JP3207121B2 - Connector terminal disconnection prevention method and structure - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of double-locking connection terminals by inserting a predetermined number of connection terminals into a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers in a connector body and attaching a cover. The present invention relates to a method and a structure for preventing a terminal of a connector from coming off.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of connectors provided with a mechanism for preventing a connector from coming off have been known. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-3
One disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 37263 is known. FIG. 4 is an exploded cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional connector terminal removal prevention structure, and FIG. 5 is an assembled cross-sectional view in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the connector terminal detachment prevention structure 31 is provided with a female terminal 4 inserted into a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 33 arranged in parallel and vertically above and below the connector main body 32. A flexible tongue-shaped locking lance 38 provided on the bottom wall 36 of the terminal accommodating chamber 33, and a locking member inserted from the rear end of the connector main body 32. And a locking arm 41 provided at the front end of the lock 39.

The locking lance 38 is provided with a locking hole 4d formed in the bottom plate 4c of the female terminal 4 as the female terminal 4 is inserted.
To prevent the female terminal 4 from slipping back. The locking member 39 provided with the locking arm 41 is connected to the connector body 32.
And is mounted and locked from the rear end of the connector body 32. At this time, a locking arm 41 provided at the front end of the locking member 39 is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 33 and is fixed to the rear end edge of the terminal connection portion 4 a of the female terminal 4 locked by the locking lance 38. In contact with the locking lance 38, the female terminal 4 is prevented from slipping back.

[0004] The connector terminal detachment prevention structure 31 having the above configuration.
First, after the electric wire W is connected to the female terminal 4 by the caulking portion 4b, the female terminal 4 is
Is inserted, the bottom plate 4c of the terminal connection portion 4a is pushed in while pressing the locking lance 38 in the bottom direction. When the terminal connection portion 4a reaches the specified position, the locking lance 3
Since 8 enters the locking hole 4d and returns to the original position, the locking lance 38 locks the female terminal 4 and prevents the female terminal 4 from slipping out. Then, after a predetermined number of female terminals 4 are accommodated in the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 33 and the locking member 39 is mounted and locked to the rear end of the connector body 32, the locking arm 41 is brought to the normal position. The female terminal 4 is prevented from falling back by the locking arm 41 of the locking member 39 by being in contact with the rear end edge of the terminal connection portion 4 a of the female terminal 4.

Accordingly, the female terminal 4 is double prevented from being pulled out by the back-out prevention mechanism. In addition, the locking member 3
When the female terminal 9 is attached to the rear end of the connector main body 32, if the female terminal 4 in a semi-fitted state is present in the terminal accommodating chamber 33, the female terminal 4 is locked to the rear end edge of the terminal connection portion 4a. Since the distal end of the arm 41 abuts, the locking member 39 cannot be locked to the rear end of the connector body 32. Therefore, the half-fitted state of the female terminal 4 into the terminal accommodating chamber 33 is easily detected.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional connector terminal preventing structure, the locking member is provided as a separate component in addition to the connector main body 32 in order to prevent the female terminal 4 from slipping back. 39 is required, and there is a problem that it leads to an increase in cost as well as complicated parts management. Further, if the electric wire W is strongly pulled rearward by an external force, the locking lance 38 and the locking arm 41 may be slackened, and in some cases, may cause fatigue failure, which is problematic in terms of reliability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is an inexpensive and highly reliable connector that prevents double connection of a connection terminal and has no settling of a locking lance. To provide a method for preventing terminal disconnection and its structure.

[0008]

The object of the present invention is to provide a method for preventing a terminal from being detached from a connector according to the first aspect of the present invention, the method comprising :
The connection terminal is provided with a plurality of locking members provided in the terminal receiving chamber.
A cover provided to cover the opening of the lance and the terminal accommodating chamber.
Double locking prevents the connection terminal from slipping back
A connector terminal removal prevention method to stop the adjacent
Insert the connection terminal into one of the terminal receiving chambers and
Lock both sides of the terminal connection part of the connection terminal with a locking lance.
And then into the other adjacent terminal receiving chamber,
Insert the connection terminal of the other, by the locking lance the other
Is engaged on both sides of the terminal connecting portion of the connection terminal, thereafter, before
As the cover is attached to the connector body, the locking
Locking the upper side of each of the terminal connection portions by a member
This prevents double dropout of the connection terminals.
In addition, it is possible to solve the problem by a method of preventing a terminal from being disconnected from a connector , wherein the lateral displacement of each locking lance is regulated.

According to the method for preventing the connector from coming off, the connection terminal is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber.
First, back-out is prevented by the locking lance which is displaced in the lateral direction with respect to the fitting direction of the connector. Thereafter, with the attachment of the cover to the connector body, the locking member prevents the connection terminal from slipping back, and also prevents the locking lance from being displaced in the lateral direction. Therefore, the connection terminal is reliably prevented from being pulled back by the locking member and the locking lance, and the lateral displacement of the locking lance is also restricted, so that a strong backward pulling force frequently acts on the connection terminal. Even if the locking lance does not come off or cause fatigue failure, a highly reliable connector can be obtained.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector terminal preventing structure, wherein a predetermined number of connection terminals are inserted into a connector main body in which a plurality of terminal receiving chambers are juxtaposed, and A terminal removal prevention structure for a connector that is locked by a plurality of provided locking lances and that prevents the connection terminal from slipping back by a locking member provided on a cover that covers an opening of the terminal receiving chamber. The locking member is provided on the back surface of the cover connected to the connector body via a flexible hinge, and the locking lance is provided on a side wall of the terminal accommodating chamber. A terminal provided at a rear end of the side wall, wherein the locking member regulates a lateral displacement of the locking lance as the cover is attached to the connector body; It can be solved by preventing structure.

According to the connector terminal removal prevention structure having the above-described structure, the connection terminal is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber, so that the back-off is first prevented by the locking lance which is displaced in the transverse direction with respect to the fitting direction of the connector. You. Thereafter, with the attachment of the cover to the connector body, the locking member prevents the connection terminal from slipping back, and also prevents the locking lance from being displaced in the lateral direction. Accordingly, the connection terminal is reliably prevented from being pulled back by the locking member and the locking lance, and the lateral displacement of the flexible side wall of the locking lance is also restricted. Does not cause the flexible side wall of the locking lance to slacken or cause fatigue failure, and a highly reliable connector can be obtained. Further, since the locking member is integrally formed on the back surface of the cover connected to the connector main body via the flexible hinge, the cost can be reduced, the parts can be easily managed, and the cost can be reduced.

The object of the present invention is also a connector terminal preventing structure according to claim 3, wherein the locking member restricts outward displacement of the locking lance on both side ends, and 3. The connector according to claim 2, further comprising a locking projection for directly locking the connection terminal and locking the inner locking lance from both sides to restrict lateral displacement. This can be solved by a prevention structure. According to the terminal preventing structure of the connector having the above configuration, the lateral displacement of the locking lances at both ends is reliably locked by the locking plate, and the locking projection directly locks the rear end edge of the connection terminal. The inner locking lance is locked from both sides to restrict lateral displacement. Therefore, after the connection terminal is locked by the locking lance, the locking lance is securely locked in the lateral direction by the locking plate and the locking projection, and the connection terminal is directly engaged by the locking projection. Since the connection terminal is stopped, the connection terminal is more securely locked double. Therefore, a connector with higher reliability can be obtained.

[0013]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a connector terminal preventing structure according to the present invention; FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a connector terminal preventing structure of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a connector main body in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory view in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector terminal preventing structure 1 has a plurality of terminal receiving chambers 3 arranged side by side in a connector body 2, and a plurality of female connecting terminals 4 are double-removed. A back-off prevention mechanism is provided for prevention. The rear slip-off prevention mechanism includes a plurality of flexible side walls 7 provided on the side wall 6 of the terminal accommodating chamber 3, a locking lance 8 provided at a rear end of the flexible side wall 7, and a locking lance 8 And a locking member 9 for restricting the lateral displacement of the head.

The locking member 9 is provided at a predetermined position on the back surface of the cover 12 which is connected to the top plate 2a of the connector main body 2 by a flexible hinge 13. A locking plate 10 for regulating the displacement of the side wall 7 in the outward direction, and a locking projection 11 for directly locking the rear edge of the terminal connecting portion 4a into which the male terminal of the connecting terminal 4 is inserted. I have. The locking projection 11 has a function of directly locking the connection terminal 4 and a function of restricting a lateral displacement of the locking lance 8.

In the connector terminal preventing structure of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, first, after the electric wire W is crimped to the connection terminal 4 by the crimping portion 4b, as shown in FIG. The connection terminal 4 is inserted from the rear of 3. Then, since the terminal connecting portion 4a comes into contact with the inclined surface 8a at the rear end of the locking lance 8, the locking lance 8 and the flexible side wall 7 are pushed open. When the terminal connection portion 4a is inserted to the specified position, the locking lance 8 returns to the original position, so that the locking lance 8 locks the rear edge of the terminal connection portion 4a. Therefore,
The connection terminal 4 is prevented from coming off by the locking lance 8.
However, in this state, the flexible side wall 7 can be displaced in the lateral direction.

Next, the next connection terminal 4 is inserted into the terminal storage chamber 3 adjacent to the terminal storage chamber 3 in which the connection terminal 4 is stored in the same order as described above. At this time, the terminal accommodation chamber 3
If the connection terminal 4 is not completely inserted, the next connection terminal 4 is caught and cannot be inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 3 because the locking lance 8 is not returned to the original position.
Therefore, since the connection terminal 4 is detected to be in the half-fitted state, the half-fitted state of the connection terminal 4 in the terminal accommodating chamber 3 is prevented. In the case where the number of the terminal receiving chambers 3 is not three but is arranged in a larger number as in the present embodiment, the connection terminals 4 are sequentially inserted one by one from the endmost terminal receiving chamber 3. Is inefficient. Therefore, the plurality of connection terminals 4 are simultaneously inserted into every other terminal accommodating chamber 3, and the remaining connection terminals 4 are simultaneously inserted into the vacant terminal accommodating chambers 3, and all the connection terminals 4 are simultaneously inserted. Can be inserted.

After the predetermined number of connection terminals 4 are accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber 3 as described above, the cover 12 is moved to the flexible hinge 1.
When the locking member 9 is bent and attached to the opening behind the terminal accommodating chamber 3, the locking member 9 has a shape matching the shape of the inclined surface 8a of the locking lance 8 at the normal position. The locking lance 8 and the flexible side wall 7 are locked so that no lateral displacement is possible. At the same time, the locking lance 8 and the flexible side wall 7 at the outermost end are locked by the locking plate 10 so as not to be displaced outward. Therefore, the connection terminal 4 is directly and doubly prevented from slipping back by the locking lance 8 and the locking projection 11, and the lateral displacement of the flexible side wall 7 is prevented by the locking plate 10 and the locking projection 11. Therefore, even if a strong pull-back force frequently acts on the connection terminal 4, the flexible side wall 7 does not sag or cause fatigue failure.
Therefore, a highly reliable connector can be obtained.

The locking lance 8 is provided at the rear end of the flexible side wall 7, and the locking lance 8 is provided with a locking plate 10 and a locking projection 11 for restricting the lateral displacement of the locking lance 8. Despite having the back-out prevention mechanism, the locking plate 10
And a locking projection 11 are integrally provided at a predetermined position on the back surface of the cover 12. Therefore, it is possible to provide a structure for preventing the connector from coming off without increasing the number of parts.
Parts management becomes easy together with cost reduction, and cost reduction can be achieved.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be embodied in other modes by making appropriate changes. For example, in the present embodiment, the locking lance 8 has an arc-shaped inclined surface 8a, and a shape matching the inclined surface 8a is formed on the locking projection 11 of the locking member 9. It suffices if the displacement of the locking lance 8 in the lateral direction can be restricted, and the inclined surface 8a can be coped with not a circular arc but a straight line.

[0021]

As described above, according to the method for preventing the connector from coming off according to the first aspect of the present invention, the locking member prevents the connection terminal from coming off as the cover is attached to the connector body. At the same time, the lateral displacement of the locking lance is restricted. Therefore, after the connection terminal is prevented from falling back by the locking lance, the locking member is further prevented from falling back by the locking member as the cover is attached, and the lateral displacement of the locking lance is prevented. You. Therefore, the connection terminal is reliably prevented from falling back, and the lateral displacement of the locking lance is also restricted. It is possible to obtain a highly reliable connector without causing fatigue failure.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the locking member is provided on the back surface of the cover connected to the connector body via the flexible hinge. A locking lance is provided at a rear end of a plurality of flexible side walls provided on a side wall of the terminal accommodating chamber, and the locking member moves in a lateral direction of the locking lance as the cover is attached to the connector body. Regulate the displacement of Therefore, after the connection terminal is prevented from falling back by the locking lance, the locking member is further prevented from falling back by the locking member as the cover is attached, and the lateral displacement of the locking lance is prevented. You. Therefore, the connection terminal is reliably prevented from slipping back, and the lateral displacement of the locking lance is regulated to suppress the lateral displacement of the flexible side wall. The lance and the flexible side wall do not come off or cause fatigue failure even if the
A highly reliable connector can be obtained. Further, since the locking member is provided on the back surface of the cover which is connected to the connector body by a flexible hinge, it is possible to provide a structure for preventing the connector from coming off without increasing the number of parts, thereby reducing costs and increasing the number of parts. The management becomes easy, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, according to the connector terminal preventing structure according to the third aspect of the present invention, the locking member comprises a locking plate for restricting the outward displacement of the locking lances on both side ends, and the connection terminal. And a locking projection for directly locking and locking the inner locking lance from both sides to restrict lateral displacement. Therefore, after the connection terminal is locked by the locking lance,
The locking lance is securely locked in the lateral direction by the locking plate and the locking projection, and the connection terminal is directly locked by the locking projection. Is stopped. Therefore, a connector with higher reliability can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a connector terminal preventing structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connector main body in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory diagram in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional connector terminal removal prevention structure.

FIG. 5 is an assembled sectional view of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector terminal removal prevention structure 2 Connector main body 2a Top plate 3 Terminal accommodating chamber 4 Connection terminal 4a Terminal connection part 6 Side wall 7 Flexible side wall 8 Locking lance 9 Locking member 10 Locking plate 11 Locking projection 12 Cover 13 Flexible hinge

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 13/42

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] A plurality of connection terminals inserted into a connector body in which a plurality of terminal receiving chambers are arranged side by side;
A plurality of locking lances provided in the inside and opening of the terminal receiving chamber.
The contact is provided by a locking member provided on a cover that covers the mouth.
Prevents connector terminal disconnection that prevents double removal of connected terminals
A connection method, wherein the connection terminal is inserted into one of the adjacent terminal receiving chambers.
And a terminal connecting portion of the connection terminal by the locking lance.
Are locked, and then the other connection terminal is connected to the other adjacent terminal receiving chamber.
And the other connecting terminal is inserted by the locking lance.
The two sides of the terminal connection portion are locked, and then, when the cover is attached to the connector body,
The upper side of each of the terminal connection portions is locked by a stop member.
With this, it is possible to prevent double penetration of the connection terminals.
A method for preventing a terminal of a connector from coming off , wherein a lateral displacement of each locking lance is regulated. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined number of connection terminals are inserted into a connector body having a plurality of terminal receiving chambers arranged side by side, and are locked by a plurality of locking lances provided in said terminal receiving chamber. In a terminal dropout prevention structure for a connector that prevents the connection terminal from slipping back by a locking member provided on a cover that covers an opening of the chamber, the locking member is connected to the connector body via a flexible hinge. And the locking lance is provided at the rear end of a plurality of flexible side walls provided on the side wall of the terminal accommodating chamber, and is provided to the connector body of the cover. Wherein the locking member restricts lateral displacement of the locking lance with the attachment of the terminal. 3. A locking plate for restricting outward displacement of the locking lances on both side ends, the locking member directly locking the connection terminals, and locking the inner locking lances from both sides. 3. A structure for preventing a terminal from being detached from a connector according to claim 2, further comprising a locking projection for restricting lateral displacement.