position for restricting the deflection of the lance and holding the male terminal fitting in a retaining state, and a fitting position further deeper than the assembling position accompanying the fitting of the female connector when the female connector is fitted. And a fitting position at which the male terminal fitting is exposed so as to be connected to the female terminal fitting with a proper insertion margin. 2. The movable protection member and a housing of the male sub-connector according to claim 1, wherein:
A flexible engagement piece formed on the movable protection member and capable of being elastically deformed and provided with a concave portion, and three types of convex portions formed on the housing side and capable of engaging with the concave portion; The force when the flexure engaging piece crosses the temporary locking convex portion on the front side of the housing among the convex portions and reaches the protection position is such that the flexing engaging piece has a greater force than the temporary locking convex portion. The connector is also characterized in that the force is smaller than the force at the time of reaching the assembling position over the final locking convex portion located on the back side.