JP2737633B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector provided with a lock hood.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, there has been known a type in which a fitted state of a male and female connector is locked by a lock hood. Examples thereof include those of Japanese Utility Model Application No. 4-67784 and Japanese Utility Model Application No. 4-67785. In these components, a lock hood is rotatably mounted on a housing on the male connector side, and the lock hood is provided with a cam projection having a side edge acting as a cam. On the other hand, a cam receiving hole for receiving the cam projection is opened in the housing of the female connector. Then, during the fitting operation of the two housings, when the cam protrusion contacts the housing of the female connector and rotates so that the entire lock hood is pushed up, then the fitting proceeds and the cam protrusion is fitted into the cam receiving hole. Then, the lock hood rotates in the opposite direction and returns. In this way, if the lock hood is further rotated slightly and engaged with the housing of the female connector while the housings of both connectors are completely fitted, the locked state of the male and female connectors is maintained. there were.

[0003]

However, since the lock hood is mounted in such a manner that it can freely rotate, the lock hood may come off during the transportation. In addition, the lock hood is finally slightly rotated to engage with the female connector side, thereby preventing both housings from being left in a half-fitted state and always correcting the housing to a completely fitted state. However, even if the user forgets to perform a lock operation on the lock hood, there is also a problem that it is difficult to notice an abnormality in the position and half-fitting detection is not possible.

[0004] In order to prevent this, it is conceivable to always press the lock hood against the outer surface of the male housing using a spring. In this way, it is possible to prevent the lock hood from inadvertently rising and dropping beyond the rotation limit, and furthermore, the lock hood shifts the two housings to the completely fitted position, so that the completely engaged The state can be realized.

[0005] However, simply pressing the lock hood against the outer surface of the male housing with a spring force causes the spring force to act even when the male and female housings are connected. The lock hood must be lifted against this, which may make it difficult to disconnect the connectors.

[0006] The present invention has been devised in view of this problem, and an object thereof is to provide a connector capable of easily removing a connector while preventing the lock hood from falling off. is there.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a housing of one of connectors which can be fitted with each other, a state along an outer surface thereof and an outer surface thereof. A lock hood that is rotatable between a state where the lock hood and the other connector are not provided with a cam protruding portion. By rotating the lock hood in the direction along the outer surface of the one connector housing, the cam connector projects the other connector in the coupling direction, and the lock hood and the housing of the one connector are displaced. During this time, the lock hood is elastically deformed as the lock hood rises and turns, thereby causing the lock hood to move forward. Together with a spring member for biasing the direction along the outer surface of the one connector housing is bridged,
This spring member is characterized in that one end side of the spring member is supported so as to be displaceable to a disengaged position with respect to the lock hood or the housing of the one connector.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, one end of the spring member is rotatably attached to the lock hood or the one housing so that the other end of the spring member can be displaced to a disengaged position. It is characterized by being carried out.

Further, a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a positioning portion is formed on the other end of the spring member so as to be releasably engaged with the lock hood or the housing of the one connector. Is what you do.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the lock hood is pressed by the spring member against the housing of the connector to which the lock hood is attached, and is in a state along the outer surface. The rise of food is regulated. Further, when the connectors are connected to each other, the spring member presses the lock hood, thereby assisting the connection between the two connectors and maintaining the connected state.

On the other hand, when the connectors are separated from each other, if the spring member is displaced to a position where the spring member is disengaged from the lock hood or the housing, no spring force acts on the lock hood. If lifted, both housings can be separated.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the spring member is guided to the separated position by rotating the spring member.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the spring member is prevented from being displaced by engaging the positioning portion with the lock hood or the housing of one of the connectors.

[0014]

The effects of the present invention are as follows. According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the spring member is provided so as to be displaceable to the disengagement position, if the separation operation of both connectors is performed at this disengagement position, the spring force is invalidated, and therefore the separation operation can be easily performed. .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the spring member can be guided to the separated position only by rotating the spring member, operability can be expected to be improved by a simple operation.

Further, according to the third aspect of the invention, since the displacement of the spring member is prevented, the spring force can be reliably applied to the lock hood.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. A lock hood 5 is attached to the male connector 1, and the female connector 2 is displaced by the lock hood 5 to a completely fitted position to hold the male and female connectors 1, 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the male connector 1 has a male housing 4 formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a plurality of male terminals (shown in FIG. A male terminal accommodating chamber 6 for accommodating the female housing 3 is formed in a front portion (a rear portion in FIG. 1). The male terminal accommodating chamber 6 is formed so as to open in both front and rear directions, and is divided into a plurality of chambers in a lattice shape. In each of the chambers, male terminals each having an elongated flat plate-shaped distal end portion are individually housed in such a state that they are prevented from coming off, and their distal end portions protrude in the hood portion in parallel. The male terminals are prevented from coming off by engaging flexible lances (known ones) formed in the male terminal receiving chambers 6 with the metal fittings of the male terminals.

Similarly to the male connector 1, the female connector 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped female housing 3 which opens in both front and rear directions, and includes therein a number of female terminals corresponding to each male terminal. The same number of female terminal accommodating chambers 8 for accommodating (not shown) are provided. These female terminals are also prevented from coming off by engaging lances (not shown) formed in the respective female terminal accommodating chambers 8 with metal fittings of the female terminals. Each of these female terminals is adapted to be fitted and electrically connected to the male terminal when the male and female housings 3, 4 are completely fitted.

On the other hand, a pair of support shafts 9 are formed integrally on the left and right side walls at the rear of the male housing 4 (only one side is shown in FIG. 1).
Is supported rotatably about this. The lock hood 5 has a downward U-shaped cross section so as to cover a part of the rear side of the male housing 4 and the upper surface and the left and right side surfaces of the hood portion 7. It can be raised and lowered between the retracted state. A plate-like cam projection 10 is formed on the lower surface of the central portion of the lock hood 5 so as to project therefrom. This cam projection 10
Has a substantially triangular shape, and a slope 10a is formed on both side edges with a vertex at a substantially central portion. Correspondingly, a slit 11 is formed in the rear half of the upper surface of the hood 7 of the male housing 4 so that the cam projection 10 can pass therethrough, and a front opening surface (fitting surface) at the center of the upper surface of the female housing 3. A cam receiving hole 12 that receives the insertion of the cam projection 10 in alignment with the slit 11 as the housings 3 and 4 are fitted to each other is opened in the nearer position along the front-rear direction. Further, a range from the upper edge of the fitting surface of the female housing 3 to the cam receiving hole 12 is inwardly recessed while having the same width as the cam receiving hole 12.
Are formed. As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the cam receiving portion 13 is formed in a mountain shape having an upward slope toward the center, and front and rear inclined surfaces are guide surfaces 13 for guiding the cam projection 10.
a. Thereby, the male and female housings 3,
In the process of fitting 4, the cam projection 10 gets over the cam receiving portion 13 and enters the cam receiving hole 12 (see FIGS. 4 to 6).

A spring member 14 is provided between the lock hood 5 and the rear upper surface of the male housing 4. The spring member 14 is formed of, for example, spring steel and has a shape that is lifted from the center to the front end, and correspondingly, the rear upper surface of the lock hood 5 has a slope 5a adapted to the lifted shape. .

One end of the spring member 14 is rotatably mounted on the rear upper surface of the male housing 4. That is, a pin shaft 15 projects integrally from the rear upper surface of the male housing 4, and this pin shaft 15 has a head portion 15a that protrudes like a flange. In the spring member 14, the pin shaft 1
An insertion groove 16 for receiving the pin shaft 15 is cut into the end corresponding to 5. The insertion groove 16 is formed with a groove width that is the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 15b of the pin shaft 15, and a support portion 16a whose diameter is increased is formed at the end. As a result, the spring member 14 is connected to the pin shaft 1 introduced into the support 16a.
5 and rotatably supported by the head 15a.
The upper part is prevented from falling off. Although the rotation range of the spring member 14 is not particularly limited in the present embodiment, as shown in at least FIG. (Dissociation position). Although not shown, a stopper projection may be provided on the rear upper surface of the male housing 4 so as to engage with the spring member 14 in order to restrict the rotation of the spring member 14.

A rectangular locking window 17 is opened at the other end of the spring member 14, and a positioning projection 18 is formed on the upper surface of the lock hood 5 and at the center near the slope. And the spring member 14
It plays the role of preventing slippage.

However, the spring force of the spring member 14 is such that the female housing 3 is drawn into the hood portion 7 of the male housing 4 after the cam projection 10 has passed over the apex of the cam receiving portion 13 and It is set so as to be able to automatically reach a completely fitted state (a state in which the male and female terminals are completely connected) (the spring force may be set lower than this, but even in this case, the fitting is performed). The function to assist joint operation is exhibited.) Further, the spring force in this case is sufficient to hold the two housings 3 and 4 in the fitted state.

Next, the operation and effect of the embodiment constructed as described above will be specifically described. When the male connector 1 is single, as shown in FIG.
4 is along the upper surface of the male housing 4 by the spring force. Therefore, since it has a compact shape, the storage efficiency is enhanced. Further, in the course of transport, a force in the direction of causing the lock hood 5 to rise due to vibration or collision with another male connector 1 may act. Although there is a concern that the lock hood 5 may fall off the housing 4 as described above, the lock hood 5 is urged by the spring member 14 so as to be in close contact with the upper surface of the male housing 4. However, the lock hood 5 does not easily stand up, and the disengagement situation is avoided.

When connecting the male and female connectors 1 and 2, the female housing 3 is inserted into the hood 7 of the male housing 4. Then, as the female connector 2 enters,
The entire lock hood 5 is lifted while the front guide surface 13a of the cam receiving portion 13 is in sliding contact with the inclined surface of the cam projection 10 (see FIG. 5). At this time, the lock hood 5 is elastically deformed in the expanding direction on the free end side of the spring member 14 by being lifted.
This prevents the male housing 4 from coming off.
In the state before the cam projection 10 climbs over the cam receiving part 13, the spring force of the spring member 14
Since it functions as a repulsive force for separating the two, it is necessary that the operating force for the connection be of such a level as to resist the repulsive force.

However, when the cam projection 10 passes through the vertex of the cam receiving portion 13, the cam projecting portion 10 comes into sliding contact with the guide surface 13a on the rear side of the cam receiving portion 13, so that the spring force of the spring member 14 is reduced by the female housing. 3 acts to draw into the hood 7 of the male housing 4. As a result, the male and female housings 3, 4 automatically transition to a completely fitted state, and the male and female terminals are electrically connected (the state shown in FIG. 6). That is,
In the present embodiment, the two housings 3 and 4 are automatically shifted to the locked state. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, an independent operation for locking is not required. The fitted state is reliably avoided. Also,
This state is reliably maintained even after being locked by the spring member 14, so that no special locking means is required.
Of course, an auxiliary locking means may be provided.
Furthermore, in the case where the spring member 14 is provided separately as in this example, the spring force of the spring member 14 can be set arbitrarily, and thus the state is automatically shifted to the locked state as in this example. Such a setting or a setting for assisting the fitting operation can be freely made.

Contrary to the above, when the two connectors 1 and 2 are separated from each other, the engagement between the positioning projection 18 and the locking window 17 is first released, and then the spring member 14 is rotated about the pin shaft 15. And guided to the dissociation position. Thereby, the spring member 14
The end on the side of the locking window 17 is disengaged from the lock hood 5 and extends to the side of the male housing 4. Thereafter, the lock hood 5 is no longer subjected to the spring force of the spring member 14, so that the lock hood 5 can be easily lifted. As a result, the cam projection 10 is pulled out from the cam receiving hole 12 of the female housing 3, so that the two housings 3, 4 can be separated from each other by a relatively light force.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the spring member 14 is positioned by engaging the locking window 17 and the positioning projection 18, so that the spring member 14 is prevented from being displaced. There is also an effect that a regular spring force can be reliably applied.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the spring member. The front edge of the spring member 14 is bent upward at a substantially right angle to form a knob piece 19. Also, the spring member 1
4, positioning projections 18 are directed toward locking windows 17 from both side edges.
Bulging portion 20 for guiding smooth engagement with
Are formed on the left and right.

With the spring member 14 thus formed, the operation of rotating the spring member 14 is facilitated, and the engagement between the locking window 17 and the positioning projection 18 is smoothly performed by the bulging portion 20. The effect is exhibited.
Further, in the case where the bulging portion 20 is formed on the left and right, since the bulging portion 20 can be turned to the left or right, the degree of freedom of operation is increased.

The present invention can be modified in various ways.
The following are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

A knob operation piece may be provided at the front edge of the lock hood 5, which facilitates the lifting operation of the lock hood 5 when the two connectors 1, 2 are separated from each other. Is enhanced.

In this embodiment, the spring member 14 is rotated to be guided to the disengagement position. However, the spring member 14 can be displaced in the front-rear direction, and the distal end side is always at the forward position where the lock hood 5 is locked. When the connectors 1 and 2 are separated from each other, the connectors 1 and 2 may be retracted and disengaged from the lock hood 5. It is conceivable that the proper use in the case of moving forward and backward or rotating in this manner is performed depending on whether the space around the connector is secured on the side or the back.

The lock hood 5 may not be attached to the male housing 4 but may be attached to the female housing. In the present embodiment, the cam projection 10 is provided on the male housing 4, but may be provided on the upper surface of the female housing 3. In this case, the cam receiving hole 12 is opened on the lock hood 5 side. Further, the spring member 14 may set the center of rotation on the lock hood 5 side, and the same operation and effect can be obtained in this manner.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a housing of a male connector.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an operation state of a spring member.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a state where both connectors are separated from each other.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a joining process.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a connected state.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a state where both connectors are separated from each other;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the spring member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2, connector 3, female housing 4, male housing 5, lock hood 10, cam projection 14, spring member 15, pin shaft 17, locking window 18, positioning projection

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A lock hood which is rotatable between a state along an outer surface and a state raised from the outer surface is provided in a housing of one of the connectors which can be mated with each other. Alternatively, a cam projection is formed on the housing of the other connector where no lock hood is provided, and the cam is formed by rotating the lock hood in a direction along the outer surface of the one connector housing when the other connector is inserted. The other connector is displaced in the coupling direction by a protrusion, and the lock is formed between the lock hood and the housing of the one connector by elastically deforming as the lock hood rises and rotates. A spring member for urging the hood in a direction along the outer surface of the housing of the one connector; While being set, the spring member, the connector, characterized in that one end of the spring member is displaceably supported to the dissociated position relative to the locking hood or housing of the one connector. 2. One end of the spring member is rotatably attached to the lock hood or the one housing so that the other end of the spring member can be displaced to a disengaged position. The connector according to claim 1, wherein 3. A positioning portion for releasably engaging with the lock hood or the housing of the one connector is formed at the other end of the spring member. The connector described.