JP3724976B2 - Joint connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a joint connector.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, there is a joint connector disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-27589. This is shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. This is because the joint terminal 101 is held in the bottomed cylindrical housing 100 by insert molding, and a plurality of terminal fittings 102 are inserted into the housing 100 to be connected to the joint terminal 101, whereby the terminal fittings 102 are short-circuited. It is made to let you. The joint terminal 101 has a plurality of tab pieces 101A that protrude so as to face the terminal fitting 102, and the terminal fitting 102 has a rectangular tube portion 102A that opens toward the tab piece 101A. And the terminal piece 102 and the joint terminal 101 are connected because the tab piece 101A fits into the rectangular tube portion 102A.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the conventional joint connector described above, since the rectangular tube portion 102A of the terminal fitting 102 is externally fitted to the tab piece 101A protruding in a cantilevered manner, the holding posture of the tab piece 101A and If the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 102 is inclined, the tip of the tab piece 101A may abut against the opening edge of the rectangular tube portion 102A, and the tab piece 101A and the rectangular tube portion 102A may be damaged or deformed.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to allow a terminal fitting and a joint terminal to be connected without hindrance.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bag-shaped housing opened only on one surface side, a conductive joint terminal provided in the housing, and a plurality of members inserted into the housing and connected to the joint terminal. The terminal fitting is made of an elastic material and can be assembled to the opening of the housing, allows the terminal fitting to pass therethrough, and adheres elastically and in a watertight state to the electric wire connected to the terminal fitting. A waterproof member formed with an insertion hole; and a cover for retaining the waterproof member by being assembled to the housing, wherein the terminal fitting extends in the insertion direction, and the joint terminal The joint terminal is formed of a plate material, a press-fit portion disposed on the front end portion and press-fitted into the back wall portion of the housing, and A tongue piece that is formed so as to be able to bend and deform by cutting and raising at the rear, and a tab of the terminal fitting is elastically slidably contacted, and is formed to be bent and deformed by being raised and raised behind the tongue piece and is locked to the terminal fitting. In this way, the terminal fitting is made of a retaining piece that keeps the terminal fitting in a retaining state.
[0006]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the tongue piece extends in a cantilever shape along the direction in which the terminal fitting is inserted into and removed from the housing, and has a chevron shape. The tab can be elastically clamped by a gap between the apex portion of the housing and the pressing wall of the housing facing the apex portion, and the support wall on the opposite side of the pressing wall in the housing By elastically contacting the tip of the tongue piece, the dimension of the gap between the top of the tongue piece and the pinching wall in a state where the tab is not pinched is defined.
[0007]
According to a third aspect of the invention, in the invention of the second aspect, the tongue piece extends in the same direction as the insertion direction of the terminal fitting with respect to the housing.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect of the present invention, in the region where the tip end portion of the tongue piece is in sliding contact with the press-fitting of the joint terminal in the support wall, the tip end portion of the tongue piece is provided. The guide slope is designed to be guided.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a rib that is narrower than the tab and extends along an insertion direction of the tab is formed on the pinching wall. The configuration.
[0008]
[Action and effect of the invention]
[Invention of Claim 1]
The contact between the terminal fitting and the joint terminal is such that the tab of the terminal fitting is slidably brought into contact with the tongue piece of the joint terminal. There is no risk of deformation, and the terminal fitting and the joint terminal can be connected without hindrance. In addition, when inserting the terminal fitting, the insertion hole of the waterproof member is elastically expanded. However, since the insertion end of the terminal fitting of the present invention is a relatively narrow tab, the insertion end is a rectangular tube. As compared with the female terminal fitting having a shape, the damage around the edge of the insertion hole is reduced. Furthermore, since the joint terminal has a simple configuration in which the plate material is cut and raised, it is easy to manufacture.
[0009]
[Invention of claim 2]
The tip of the tongue piece is elastically contacted with the support wall of the housing, so that the clearance between the apex of the tongue piece and the pinching wall of the housing is defined to a predetermined size when the tab of the terminal fitting is not pinched. Since it was made to do, a tab and a tongue piece can be made to contact with predetermined contact pressure.
[Invention of claim 3]
When the terminal fitting is inserted into the housing, the tab rubs against the tongue piece along the cantilever extending direction, so that the tab does not catch on the tongue piece.
[0010]
[Invention of claim 4]
By providing the guide slope, interference between the tip of the tongue piece and the housing is avoided when the joint terminal is press-fitted, and the assembling work becomes smooth.
[Invention of claim 5]
Since the tab is in sliding contact with the narrower rib, the frictional resistance between the housing and the tab is reduced, and the insertion workability of the male terminal fitting is good.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[Embodiment 1]
A first embodiment embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
The joint connector of this embodiment includes a housing 10, a cover 22, joint terminals 30, a plurality of terminal fittings 40, and a waterproof member 50.
[0012]
<Housing 10>
The housing 10 is made of a synthetic resin material, and the inside thereof is opened only on the back surface. In the housing 10, a plurality of cavities 11 that are perforated in a bag path shape are formed in parallel in a horizontal row. The upper surface of the inner wall of the cavity 11 is a pressing wall 12 for pressing the tab 41 of the terminal fitting 40. Ribs 13 extending along the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 40 are formed for each cavity 11 in a substantially first half region (the rear side region of the housing 10) of the clamping wall 12. The rib 13 is narrower than the tab 41 and is arranged so as to correspond to the substantially central position in the width direction of the tab 41. A tapered guide slope 14 is formed at the rear end portion of the rib 13 (the rear end portion in the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 40). A substantially first half region on the lower surface of the inner wall of the cavity 11 (the wall facing the clamping wall 12) is a support wall 15 for elastically contacting the tip 32B of the tongue 32 of the terminal fitting 40. A tapered guide slope 16 is formed at the rear end portion of the support wall 15 by denting the central portion in the width direction. In addition, guide grooves 17 that hold the side edges of the joint terminals 30 are formed on the outer side walls of the cavities 11 located at both ends, and the joint terminals 30 are fitted into the partition walls 18 that partition the adjacent cavities 11. A relief groove 19 is formed at the same height as the guide groove 17. Further, a press-fit groove 20 that communicates with the guide groove 17 and the escape groove 19 is formed on the rear end surface of the housing 10. Further, a portion close to the opening 21 of the housing 10 is a single space without a partition, and this is a housing space for the waterproof member 50.
[0013]
<Cover 22>
A cover 22 is coupled to the lower edge of the opening of the housing 10 via a hinge 23. The cover 22 is assembled so as to close the opening 21 of the housing 10 while deforming the hinge 23. In the assembled state, the lock piece 24 formed on the side edge of the cover 22 and the lock protrusion 25 formed on the housing 10 are fitted to each other, thereby being locked in the assembled state. The cover 22 is formed with a terminal insertion hole 26 positioned so as to correspond to each cavity 11.
[0014]
<Joint terminal 30>
The joint terminal 30 is made of a conductive metal material and has a rectangular plate shape as a whole. The joint terminal 30 has a plurality of press-fit portions 31 formed in a plate shape at the front end edge thereof, and a plurality of positions are formed by cutting up positions corresponding to the cavities 11 in the front half region behind the press-fit portions 31. The tongue pieces 32 are formed in parallel. The tongue piece 32 extends in a cantilevered manner toward the front and has a mountain shape when viewed from the side. The extending direction of the tongue piece 32 is the same as the insertion direction of the housing 10 with respect to the housing 10. The apex portion 32 </ b> A of the tongue piece 32 clamps the tab 41 of the terminal fitting 40 between the pressing wall 12 of the housing 10. Further, the tip 32 </ b> B of the tongue piece 32 is bent obliquely upward and protrudes downward from the plate surface of the joint terminal 30. Further, behind the tongue piece 32, a plurality of retaining pieces 33 extending in a diagonally upper front direction are formed in parallel by cutting and raising a position corresponding to each terminal fitting 40. The retaining piece 33 retains the terminal fitting 40 by engaging with the terminal fitting 40 inserted to the proper position in the housing 10. In forming the joint terminal 30, first, the tongue piece 32 and the retaining piece 33 are punched by a press die (not shown), and then bent by an electric press (not shown).
[0015]
<Terminal fitting 40>
The terminal metal fitting 40 is obtained by bending a conductive metal plate material punched into a predetermined shape, and a front end portion is formed with an elongated plate-like tab 41 protruding in a cantilevered manner, and behind this, A rectangular tube portion 42 is continuously formed, and an electric wire connecting portion 43 is continuously formed behind the rectangular tube portion 42. The rectangular tube portion 42 is wider and larger in height than the tab 41, but in the continuous portion between the rear end of the tab 41 and the front end of the rectangular tube portion 42, the lower surface and the side surfaces are smoothly tapered. 44. Further, the square tube portion 42 is formed with a retaining portion 45 protruding from the lower surface thereof, and the retaining portion 45 is engaged with the retaining piece 33 of the joint terminal 30 so that the terminal fitting 40 is moved in the removal direction. Be regulated. Moreover, the electric wire 46 is connected to the electric wire connection part 43 by crimping.
[0016]
<Waterproof member 50>
The waterproof member 50 is made of a rubber material, and has a thick oval plate shape as a whole so as to be fitted to the inner periphery of the opening of the housing 10. A lip portion 51 extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the outer periphery of the waterproof member 50, and the lip portion 51 elastically adheres to the inner peripheral surface of the opening 21 of the housing 10, thereby preventing water from entering the housing 10. The The waterproof member 50 is formed with a plurality of insertion holes 52 penetrating in the front-rear direction so as to correspond to the cavities 11. The insertion hole 52 has a circular shape, and a lip portion 53 is formed on the inner periphery thereof. The lip portion 53 is in close contact with the outer periphery of the electric wire 46, thereby preventing water from entering the housing 10 from the insertion hole 52. .
[0017]
<Assembly of each part>
When assembling, first, the joint terminal 30 is assembled in the housing 10. At this time, the side edge of the joint terminal 30 is fitted into the guide groove 17 in the housing 10 to restrict the movement in the vertical and horizontal directions. In this state, the joint terminal 30 is inserted, and the press-fitting portion 31 at the front end is strongly attached to the press-fitting groove 20. Push in. Thereby, the joint terminal 30 is fixed to the housing 10. When the joint terminal 30 is assembled, each tongue piece 32 is accommodated in the corresponding cavity 11 and the tip 32B of the tongue piece 32 slides on the guide slope 16. Then, due to the inclination of the guide slope 16, the tongue piece 32 is elastically bent upward as the joint terminal 30 is inserted, and the apex portion 32 </ b> A of the tongue piece 32 approaches the pinching wall 12. When the joint terminal 30 is press-fitted to the proper assembly position, the tip end portion 32B of the tongue piece 32 is placed on the support wall 15, whereby the apex portion 32A of the tongue piece 32 and the pinching wall 12 are The gap dimension with the rib 13 is regulated, and the gap is slightly smaller than the plate thickness dimension of the tab 41 of the terminal fitting 40.
[0018]
Thereafter, the waterproof member 50 is fitted into the opening of the housing 10 so as to close the lip portion 51 to the inner peripheral surface of the opening 21 of the housing 10. At this time, the waterproof member 50 is stopped in front by abutting the peripheral edge of the waterproof member 50 against the inner circumferential step portion 21 </ b> A of the housing 10, that is, the movement of the housing 10 to the back is restricted. Next, the cover 22 is rotated while the hinge 23 is deformed, and is assembled to the opening of the housing 10. Thereby, the waterproof member 50 is prevented from coming off from the housing 10. In this state, the insertion hole 52 of the waterproof member 50 and the terminal insertion hole 26 of the cover 22 correspond to each cavity 11.
[0019]
Thereafter, the terminal fitting 40 is inserted into the housing 10 from the rear. At this time, the terminal fitting 40 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 26 with the tab 41 facing forward, and penetrates the insertion hole 52. At this time, in the insertion hole 52, elastic deformation does not occur when the tab 41 passes, but when the rectangular tube portion 42 and the wire connecting portion 43 wider and thicker than the tab 41 pass, the insertion hole 52 expands in diameter. Elastically deforms. When the rectangular tube portion 42 enters the insertion hole 52, the lower surface and the side surface thereof are the tapered surface 44 that smoothly continues from the rear end of the tab 41, so that no catching occurs. When the terminal fitting 40 is inserted to the normal position, the lip portion 53 of the insertion hole 52 is in close contact with the outer periphery of the electric wire 46 to be in a sealed state. Further, the retaining portion 45 of the terminal fitting 40 is locked to the retaining piece 33 of the joint terminal 30, but the joint terminal 30 is firmly fixed to the housing 10 by press fitting, so that the terminal fitting 40 is attached to the housing 10. On the other hand, it is surely held in the retaining state.
[0020]
When the terminal fitting 40 is inserted, the tab 41 enters between the apex 32 </ b> A of the tongue piece 32 and the rib 13 of the pressing wall 12 of the housing 10. At this time, the gap dimension between the apex portion 32 </ b> A and the pressing wall 12 is set to be smaller than the plate thickness of the tab 41, and thus the tongue piece 32 is elastically bent downward. Therefore, the tab 41 is elastically held by the elastic restoring force of the tongue piece 32, and the tongue piece 32 and the terminal fitting 40 are connected to each other with a predetermined contact pressure. The plurality of terminal fittings 40 are short-circuited by the joint terminal 30.
[0021]
Further, when the tab 41 enters between the tongue piece 32 and the clamping wall 12, the upper surface of the tab 41 is in sliding contact with the lower surface of the rib 13. 40) and the width is narrower than the tab 41, the frictional resistance with the tab 41 is kept small. Further, since the guide slope 14 is formed at the rear end portion of the rib 13, the tab 41 reaches a sliding contact state with the lower surface of the rib 13 without being caught.
[0022]
<Effect of this embodiment>
(1) The contact between the terminal fitting 40 and the joint terminal 30 is such that the tab 41 of the terminal fitting 40 is in sliding contact with the tongue piece 32 of the joint terminal 30, so that the tab piece is inserted into the rectangular tube portion. The terminal fitting 40 and the joint terminal 30 can be connected without hindrance without causing a problem that the tab pieces abut against each other and deform as in the form.
(2) When the terminal fitting 40 is inserted, the insertion hole 52 of the waterproof member 50 is elastically expanded, but the insertion end of the terminal fitting 40 is a relatively narrow and thin tab 41. As compared with the case of inserting a female terminal fitting having an end portion of a rectangular tube shape, damage around the edge of the insertion hole 52 is reduced.
[0023]
(3) Since the joint terminal 30 has a simple configuration in which the plate material is cut and raised, it is easy to manufacture.
(4) The tip 32B of the tongue 32 is elastically brought into contact with the support wall 15 of the housing 10, so that the apex 32A of the tongue 32 and the housing 10 in a state where the tab 41 of the terminal fitting 40 is not clamped. Since the gap between the pressing wall 12 is defined to a predetermined size, the tab 41 and the tongue piece 32 are set to a predetermined contact pressure when the tab 41 is moved between the apex portion 32A and the pressing wall 12. Can be contacted.
[0024]
(5) When the terminal fitting 40 is inserted into the housing 10, the tab 41 rubs against the tongue piece 32 along the cantilever extending direction. There will be no buckling.
(6) Since the guide slope 16 is provided on the support wall 15, interference between the tip 32B of the tongue 32 and the housing 10 is avoided when the joint terminal 30 is press-fitted, and the assembling work becomes smooth.
(7) The sliding contact portion of the tab 41 in the clamping wall 12 is a rib 13 that is narrower than the tab 41 and extends along the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 40, so that the frictional resistance between the housing 10 and the tab 41 is achieved. The insertion workability of the male terminal fitting 40 is good.
[0025]
(8) Since the waterproof member 50 for sealing the penetrating portion of the terminal fitting 40 is a single component, the number of components can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which a waterproof member is provided for each terminal fitting individually. .
{Circle around (9)} Since the housing 10 of the present embodiment has a bottomed cylindrical shape, it is impossible to form a protrusion or a recess for retaining the terminal fitting 40 in the mold, but the joint terminal 30 By forming the retaining piece 33 on the terminal member 40, the terminal fitting 40 can be retained and retained.
[0026]
[Other Embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) Although the waterproof member is a single component in the above embodiment, according to the present invention, the waterproof member may be provided individually for each terminal fitting.
(2) In the above embodiment, the tongue piece is cantilever extended in the same direction as the terminal fitting insertion direction. However, according to the present invention, the tongue piece extension direction is opposite to the terminal fitting insertion direction. It is good also as a direction.
[0027]
(3) In the above embodiment, the gap dimension between the top of the tongue piece and the pressing wall of the housing is predetermined by elastically contacting the tip of the tongue piece to the support wall of the housing. The tip of the piece may be non-contact with the housing.
(4) In the above embodiment, only one joint terminal is provided. However, according to the present invention, a plurality of joint terminals may be provided in one housing.
(5) In the above embodiment, the cover is formed integrally with the housing. However, according to the present invention, the cover may be a separate part from the housing.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1 is an exploded perspective view of Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a rear view of a housing. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a rib. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a joint terminal. Rear view of joint terminal [Fig. 7] Perspective view showing the state where the tongue of the joint terminal is in sliding contact with the guide slope [Fig. 8] Side view of the terminal fitting [Fig. 9] Front view of the terminal fitting [Fig. FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view showing a state in which the joint terminal is being press-fitted. FIG. 12 is a sectional view before the waterproof member and the cover are assembled. FIG. 13 is a sectional view before inserting the terminal fitting. 14] Cross-sectional view of the assembled state [Fig. 15] Cross-sectional view of the assembled state of the conventional example [Fig. 16] Perspective view of the joint terminal of the conventional example [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Housing 12 ... Nipping wall 13 ... Rib 15 ... Bearing wall 16 ... Guide slope 21 ... Opening 22 ... Cover 30 ... Joint terminal 31 ... Press-fit part 32 ... Tongue piece 32A ... Apex part 33 ... Stopping piece 40 ... Waterproofing member 41 ... tab 52 ... insertion hole

Claims (5)

A pouch-like housing opened only on one side,
A conductive joint terminal provided inside the housing;
A plurality of terminal fittings inserted into the housing and connected to the joint terminals;
An insertion hole is formed which is made of an elastic material and can be assembled to the opening of the housing and allows the terminal fitting to penetrate and elastically adheres to the electric wire connected to the terminal fitting in a watertight state. A waterproof member,
A cover for retaining the waterproof member by being assembled to the housing;
The terminal fitting has a tab that extends in the insertion direction and contacts the joint terminal;
The joint terminal is formed of a plate material, a press-fit portion that is arranged at the front end portion and press-fitted into the back wall portion of the housing, and is formed so as to be able to bend and deform behind by being cut and raised, and the tab of the terminal fitting is elastically formed. It is composed of a tongue piece that is slidably contacted, and a retaining piece that is formed so as to be able to be bent and deformed by cutting and raising behind the tongue piece and that locks the terminal fitting so as to keep the terminal fitting in a retaining state. Joint connector characterized by. The tongue piece extends in a cantilever shape along the insertion / removal direction of the terminal fitting with respect to the housing and has a mountain shape. The tab can be elastically clamped by a gap with a pressure wall, and the tip of the tongue piece is elastically brought into contact with a support wall on the opposite side to the pressure wall in the housing. The joint connector according to claim 1, wherein a dimension of a gap between the top of the tongue piece and the pressing wall in a state where the pressing is not clamped is defined. The joint connector according to claim 2, wherein the tongue piece extends in the same direction as an insertion direction of the terminal fitting with respect to the housing. The guide wall according to claim 2, wherein a guide slope for guiding the tip end portion of the tongue piece is formed in a region where the tip end portion of the tongue piece comes into sliding contact with the press-fitting of the joint terminal in the support wall. Item 6. The joint connector according to item 3. The joint connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a rib that is narrower than the tab and extends along an insertion direction of the tab is formed on the pinching wall.

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