JP3471139B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a connector,
In particular, it relates to a connector used for an automobile wire harness.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of connector, FIG.
The one disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 64-51276 shown in FIG. 17 is known. In the figure, a connector 1 is formed with a hood portion 2a formed in the front thereof, and a connector housing 2 capable of holding the male side terminal fitting 4a in the hood portion 2a by standing upright, and insertable into the hood portion 2a. And a connector housing 3 capable of holding a male terminal fitting 4a and a female terminal fitting 4b capable of fitting connection with the male terminal fitting 4a. The connector housings 2 and 3 are pressed against each other according to their insertion positions, or A spring mechanism 5 that generates a force that attracts each other is provided.

The spring mechanism 5 includes a connector housing 2 and
3 are provided so as to face each other at the insertion surface of 3, the one mountain-shaped slope 3a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the connector housing 3, and the other mountain-shaped slope 6a is formed on the connector housing 2. It is formed on a driving piece 6 which is rotatably supported by the coil spring 7 and is urged toward the connector housing 3 by a coil spring 7. When attaching and detaching the connector housings 2 and 3, terminal fittings 4a and 4b
In the half-fitted state, the slopes of the mountain-shaped slopes 6a and 3a are brought into contact with each other by the elastic force of the coil spring 7 and receive the force in the insertion / removal direction of the connector 1. That is, the mountain slope 6a,
When the inclined surfaces of 3a facing each other are in contact with each other, the connector housings 2 and 3 receive a force to push them away from each other, and when the inclined surfaces of the opposite sides are in contact with each other, the connector housings 2 and 3 are fitted together. Receive the force to pull back in the direction.

[0004]

The above-described conventional connector has the following problems. At the position where the pulling back state and the pushing state are switched to each other, the force in the insertion / removal direction disappears, so the connector may be locked in the half-fitted state. Further, since the force in the insertion / removal direction decreases near this switching position, if the spring is made strong to compensate for it, the insertion / removal force required by the operator also increases and the workability deteriorates.

Further, since the slopes are brought into contact with each other to change the direction of the elastic force, the efficiency is low and the size must be increased in order to obtain a desired insertion / removal force. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a connector that can reliably avoid a half-fitted state and can be made compact.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 holds a pair of terminal fittings which can be fitted and connected to each other and which are in a fitted locked state and a separated state. A pair of connector housings that slide and a retracting mechanism that is attached to the pair of connector housings and acts to pull back each other in the section from the fitting locked state to the separated state, and releases the retracted state when the separated state is reached. And with the above-mentioned pullback mechanism
Is one connector of the pair of connector housings.
Is oriented in the above-mentioned slide movement direction with respect to the actuator housing.
Elastic member and the pair of connector housings
Supported on the other connector housing
In the section from the combined lock state to the separated state,
Engage and disengage when the above disengaged state is reached.
And a contact mechanism that is removed.
Is supported so that it can be tilted, and
A lever piece that is engaged with and disengaged from the elastic member;
While the ride is moving, the lever piece should be tilted to the specified
Engage in the section from the mating locked state to the separated state
Also, when the above separated state is reached, the engagement is released.
It is configured to include a tilt guide .

Further, the invention according to claim 2 is fitted with each other.
Holds a pair of connectable terminal fittings and also
Pair of cores that slide between each other
Connector housing and this pair of connector housings
Sliding movement with respect to one connector housing
A bullet supported so that it can exert elastic force in both directions.
Member and the other of the pair of connector housings
Is supported so as to be tiltable with respect to the connector housing of
Elastic force in a predetermined direction on the elastic member according to the moving state
Lever piece that engages and disengages so that
And, while sliding, move the lever piece to a predetermined tilted state.
During the detaching operation, the mating lock state is released.
In order to exert the elastic force of pullback in the section leading to the state
Engage and engage when the above separated state is reached
Release the mating lock from the separated state during mating operation.
The elastic force of extrusion is exerted in the section that reaches the lock state.
Also, when the above mating lock state is reached, disengage
And a tilt guide for tightening.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is based on claim 2.
In the connector described in the paragraph 1, the elastic member is in both directions.
Is supported so as to be compressible from the connector.
It is parallel to the sliding direction of the housing and
It is shaped like a seesaw that is supported so as to face the elastic member.
And its both ends face the elastic member side.
And a tilting guide is formed.
During the mating operation, the mating lock state starts from the separated state.
Tilt the seesaw-type lever piece forward in the section
By pushing out the contact piece of the elastic member to the front end side of the elastic member.
During the engagement and disengagement operation,
The seesaw type lever piece in the section from the state to the separated state
By tilting backward and pushing out the contact piece at the front end,
The elastic member is configured to engage with the rear end side.

Furthermore, the invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 3.
In the connector according to paragraph 1, the elastic member has a predetermined end.
The lever piece is provided with an engaging piece that engages with the
The elastic member is indirectly engaged by engaging with the engaging piece.
It is configured as

[0010]

In the invention according to claim 1 configured as described above, when the pair of connector housings are slid from the fitting lock state to the separated state, the pullback mechanism slides until just before the separated state. The connector housings are pulled back together against the force of movement.
Therefore, when the operator releases his or her hand, both connector housings pull back each other to return to the fitting lock state, and the terminal fittings accommodated therein are also fitted and connected. However, when the worker reaches the separated state, the pullback is released at that point, so that both connector housings are free from each other and the terminal fittings are completely released from the fitting connection. Both connector housings are mated and locked
When sliding it away from the other side,
The contact mechanism provided in the connector housing
Engage with this elastic member in the section from the closed state to the separated state
It In the process of pulling out the connector housing,
The abutting mechanism engages the elastic member oriented in the feeding direction.
Therefore, the elastic member is compressed or expanded to generate elastic force.
And pull back each other's connector housings
To work. On the other hand, when it comes to the separated state, the contact mechanism has an elastic member.
The elastic member is released from the engagement with
It returns to the original state, and also the connector housings
Also, they do not receive the force to pull back. Especially the connector how
Slide the slide from the mating locked state to the separated state.
The tilt guide tilts the lever piece to the specified angle.
The lever piece is engaged with the elastic member.
Therefore, during the sliding movement, the elastic member is bent and pulled back.
Exert its power. However, when it reaches the separated state, the tilting guy
Change the tilting state of the lever piece and release the engagement with the elastic member.
The elastic member returns to its original state by removing it.
It

[0012]

[0013]

[0014] In the invention according to Claim 2 as constructed above, when the slides so allowed to fit the connector housing, since the tilting guide occupies engage the elastic member caused to tilt the lever piece, During the sliding movement, the elastic member is flexed to exert a repulsive force, and the connector housings exert a force so as to push each other out. Therefore, if the operator releases his hand midway, both connector housings return to the separated state before the sliding operation, and the terminal fittings that have started to be fitted and connected halfway are also separated from each other. However, when the fitting lock state is reached, the tilt guide changes the tilting state of the lever piece to release the engagement state with the elastic member, so that the connector housings do not receive the pushing force, and the elastic member also loses its original state. Return to the state of.

On the other hand, when the connector housings in the fitting lock state are slid so as to be separated from each other, the tilt guide tilts the lever piece to engage the elastic member, so that the elastic member is flexed during the sliding movement. The repulsive force is exerted, and the force is exerted so that the mutual connector housings pull back each other. Therefore, if the operator releases his hand on the way, both connector housings return to the fitting lock before the sliding operation. Therefore, the terminal fittings that have started to be released from the fitting connection halfway are pulled back to the fitting connection state again. However, when it comes to the disengaged state, the tilt guide changes the tilted state of the lever piece to release the engagement state with the elastic member, so that the connector housings do not receive the force to pull back each other, and the elastic member also returns to the original state. Return to.

Further, in the invention according to claim 3 configured as described above, the seesaw-type lever piece and the elastic member are basically parallel to each other, and are in a positional relationship in which they do not engage with each other. However, when the connector housing is disengaged, the tilt guide tilts the lever piece rearward so that the abutment piece at the front end is raised and engaged with the elastic member. Therefore, during the sliding operation, the front end side of the elastic member is pulled rearward to generate a repulsive force,
When the lever is released, the lever piece is returned to the horizontal state and the front end is lowered, so that the engagement with the elastic member is released. on the other hand,
When fitting the connector housing, the lever piece is tilted forward to raise the contact piece at the rear end to engage the elastic member. Therefore, during the sliding operation, the rear end side of the elastic member is pulled to the front side to generate a repulsive force, and when the fitting lock state is reached, the lever piece is returned to the horizontal state and the rear end is lowered. Is disengaged.

Further, in the invention according to claim 4 configured as described above, when the lever piece tilts, the lever piece is engaged with a predetermined end portion provided on the elastic member,
It indirectly engages with the elastic member.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, the pulling back force continues to operate until it is disengaged, so that the connector is in the half-fitted state near the reversal point of the repulsive force or lack of elastic force. It is possible to provide a connector that can be prevented from being left as it is. Also, place the elastic member along the slide direction.
Therefore, it is necessary to engage or disengage the elastic member.
The elastic member can be bent and returned with
It can be easy. In addition, change the inclination of the lever piece.
Can be engaged and disengaged with elastic members
Therefore, a guide mechanism for tilting the lever piece is also included.
Therefore, a simple structure can be obtained. Also small movement
Can be driven in a range, save space and achieve miniaturization
You can

[0019]

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the same elastic member is bent to one side to obtain an elastic force of pulling back in the detaching operation, and is bent to the other side in the fitting operation to give an elastic force of pushing out. Therefore, it is possible to prevent half-fitting in both directions of pulling back and pushing out without increasing the number of parts. Further, according to the invention of claim 3 , the elastic force in the predetermined direction can be easily obtained from the elastic member only by tilting the lever piece forward or backward. In addition, the space can be saved and the size can be reduced.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4 , the engaging piece is attached to the elastic member which is elastically deformed, and the lever piece is indirectly engaged through the engaging piece. The engagement can be ensured.

[0022]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a male side connector housing 10 holding a male side terminal fitting (not shown) and a female side connector housing 20 holding a female side terminal fitting that can be fitted and connected to the male side terminal fitting are fitted to each other. A pair of connectors that lock together is configured and slidable relative to each other between the fitting locked state and the separated state. In addition, each connector housing 10, 2
At 0, the sides of the mating surfaces of each other are called the front.

The male side connector housing 10 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a wide outer shape, and has a hood portion 11 having a space inside thereof at the front. Further, in the hood portion 11 of the male-side connector housing 10, a substantially left half viewed from the front side is a terminal accommodating portion 12 for accommodating the female side terminal fitting, and a right half is pulled back in a half-fitted state. Alternatively, the mechanism portion 13 exerts a pushing force. On the other hand, the female connector housing 20 is also formed in a generally wide rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the front portion thereof is an insertion portion 21 that can be inserted into the hood portion 11 of the male connector housing 10. Further, the portion facing the terminal housing portion 12 corresponding to the male connector housing 10 is a cylindrical terminal housing portion 22 for holding a female terminal fitting (not shown), and faces the mechanism portion 13. The portion is the mechanical portion 23.

In this embodiment, the male side connector housing 10 and the female side connector housing 20 are formed by dividing the region in the width direction, but the dividing direction and its shape can be appropriately modified. . Also,
It is not always necessary to have two sections, and one mechanism section 13, 23 is provided between the two terminal accommodating sections 12, 22.
May be arranged. Furthermore, both connector housings 10 and 20 do not necessarily have to be formed in a wide rectangular parallelepiped shape, and may have a square cross section or a polygonal cross section.

The mechanism portion 13 of the male side connector housing 10 accommodates the spring piece 30 as an elastic member, the mechanism portion 23 of the female side connector housing 20 is provided with a seesaw-type lever piece 40 as a lever piece, and further, the mechanism portion. 13 and the mechanism portion 23 constitute a contact mechanism for tilting the seesaw-type lever piece 40. The spring piece 30 is
It is formed by bending an elongated thin spring steel into a bellows shape, and is housed in a holding mechanism 18 formed on the upper surface side of the hood portion 11 in the mechanism portion 13 of the male connector housing 10. As shown in FIG. 11, the spring piece 30 flexes in a direction of compressing and extending the bellows to exert an elastic force, and both ends 31, 32 thereof are bent so as to be orthogonal to the flexing direction, When compressing the spring piece 30, a force is easily received in the bending direction in the bending direction. By making the elastic member compressible from both directions, the support space can be made to be less than the natural length of the elastic member, and the lever piece engages with both ends of the elastic member in the same direction as the elastic member and within a small tilting motion range. Since this is possible, it is possible to configure a mechanism that exerts the elastic force of pulling back and pushing out in a small space.

In this embodiment, the spring pieces 30 are made of bellows-shaped spring steel, but any shape or material having elastic force may be used.
Also, as shown in FIG. 13, it may be formed in a ring shape or a coil shape. Further, as long as it has elasticity, it need not necessarily be a metal such as spring steel, and may be a material such as rubber or urethane. Holding mechanism 18 for accommodating the spring piece 30
Is a thin box-shaped spring accommodating chamber 1 that is formed so as to open rearward on the upper surface of the mechanism portion 13 and can accommodate the spring piece 30.
4, a communication window 15 formed in the widthwise middle from the front surface to the bottom surface of the spring accommodating chamber 14 and communicating with the mechanism portion 13 side, and the communication window 15 in the spring accommodating chamber 14.
The upper wall surface is cut out in a U shape so as to overlap the rear end portion, and a wedge-shaped protrusion 16a protruding into the spring accommodating chamber 14 is formed at the tip of the inner arm piece to accommodate the spring piece 30. It is composed of a rear end and a locking arm piece 16 that can be locked when it is pressed. Therefore, when the spring piece 30 is inserted from the rear side opening of the spring accommodating chamber 14, the spring piece 30 moves forward while pushing up the projection 16a of the locking arm piece 16, and when the rear end exceeds the projection 16a, the spring piece 30 is locked. The arm piece 16 returns and is locked. In this state, the spring piece 30 is held in a slightly compressed state, and since the locking arm piece 16 is in a positional relationship of overlapping with the rear end of the communication window 15, the spring piece 30 is held.
Is exposed from the front end to the rear end through the communication window 15 and can be compressed from both sides in the sliding direction through the communication window 15.

A pair of wall members are formed on the lower surface of the spring accommodating chamber 14 so as to face each other with the communication window 15 interposed therebetween, and the inner surface of the wall member is oriented in the sliding direction. Receiving-side guide protrusions 17, 17 made of ridges
Is projected. The upper surface and the lower surface of the receiving side guide protrusion 17 are flat upper flat surface 17a and lower flat surface 17b, and the front surface of the upper flat surface 17a is gently lowered and the front inclined surface 17c is connected to the lower flat surface 17b. The rear surface is a contact surface 17e that vertically descends from the rear end of the upper flat surface 17a, and a downward sloping surface 17d that gently slopes slightly downward from the lower end of the contact surface 17e.
Has become.

A seesaw-type lever piece 4 formed in a seesaw shape parallel to the sliding direction in the mechanism portion 23 so as to be sandwiched between the receiving side guide projections 17, 17.
0 is projected from the inner wall of the bottom surface, and the receiving side guide projections 17, 1 are provided on both side surfaces of the seesaw-type lever piece 40.
Wedge-shaped movable guides 45, 45 that engage with each other to form a tilt guide are formed. The seesaw-type lever piece 40 includes a flexible support portion 41 formed so as to stand upright from the inner wall of the bottom surface, and a free end 42a horizontally extending from the upper end of the support portion 41 in the front-rear direction. The movable side guides 45, 45 are formed at a height that faces the receiving side guide protrusions 17, 17 on both side surfaces of the free end 42b slightly rearward of the support portion 41. In addition, the upper surface is a horizontal flat surface, the rear surface is a contact surface 45b which is almost vertical, and further includes slopes 45a, 45a that are gently inclined from the front end to the lower end of the rear end. The movable side guide 4 during sliding movement
The movable guides 45, 45 are moved up and down along the peripheral surface of the receiving guide protrusions 17, 17.
The seesaw-type lever piece 40 having the groove is tilted back and forth.

A rear end side portion of the rear free end 42b from the abutting piece 44 is an operating portion 46, and the seesaw-type lever piece 4 is provided from the rear surface of the female connector housing 20.
It is possible to push 0 downward.
The seesaw-type lever piece 40 is substantially parallel to the spring piece 30 in the horizontal state, and contact pieces 43 and 44 projecting upward are formed on the upper surfaces of the free ends 42a and 42b, respectively. Both abutting pieces 43, 44 have free ends 42a, 42b.
Is in a horizontal state, the height is such that it can enter the communication window 15 but cannot engage with the spring piece 30. However, when the seesaw-type lever piece 40 tilts back and forth, the contact piece 4 positioned forward and backward of the support portion 41.
One of the parts 3, 4 rises up and reaches the position where it passes through the communication window 15 and overlaps the spring piece 30, so that it can come into contact with the spring piece 30 in the process of sliding movement. In addition,
The front contact piece 43 is located so as to face the rear end portion 32 at the rear end of the spring piece 30 when the male connector housing 10 and the female connector housing 20 are in the fitting lock state. The rear contact piece 44 has a front end 31 at the front end of the spring piece 30 when the male connector housing 10 and the female connector housing 20 start to be fitted.
It is formed at a position facing the.

That is, when the male-side connector housing 10 and the female-side connector housing 20 are slid face-to-face with each other in order to shift from the separated state to the fitting locked state, the front inclined surface 45a of the movable-side guide 45 is moved. Since it abuts on the front inclined surface 17c of the receiving-side guide protrusion 17, the movable-side guide 45 is pushed up to raise the upper flat surface 1.
7a. Then, the seesaw-type lever piece 40 tilts forward, and the rear contact piece 44 rises and contacts the front end 31 of the spring piece 30. As it is slid, the spring piece 30 is compressed rearward, and the reaction force of the spring piece 30 causes the female connector housing 20 to be pushed out. However, when the female side connector housing 20 is inserted into the male side connector housing 10, the movable side guide 45 passes through the upper flat surface 17a. Becomes horizontal,
The abutting surface 45b of the movable side guide 45 and the abutting surface 17e of the receiving side guide projection 17 face each other and abut on each other to lock the fitting. Further, since the contact piece 44 descends when the spring piece 30 is in the horizontal state, the contact state with the spring piece 30 is released and the bending of the spring piece 30 is also released.

When the male connector housing 10 and the female connector housing 20 are moved from the fitting locked state to the separated state, the abutting piece 43 on the free end 42a is brought into contact with the rear end 32 of the spring piece 30. The fitting lock state is released by pushing down the operation portion 46 of the seesaw-type lever piece 40 until it is engaged with. When the lock is released and slid in the separating direction, the spring piece 30 is compressed forward, and the reaction force of the spring piece 30 causes the female connector housing 20 to be pulled back. During this time, the movable side guide 45 is the receiving side guide projection piece 1.
When the male-side connector housing 10 and the female-side connector housing 20 are separated from each other, the movable-side guide 45 also passes through the lower plane 17b, so that the support portion 41 is flexible. Seesaw type lever piece 4
0 returns to the horizontal state. Further, since the contact piece 43 descends when the spring piece 30 is in the horizontal state, the contact state with the spring piece 30 is released and the bending of the spring piece 30 is also released.

In the present embodiment, both the push-out operation and the pull-back operation are performed at the time of both the slide movement of the fitting lock operation and the slide-off operation, but at least the pull-back operation is performed. However, in this case, nothing may be performed during the fitting lock operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, when a triangular contact piece contact member 33 and a bifurcated spring arm are combined to change the direction of the elastic force, the elastic force acts to push out to a certain stage, The force is suddenly released when the predetermined critical point is exceeded. Of course, by applying a force that opposes the operation force to the operation in both directions as in the present embodiment, it is possible not to always be in the anti-fitting state, so that the operability can be further improved.

Further, the pulling-back mechanism and the pushing-out mechanism for exerting the pulling-back force and the pushing-out force as described above may be the same as those described above, and the spring piece 30 is always supported above as in the present embodiment. A seesaw-type lever piece 40 that can be tilted back and forth is arranged below,
Further, it is not necessary to use the tilt guide to tilt the lever piece 40 in accordance with the sliding movement. However, basically, the contact pieces 43 and 44 are bent while being brought into contact with an elastic member such as the spring piece 30, and the contact is released at the same time when the fitting operation and the separating operation are completed. As a result, the configuration can be simplified.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the spring piece 30 is used.
Is accommodated in the spring accommodating chamber 14 formed on the upper surface of the mechanism portion 13 so that the bending direction and the sliding direction of the elastic member coincide with each other. It can be appropriately changed according to the shape, and may not necessarily coincide with the sliding direction as described above, or the accommodation position does not have to be adjacent to the mechanism portion 13. However, if the spring pieces 30 are arranged so as to coincide with the sliding direction, the contact pieces 43,
The bending operation can be performed by sliding movement only by providing a simple mechanism for moving 44 so as to engage the spring piece 30. Of course, when a torsion spring is used instead of the spring piece 30, the contact piece 43,
It suffices to arrange so as to engage 44. Further, the spring piece 30 is supported so as to be compressible from both sides in the sliding direction of the connector, but it suffices that it exerts a force for moving the connector in the sliding direction, and it does not necessarily exert force in both directions. Good. However, if a force is exerted in both directions as in the present embodiment, the pullback force and the pushing force of the mechanism portion 13 can be exerted by the same elastic member, and further, compression is possible in both directions to save a small space. Can fit.

Although a seesaw-shaped lever piece such as the seesaw-type lever piece 40 is used, a cantilever type lever piece is used or another movable piece is used, and the spring piece 30 is used at a predetermined time. It may be formed in. However, by adopting the seesaw type, it is possible to easily engage the spring piece 30 from the front side and the rear side only by changing the tilting direction, so that a compact configuration can be achieved. Further, the tilt guide for tilting the seesaw-type lever piece 40 supporting the contact pieces 43 and 44 in this manner is such that the movable-side guide 45 formed on the side surface of the seesaw-type lever piece 40 and the seesaw-type lever piece 40 are inserted. The male side connector housing 10 is provided with a receiving side guide projection piece 17 provided on the side surface of the mechanism section 13. However, as long as the lever piece can be tilted in a predetermined state, a cam mechanism, a concavo-convex mechanism, etc. It can be changed freely.

Further, in the present embodiment, the two contact pieces 43, 44 formed on the seesaw-type lever piece 40 are adapted to directly engage with the spring piece 30.
As shown in FIG. 10, an engaging piece 50 may be interposed between the two. In this example, the spring piece 3 is formed by the locking arm piece 16 formed on the upper surface of the spring accommodating chamber 14.
Instead of holding the rear end of 0, it is held by an engaging piece 50 slidably supported, and the engaging piece 50 is retained by a lock arm 19 formed at the rear end of the male connector housing 10. Has been done. Since the abutment piece 43 is formed on the seesaw-type lever piece 40, the shape of the abutment piece 43 is largely restricted, and it may not always be possible to select the optimum shape for engaging with the spring piece 30. 50 pieces
With the interposition of the engaging piece 50, one end of the engaging piece 50 has an optimum shape for engaging with the spring piece 30 and the other end is formed so as to easily engage with the contact piece 43. The disengagement can be favorably performed.

Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the mating surfaces of the male connector housing 10 and the female connector housing 20 face each other, and the male connector housing 10 is slid forward from this separated state. Then, the inclined surface 45a of the movable side guide 45 rides on the front inclined surface 17c of the standby side guide protrusion 17, and the seesaw-type lever piece 40 is tilted forward against the flexibility of the support portion 41. The contact piece 44 formed at the rear of the upper surface of the lever piece 40 is attached to the spring piece 30.
To the front end 31 of the. When the female connector housing 20 is slid further forward, the contact piece 4
Reference numeral 4 compresses the spring piece 30 to the rear side, and an elastic force acts in a direction to push the female connector housing 20 toward the separated state.

At this time, the terminal fittings held in the respective connector housings are connected in a semi-fitted state, but if the operator releases his hand in this state, the female connector housing 20 becomes the male connector housing. The connector is pushed away from the connector 10 so that the connector is separated, and the terminal fittings are completely separated from each other. Male connector housing 1
When 0 is slid further forward, the movable side guide 45 passes through the waiting side guide projecting piece 17, the seesaw-type lever piece 40 returns, and the engagement between the contact piece 44 and the spring piece 30 is released. The movable side guide 45 and the waiting side guide protrusion 17 are locked side by side in the sliding direction. At this time, the internal terminal fittings are completely fitted and the flexure of the spring piece 30 is released at a stretch, which provides a feeling of moderation. The mating locked state of both connector housings is shown in FIG.

Next, a description will be given of the operation of sliding the same fitting locked state to the separated state. Even if the female connector housing 20 is simply pulled out from the fitting locked state, the contact surface 45b on the rear end side of the movable side guide 45 contacts and locks with the contact surface 17e of the standby side guide protrusion 17. I can't pull it out. The seesaw-type lever piece 40 will not be pulled out in the contact state.
However, since the rear free end 42b contacts the spring piece 30 and cannot be tilted, the locked state is not released.

To slide backward from the fitting locked state, the operation portion 46 at the rear end of the seesaw-type lever piece 40 is pushed down and tilted backward. Then, seesaw type lever piece 4
The front free end 42a at 0 is pushed up, and the contact piece 43 engages with the rear end 32 of the spring piece 30. When the slide piece is slid rearward in this state, the contact piece 43 compresses the spring piece 30 to the front side, and the female side connector housing 2
An elastic force that returns 0 to the fitted state acts.

At this time as well, the terminal fittings held in the respective connector housings are connected in a half-fitted state, but if the operator releases his hand in this state, the female connector housing 20 will be the male connector. It is pulled back to the housing 10 side to be in the fitting lock state, and the terminal fittings are also reconnected. When the female side connector housing 20 is slid further rearward, the movable side guide 45 passes through the waiting side guide projection piece 17, the seesaw-type lever piece 40 returns, and the contact piece 43 is disengaged from the spring piece 30. At the same time, the flexure of the spring piece 30 is released all at once, and the separated state shown in FIG. Also at this time, a sense of moderation is obtained by releasing the flexure of the spring piece 30 at once.

In this way, the male connector housing 10
The spring piece 30 supported by is capable of compressing in both directions of sliding movement for connector attachment / detachment, and the seesaw-type lever piece 40 formed in a seesaw shape in the sliding direction of the female connector housing 20 is tilted forward and backward. Spring piece 30
The seesaw-type lever piece 40 is tilted in accordance with the fitting state by engaging with both ends of each of the male connector housing 10 and the female connector housing 20 by the waiting-side guide protrusion 17 and the movable guide 45. Since it is configured, the elastic force that pulls back and pushes out both connector housings in the half-fitted state can be obtained from the same elastic member, and it is possible to engage and disengage within a small operating range. A mating connector can be realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the connector in a separated state.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the connector in a mating lock starting state.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the connector in a mating locked state.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the connector in a separation start state.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the connector separating process.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a connector according to a modified example in a fitted and locked state.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the connector in a state of starting separation.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a detaching process of the connector.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the connector in a separated state.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a spring piece.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a spring piece according to a modification.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a spring piece according to a modification.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a spring piece according to a modification.

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional connector.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of the connector in a non-fitted state.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the connector in a non-fitted state.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Male side connector housing 13 ... Mechanical part 14 ... Spring accommodation chamber 17 ... Receiving side guide protrusion 20 ... Female side connector housing 23 ... Mechanical part 30 ... Spring piece 40 ... Seesaw type lever piece 43 ... abutting piece 44 ... abutting piece 45 ... Movable side guide 50 ... Engaging piece

(72) Inventor Nori Inoue 1-14 Nishisuehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Wiring Systems Co., Ltd. (72) Kensaku Takada 1-7-10 Kikuzumi, Minami-ku, Nagoya Harness Comprehensive Technology Co., Ltd. In the laboratory (56) Reference Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-310212 (JP, A) Actually open 5-36774 (JP, U) Actually open 2-52287 (JP, U) Actually open 64-51276 (JP, U) ) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 13/64

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pair of connector housings that hold a pair of terminal fittings that can be fitted and connected to each other and slide relative to each other between a fitting locked state and a separated state, and are fitted and fitted to the pair of connector housings. A pullback mechanism that acts to pull back each other in the section from the combined lock state to the separated state, and releases the pullback when the separated state is reached , and the pullback mechanism is one connector in the pair of connector housings.
Oriented in the slide movement direction with respect to the housing
Elastic member and others in the pair of connector housings
Supported by one connector housing,
Engaged with the elastic member in the section from the locked state to the separated state
And disengage when the above-mentioned separated state is reached.
; And a contact mechanism, further, the abutment mechanism, the bullet in accordance with the tilted state while being tiltably supported
The lever piece that is engaged and disengaged with the flexible member, and
When the lever piece is tilted to the specified position during
When it is engaged in the section from the locked state to the separated state
Tilting to release the engagement when the above-mentioned separated state is reached
A connector characterized by being configured with a guide . 2. A pair of connector housings that hold a pair of terminal fittings that can be fitted and connected to each other and slide with each other between a fitting locked state and a separated state, and one connector housing in the pair of connector housings. On the other hand, an elastic member that is supported so as to exert elastic force in both directions along the slide movement direction, and an elastic member that is tiltably supported with respect to the other connector housing of the pair of connector housings and that corresponds to the tilted state. The lever piece that engages and disengages so as to exert an elastic force in a predetermined direction, and the lever piece is separated from the fitting lock state during the disengaging operation by setting the lever piece in a predetermined tilting state during sliding movement. In the interval leading up to the state, it is engaged so as to exert the elastic force of pulling back and the above separated state is reached. And a tilting guide that exerts the elastic force of the extrusion in the section from the separated state to the fitting locked state during the fitting operation and also releases the engagement when the fitting locked state is reached. A connector provided with. 3. The connector according to claim 2 , wherein the elastic member is supported so as to be compressible from both directions, the lever piece is parallel to a sliding direction of the connector housing, and faces the elastic member. Is formed in a seesaw type so as to be supported, and abutting pieces projecting toward the elastic member side are formed at both ends thereof, and the tilt guide, during the fitting operation, In the section from the separated state to the fitting lock state, the seesaw-type lever piece is tilted forward and the abutting piece at the rear end is pushed out to engage with the front end side of the elastic member. In the section from the combined lock state to the separated state, the seesaw-type lever piece is tilted backward and the abutting piece at the front end thereof is pushed out to engage with the rear end side of the elastic member. The connector that is characterized. 4. The connector according to claim 3 , wherein the elastic member includes an engagement piece that engages with a predetermined end portion, and the lever piece engages with the engagement piece when tilted. A connector characterized by being indirectly engaged with the elastic member.