JPH1027644A - Connector connection structure - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To combine male and female connectors after assembling divided connectors together, to make the whole compact and to easily perform the unmating operation. SOLUTION: Upper and lower female connectors F are assembled by inserting an insertion leg 30 of a lower female connector F into a guide rail 31 of an upper female connector F, and a hook portion 36 of a locking piece 35 is engaged. The connection state is established by fitting into the stop recess 38. At this time, the pressing plate 4 provided on the upper female connector F
0 presses the operating portion 16 of the lock arm 14 for locking between the male connector and the mating male connector, and holds the lock arm 14 in a bent and deformed state. Therefore, the lower lock arm 14 is in a state in which the lock function has been killed, and only the upper lock arm 14 locks the male and female connectors in the fitted state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connecting structure for integrally assembling connectors on either one of male and female sides.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When constructing a multi-pole connector, for example, when manufacturing a harness, it is easier to handle the connector if it is divided into small ones, but on the other hand, the number of steps of the fitting operation increases. There is. In order to reduce the number of work steps, it is conceivable that the divided male or female connectors are integrally assembled in advance before the fitting operation is performed. For example, as shown in FIG.
When the male and female sides are divided into two each, the male connectors 51 and the female connectors 52 are integrally assembled before the harness manufacturing is completed and the fitting operation is performed. It is.

[0003]

In the above case, the male side can be connected relatively easily using, for example, the clip attaching portion 53. That is, an insertion leg 54 that can be inserted into the mounting portion 53 is attached to the connector 51, and the insertion leg 54 of one male connector 51 is connected to the other male connector 5.
The two male connectors 51 can be integrally connected while being overlapped by being inserted into the first mounting portion 53. On the female side,
Since the female connector 52 is provided with the lock arm 55 for locking the male connector 51 into the fitted state when the female connector 52 is properly fitted, the female connector 52 cannot be easily handled. The lock arm 55 is provided so as to be elastically deformable and deformable. The male and female connectors 51 and 52 are fitted while bending the lock arm 55 and locked when both connectors 51 and 52 are properly fitted. While the arm 55 is restored and deformed, the lock portion 56 provided there is provided.
Is locked by a locking portion 57 provided on the male connector 51. When the two connectors 51 and 52 are disengaged from each other, the operation portion 57 is pressed to release the lock arm 5.
It is necessary to release the lock by forcibly bending and deforming 5.

Here, when the female connectors 52 are overlapped and connected in the same manner as the male connector, the lock arm 55 of the lower female connector 52 is sandwiched between the female connector 52 and the upper female connector 52. And, as described above, the male and female connectors 51, 5
Since the lock arm 55 must be forcibly bent and deformed when the fitting 2 is disengaged, in particular, the lower lock arm 55 sandwiched between the female connectors 52 is easily deformed and deformed. It is necessary to open the space between the female connectors 52 and assemble them. In this case, the assembled female connector 52 becomes bulky, and the male connector 52 becomes bulky accordingly. Therefore, there is a problem that the entire connector becomes large. Further, since each lock arm 55 is locked to the mating male connector 51, when the male and female connectors 51 and 52 are disengaged, the lock arm 55 must be unlocked at two places. There was also a problem that it was troublesome.

[0005] The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector in which divided connectors are assembled in advance and then male and female connectors are fitted. To make the whole compact,
Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily perform the disengagement operation.

[0006]

As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that one of the male and female connectors is elastically attached to a locking portion provided on the mating connector. A connecting structure in which a flexible deformable lock piece is provided for locking and holding the male and female connectors in a proper fitting state, and the connectors on the side provided with the lock piece are integrally assembled. Can be assembled in a manner that the surface on which the lock piece is provided is overlapped with the surface of the other connector other than the surface on which the lock piece is provided, and a connection that holds the two connectors in an assembled state between the two connectors Means are interposed, and when both connectors are assembled to the other connector, the lock piece is pressed and bent so that the lock function of the lock piece in the one connector cannot be exhibited. Pressing means for placing stopped deformed state has a feature where the has a configuration provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, three or more connectors provided with the lock pieces can be assembled, and in the assembled state, the lock pieces except for one are different. Are characterized in that they are all configured to be stopped in a bent and deformed state.

[0008]

Function and Effect of the Invention

<Invention of claim 1> When the connectors are assembled in a superposed manner, they are integrated by the connecting means when they are properly assembled, and at the same time, the lock piece sandwiched between the two connectors is deformed by the pressing means. The lock function is stopped and the lock function cannot be exhibited.
When the male and female connectors are fitted, the other lock piece is locked. To release the mating,
The lock is released by forcibly bending and deforming only the lock piece.

That is, when the connectors on the side provided with the lock pieces are connected to each other, the lock pieces on the side sandwiched between the two connectors are stopped in a flexural deformation state and are in a killed state. There is no need to provide an unlocking space or the like between them, and it is possible to assemble it in a small size, and accordingly, the mating connector side can also be made small in size, so that the whole can be compactly assembled. Further, since there is only one place where the connector between the male and female connectors is locked, there is an effect that the operation of releasing the fitting can be easily performed.

<Invention of Claim 2> Even when three or more connectors on the side provided with the lock pieces are to be assembled, the connectors can be assembled while utilizing only one lock piece.
Similarly, the overall size can be reduced, and the disengagement operation can be easily performed.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. <First Embodiment> FIGS. 1 to 9 show a first embodiment of the present invention. The first embodiment exemplifies a case where each of the male and female sides is divided into two connectors. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the two connectors M on the male side are formed of the same shape by a synthetic resin material, and have a slightly larger angle on the front side of the main body 1 having a flat block shape. It has a shape in which a cylindrical hood portion 2 is formed. In the main body 1, four cavities 3 shown in the figure, which face in the front-back direction, are formed side by side. Each cavity 3
A male terminal fitting 6 fixed to the end of the electric wire 5 is inserted from the rear side (the left side in FIG. 3), and a metal lance 7 cut and raised from the bottom surface of the male terminal fitting 6 is formed in each cavity. The tabs 9 of the male terminal fittings 6 protrude into the hood 2 by being locked by locking step portions 8 formed on the bottom surface of the male terminal 3.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the two female connectors F on one female side are also formed of the same shape by the same synthetic resin material, and are formed in a flat block shape. 7 can be fitted into the hood portion 2 of the male connector M described above. In the female connector F,
Four cavities 11 shown in the figure, which are oriented in the front-rear direction, are formed side by side at the same interval as the cavities 3 on the male connector M side, and female terminals fixed to the ends of the electric wires 5 in each cavity 11. The metal fitting 12 is inserted from the rear side, and the metal lance 7 is also engaged with the locking step 8 on the ceiling surface of the cavity 11.
, So that it is housed in a retaining state.

The above-mentioned male connector M and female connector F can be fitted with one by one, and are locked when they are properly fitted. For this reason, the lock arm 14 is formed on the upper surface of the female connector F so as to be folded back from the center position in the width direction at the front edge thereof. The lock arm 14 has a groove 15 cut at the center in the width direction.
An operating portion 16 for release is formed on the upper surface of the end portion extending rearward, and is elastically deformable downward around the folded portion. Groove 1
A lock portion 17 is formed at an intermediate position of 5, and as shown in FIG. 7, the lock portion 17 has a guide surface that is inclined on the front side and a steep engagement surface on the rear side. .

On the male connector M side, a locking projection 19 that can be locked to the lock portion 17 of the lock arm 14 is formed at the center of the front edge of the ceiling surface of the hood portion 2 in the width direction. . The locking projection 19 can enter the groove 15 of the lock arm 14, and as shown in FIG. 3, the front edge side is an inclined guide surface, and the rear surface side is a steep locking surface.

That is, when the female connector F is fitted toward the male connector M, the locking projection 19 enters the groove 15 of the lock arm 14, and the lock arm 14 is bent downward by the engagement of the guide surfaces. When the connectors M and F are properly fitted together, the lock portion 17 exceeds the locking protrusion 19, and the lock arm 14 is restored and deformed while the lock portion 17 is restored to the rear surface of the locking protrusion 19. By being fitted on the side, the connectors M and F are locked in a properly fitted state (see the upper side of FIG. 9). On the other hand, when the operating portion 16 is pressed to forcibly bend and deform the lock arm 14, the lock is released, so that the fitting of the connectors M and F can be released.

The two male connectors M and the two female connectors F, which are provided two by two, can be assembled so as to be vertically overlapped with each other. First, the connection structure of the male connector M will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, a substantially inverted T when viewed from the front is provided at a central portion in the width direction on the lower surface of the hood portion 2.
A front-rear guide rail 21 having a character shape is formed. A groove 22 is formed in the center of the guide rail 21 in the width direction.
As shown in FIG. 3, a locking piece 23 is formed so as to extend rearward from the front end side of the groove 22. The locking piece 23 is capable of flexing and deforming on its tip side upward, and has a locking projection 24 formed on the lower surface at an intermediate position, the front surface being an inclined surface and the rear surface being a vertical surface.

On the other hand, a pair of insertion legs 26 are formed on the upper surface of the hood 2 along the front-rear direction. This plug leg 2
Numeral 6 is hook-shaped and formed so as to face each other, and can be inserted so as to hold the guide rail 21 from both right and left sides. Double insertion leg 26
A stopper plate 27 is provided on the front end side, and a protrusion 28 is formed at a predetermined position between the two insertion legs 26. The rear side is an inclined surface and the front side is a vertical surface.

That is, when connecting two male connectors M, the insertion leg 26 of one (lower) male connector M is connected to the guide of the other male connector M as shown by the arrow in FIG. It is inserted into the rail 21 from the front side. When the insertion leg 26 is pushed in while bending the locking piece 23 by the engagement between the projection 28 and the locking projection 24, the insertion is stopped when the stopper plate 27 hits the front end of the guide rail 21. Since the locking projection 24 relatively climbs over the projection 28, the locking piece 23 is restored and deformed and the locking projection 24 fits on the front surface of the projection 28, as shown in FIG. Are assembled and locked with the top and bottom overlapping. At this time, the tip surfaces of the hood portions 2 of the male and female connectors M are aligned.

Next, the connection structure on the female connector F side will be described. On the upper surface on the rear end side of the female connector F, a pair of insertion legs 30 are set up so as to sandwich both sides of the extension end of the lock arm 14 described above. The tip of each insertion leg 30 is bent outward at a right angle. On the other hand, on the lower surface on the rear end side of the female connector F, a guide rail 31 in which an insertion groove 32 into which the insertion leg 30 can be inserted is formed. A stopper plate 33 is formed on the rear side of the insertion groove 32 (see FIG. 7).

A pair of locking pieces 35 are provided inside the two guide rails 31. The locking piece 35 has a hook portion 36 formed on the lower surface of the distal end and is provided so as to protrude forward, and the distal end side can be bent and deformed upward. The above-mentioned pair of insertion legs 30 can be inserted so that the corners of the bent portions correspond to the locking pieces 35, and the hooks 36 of the locking pieces 35 fit into the corners. A recess 38 is formed (see FIGS. 6 and 8).

That is, when connecting two female connectors F, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 7, the insertion leg 30 of one (lower) female connector F is connected to the guide of the other female connector F. It is inserted into the insertion groove 32 of the rail 31 from the front side. As shown in FIG. 8, when the insertion leg 30 is pushed in while its corner portion hits the hook portion 36 of the locking piece 35 while bending the locking piece 35 and hitting the stopper plate 33 to stop the insertion. Then, the hooks 36 are fitted into the locking recesses 38 while the locking pieces 35 are restored and deformed, whereby the female connectors F are assembled and locked in a state where they are vertically overlapped. At this time, the distal end surfaces of both female connectors F are aligned.

A pressing plate 40 is formed at an intermediate position between the guide rails 31 so as to face down the lock function of the lock arm 14. This pressing plate 4
As shown in FIG. 7, 0 is a slope 41 with a relatively steep downward slope on the front edge side, a slope 42 with a gentle downward slope on the lower edge, and a vertical plane on the trailing edge side. .

That is, when the two female connectors F are assembled in an overlapping manner as described above, the lower female connector F
The operating portion 16 of the lock arm 14 abuts on the inclined surface 41 of the pressing plate 40 of the upper female connector F, and the lock arm 14 is bent downward along the inclined surface 41 and is assembled at a regular position. At this point, as shown in FIG.
And is held in a state of being flexed and deformed.
In this state, when the male and female connectors M and F are fitted, the lock portion 17 is separated to a position where it does not engage with the mating locking projection 19 at all, that is, the lock function of the lock arm 14 is killed. Becomes

The first embodiment has the above structure, and its operation will be described below. First, the male connectors M and the female connectors F are respectively assembled. Repeating, on the male side, the insertion leg 26 of the lower male connector M is inserted into the guide rail 21 of the upper male connector M from the front side as shown by the arrow in FIG. When it hits the plate 27, as shown in FIG.
The connector 8 is locked by the locking projection 24 of the locking piece 23, the two connectors M are vertically overlapped, and the front ends of the hood 2 are aligned with each other.

On the female side, the insertion leg 30 of the lower female connector F is inserted into the insertion groove 32 of the guide rail 31 of the upper female connector F from the front side, as shown by the arrow in FIG. When a predetermined amount is inserted and hits the stopper plate 33, FIG.
As shown in (2), when the hooks 36 of the left and right locking pieces 35 are fitted into the locking recesses 38, the female connectors F are assembled and locked in a state of being vertically overlapped. At the same time, the operating unit 1 of the lock arm 14 of the lower female connector F
6 is pressed by the pressing plate 40 of the upper female connector F, and the lock arm 14 is held in a state of being flexed and deformed. On the other hand, the lock arm 14 of the upper female connector F remains free.

When the two female connectors F are integrally assembled as described above, the female connector F is fitted to the male connector M which is integrally assembled. The upper and lower female connectors F are fitted to the corresponding upper and lower male connectors M, respectively. At this time, the locking projection 19 of the upper male connector M is
Relatively enters the groove 15 of the upper lock arm 14,
Due to the engagement between the guide surfaces, the upper lock arm 14 is pushed in while being bent downward. When the female connector F is pushed by a predetermined amount, as shown in FIG.
The female and male connectors M and F are locked in a state where they are properly fitted up and down by being fitted on the rear surface side of the connector 9.

With the above-described fitting operation, the locking projection 19 of the lower male connector M also enters the portion corresponding to the groove 15 of the lower lock arm 14, but the lower lock arm 14 Is held in a deformed state, and the lock portion 1
7 does not engage because it has escaped downward from the approach path of the locking projection 19, and the lower lock arm 14 does not exhibit the locking function.

On the other hand, when the male and female connectors M and F are disengaged during maintenance or the like, the operating part 16 of the upper lock arm 14 is pushed to forcibly bend the lock arm 14 downward. When deformed, the lock portion 17 is disengaged from the locking projection 19 and the lock is released, so that the male and female connectors M and F may be separated as they are.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the female connectors F provided with the lock arms 14 are connected to each other, the lower lock arms 14 sandwiched between the female connectors F Since it is stopped in the flexure deformation state and is in a killed state, there is no need to provide a space for unlocking the lock arm 14 between the female connectors F, and it is assembled in a substantially close contact small bulk. be able to. Accordingly, the mating male connector M side can also be assembled in a small volume, and the whole can be compactly assembled. In addition, since the location for locking between the male and female connectors M and F is only one location on the upper side, the operation of releasing the fitting can be easily performed.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The second embodiment exemplifies a case in which three connectors are assembled in advance on the male and female sides, and then the male and female connectors are fitted.

First, on the male side, as shown in FIG. 10, it is composed of one main connector M1 and two sub-connectors M2. The main connector M1 has a shape that is twice as large as the male connector M shown in the first embodiment in the lateral direction, and a total of eight cavities into which the male terminal fittings 6 are inserted in the main body 1a. 3 are provided on the left and right by four. On the left and right sides of the lower surface of the hood portion 2a of the main connector M1, guide rails 21 and locking pieces 23 similar to those provided on the male connector M of the first embodiment are provided.
Is provided. The sub-connector M2 has the same shape as the male connector M of the first embodiment.

Therefore, the insertion leg 2 of each sub-connector M2
6, the guide rail 2 on either the left or right of the main connector M1.
1 from the front side, the engaging piece 23 is engaged with the projection 28 and the main connector M is inserted in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
The two left and right sub-connectors M2 are integrally attached to the lower surface of the first connector 1.

On the female side, one main connector F1
And two sub-connectors F2. The main connector F1 has a shape which is twice as large as the female connector F shown in the first embodiment in the lateral direction, and is a male main connector M.
A total of eight cavities 11 into which the female terminal fittings 12 are inserted can be fitted into the one hood portion 2a, and four cavities 11 are formed on each side. Secondary connector F2
Has the same shape as the female connector F of the first embodiment.

On both left and right sides of the lower surface of the rear end of the main connector F1, there are formed guide rails 31 into which the insertion legs 30 provided on the sub-connector F2 can be inserted. Further, in the guide rail 31, a pressing plate 40 for killing the lock function of the lock arm 14 provided on the sub-connector F2 is formed.

Therefore, the insertion leg 3 of each sub-connector F2
0 is the guide rail 3 on either side of the main connector F1.
1 from the front side, the hooks 36 of the locking pieces 35 are fitted into the locking recesses 38 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the two left and right sub-connectors F2 are mounted on the lower surface of the main connector F1.
Are assembled integrally. At the same time, the operating portions 16 of the lock arms 14 of the two sub-connectors F2 are pressed by the pressing plate 40 of the main connector F1, and
Is held in a state of being bent and deformed.

A lock arm 14a similar to that of the first embodiment is provided at a central position in the width direction on the upper surface of the female main connector F1. The male main connector M1 has a locking projection 19a which can be locked to the lock portion 17a of the lock arm 14a at a center position in the width direction at the front edge of the ceiling surface of the hood portion 2a. ing.
The locking projection 19a and the lock arm 14a
Although it is formed one size larger than that of the embodiment, the basic shape and function are the same.

The second embodiment has the above-described structure. On the male and female sides, the two sub-connectors M2 and F2 are integrated with the main connector M1 and F1, respectively, as described above. Assemble it. On the female side, the lock arms 14 of the two sub-connectors F2 are each flexed and deformed and held in a state where the lock function is lost.

Subsequently, the female connectors F1 and F2 assembled together are fitted to the male connectors M1 and M2 assembled integrally. The female main connector F1 is fitted to the male main connector M1, and both female sub connectors F2 are fitted to the corresponding male sub connector M2. At this time, the lock arm 14a provided on the female-side main connector F1 is pushed in while being bent and deformed by a predetermined amount.
7a is locked to the locking projection 19a, so that the male connectors M1, M2 and the female connectors F1, F2 are locked in a properly fitted state. Female side sub-connector F
Since the second lock arm 14 is in a state of being bent and deformed as described above, it does not exhibit a lock function.

In performing maintenance or the like, when disengaging the male and female connectors, the female main connector F1
When the operating portion 16a of the lock arm 14a is pressed to bend and forcibly bend, the lock is released, and the male and female connectors may be separated as they are. Thus, the present invention
The present invention can also be applied to a case where connectors are assembled in a hybrid manner.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above with reference to the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

(1) As for the mode of assembling the connectors, for example, three or more connectors shown in the first embodiment may be assembled in a stacked manner, and in this case, only one lock arm can be locked. , All the other lock arms can be in a state where the lock function has been killed.

(2) The present invention can be similarly applied to a type in which a lock arm is provided on a male connector. In short, after a split type connector is previously assembled integrally,
It can be widely applied in general when male and female are fitted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a male connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an operation of assembling two male connectors.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a state where two male connectors are assembled.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a female connector.

FIG. 6 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation of assembling two female connectors.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a state where two female connectors are assembled.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a state where the male and female assembled connectors are fitted.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a state before assembling a male connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a state before the female connector is assembled.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 M: male connector F: female connector 14: lock arm (lock piece) 19: locking projection (locking part) 35: locking piece (connection means) 38: locking recess (connection means) 40: pressing plate ( Pressing means) M1: male-side main connector M2: male-side sub-connector F1: female-side main connector F2: female-side sub-connector 14a: lock arm 19a: locking projection

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A flexure-deformable lock piece for either a male or female connector, which is elastically locked to a locking portion provided on a mating connector to hold the male and female connectors in a proper fitting state. Is provided, wherein the connector on the side provided with the lock piece is integrally assembled with each other, wherein one connector has a face provided with the lock piece and a face provided with a lock piece in another connector. It is possible to assemble in a superposed manner on the other surface, and a connecting means for holding both connectors in an assembled state is interposed between both connectors, and when both connectors are assembled to the other connector, A connector provided with a pressing means for pressing the lock piece so as to prevent the lock function of the lock piece in the one connector from being exerted, and for holding the lock piece in a flexure deformation state. Quite concrete. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein three or more connectors provided with the lock pieces are assembled, and in the assembled state, all but one of the lock pieces are stopped in a bent and deformed state. The connector connection structure according to claim 1, wherein: