JP5224367B2 - Joint connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a joint connector connected to a connector of a wire harness and having a function of short-circuiting predetermined terminals of the connector in order to branch or connect an electric circuit at a predetermined position.

Conventionally, a joint connector comprising a female connector housing having a plurality of female terminals and a male connector housing that can be fitted to the female connector housing and electrically connected between predetermined male terminals by a bus bar is used. It has been. When this joint connector is fitted, the predetermined female terminals are short-circuited by the bus bar, and the electric circuit of the wire harness can be branched and connected at a predetermined position. As this type of joint connector, for example, there is a configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-44481

On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, in order to cope with the case where the number of terminals accommodated in the connector housing is large or the connection pattern between the terminals is complicated, the printed circuit board is used instead of the bus bar to connect the female terminals. A joint connector configured to short-circuit is disclosed. The joint connector disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes male terminals on both sides of a male connector housing, and two female connector housings are fitted on both sides of the male connector housing to be provided in the two female connector housings. A predetermined female terminal can be short-circuited.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-311223

  All of these conventional joint connectors are configured to short-circuit between the female terminals included in the female connector housing by fitting the male connector housing in which the male terminals are short-circuited with each other to the female connector housing. This is because a connector provided on the side of an electrical component such as an electrical junction box is generally a male connector, and thus a connector provided on the side of a wire harness requiring a short circuit is a female connector.

  By the way, in the structure of the said patent document 1 and the patent document 2, the male connector housing becomes a structure only for a joint connector. Accordingly, when the male connector housing is fitted into the female connector housing, the female connector housing is blocked, and therefore, the male connector of another electrical component cannot be connected to the female connector housing. For this reason, the joint connector for a short circuit and the male connector connected to other electrical components must be connected to different female connectors, respectively, increasing the number of parts and increasing the number of components. There was a problem.

  In general, when a male connector housing dedicated for short-circuiting is connected to a female connector housing provided in the wire harness, the connection portion is connected to the wire harness so that the connection portion does not blur. It is fixed with tape. Since the wire harness becomes thick and the occupied volume increases at the portion fixed with the tape, there is a problem that the wiring harness becomes inconvenient when the number of connector portions increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its main purpose is to realize both functions of a connection between a male connector and a female connector and a short circuit between circuits at a single connection point. Is to provide a simple joint connector.

Means and effects for solving the problems

  The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, means for solving the problems and the effects thereof will be described.

  According to the viewpoint of this invention, the joint connector comprised as follows is provided. That is, the joint connector includes a male connector housing, a female connector housing, and an intermediate connector housing. The male connector housing holds a plurality of male terminals. The female connector housing is configured to hold a plurality of first female terminals and to be fitted to the male connector housing. The intermediate connector housing holds a plurality of second female terminals. The intermediate connector housing is disposed between the male connector housing and the female connector housing when the male connector housing and the female connector housing are fitted together. The first female terminal is configured to be electrically connected to the male terminal when the male connector housing and the female connector housing are fitted together. The intermediate connector housing is configured to be able to penetrate the male terminal. The second female terminal is configured to be electrically connected to the male terminal when the male terminal passes through the intermediate connector housing. At least two of the plurality of second female terminals are electrically connected.

  Thereby, since at least 2nd 2nd female terminals are electrically connected, the male terminals connected to this 2nd female terminal are short-circuited. Therefore, the first female terminals can be short-circuited by connecting the male terminal to the first female terminal. That is, it is possible to short-circuit between the circuits while connecting the male connector and the female connector with one joint connector. As a result, a dedicated connector for short circuit becomes unnecessary, and the number of parts and occupied volume can be reduced.

  In the joint connector, it is preferable that the intermediate connector housing is configured to be fixed to a distal end portion of the female connector housing.

  Accordingly, the female connector housing and the intermediate connector housing can be integrated and handled in the same manner as a general-purpose female connector housing. As a result, a general-purpose male connector housing can be used, and cost reduction can be realized by sharing parts. Further, in a place where the joint connector is not necessary for some reason, the second female terminal held in the intermediate connector housing is omitted, so that the connector having no function as the joint connector can be realized by the same component. it can.

  Moreover, in the joint connector, the intermediate connector housing may be configured to be fixable to a base portion of the male connector housing.

  Thereby, the male connector housing and the intermediate connector housing can be integrated and handled in the same manner as a general-purpose male connector housing. As a result, a general-purpose female connector housing can be used, and cost reduction can be realized by sharing parts. Further, in a place where the joint connector is not necessary for some reason, the second female terminal held in the intermediate connector housing is omitted, so that the connector without the function of the joint connector can be realized by the same component. . In addition, in a place where connection with an electrical component is not necessary due to the layout, if only a male terminal is provided in a dummy male connector housing that is not connected to an electrical component etc. and is fitted to a second female terminal, It can function in the same manner as a conventional joint connector dedicated for short-circuiting.

  In the joint connector, the second female terminal is integrally provided with an inter-terminal connection portion for electrical connection to another adjacent second female terminal, and the inter-terminal connection portions are mechanically connected. It is preferable that it can couple | bond together.

  Thereby, electrical connection is achieved only by mechanically coupling the terminals included in the second female terminal. Accordingly, the second female terminals can be electrically connected to each other without using an instrument such as a soldering iron or a welding machine.

  In the joint connector, the inter-terminal connection portion is either an I-shaped terminal or a U-shaped terminal, and the U-shaped terminal sandwiches the I-shaped terminal to thereby form the I-shaped terminal. It is preferable that the terminal and the U-shaped terminal can be mechanically coupled to each other.

  Thereby, when attaching a 2nd female terminal to an intermediate connector housing, it can connect between adjacent female terminals with a U-shaped terminal and an I-shaped terminal. Therefore, by changing the connection pattern between the U-shaped terminal and the I-shaped terminal, it is possible to deal with circuits having various specifications.

  The joint connector preferably has the following configuration. That is, the second female terminal is configured to be able to penetrate the male terminal. The second female terminal is provided with an elastic piece that can be electrically connected by elastic contact with the male terminal.

  Thereby, it is possible to improve the reliability of electrical connection between the second female terminal and the male terminal with a simple configuration.

  Next, embodiments of the invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a joint connector 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the joint connector 1 includes a female connector 10 and a male connector 11. In FIG. 1, the female connector 10 and the male connector 11 are depicted as separated from each other. However, in use, the male connector 11 is connected to the female connector 10 by a two-dot chain line in the figure. It is made to fit in the direction shown.

  The male connector 11 has a male connector housing 14 disposed at the end of the male wire harness 13. The male connector housing 14 is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape as shown in the figure, for example. A rectangular opening 27 is formed on the distal end side of the male connector housing 14 (on the side opposite to the side on which the male wire harness 13 is disposed when viewed from the male connector housing 14).

  The male connector housing 14 holds a plurality of male terminals 15 therein. The male terminal 15 is disposed with the tip portion directed toward the opening 27 and is electrically connected to the male wire harness 13 by a method such as crimping. The male wire harness 13 is connected to, for example, an electrical component in an electrical connection box provided in the automobile.

  The female connector 10 includes a female connector housing 16 and an intermediate connector housing 17. The female connector housing 16 is disposed at the end of the female wire harness 12. The intermediate connector housing 17 is disposed at the tip of the female connector housing 16 (the end opposite to the side where the female wire harness 12 is present when viewed from the female connector housing 16). The female side wire harness 12 constitutes a part of a circuit of a wire harness routed, for example, on the vehicle body side of an automobile.

  The female connector housing 16 is formed to have a substantially prismatic shape corresponding to the shape of the opening 27 of the male connector housing 14. The male connector housing 14 and the female connector housing 16 can be fitted together by inserting the female connector housing 16 into the opening 27 of the male connector housing 14 from the tip. At this time, the intermediate connector housing 17 is integrated with the female connector housing 16 and can be inserted into the male connector housing 14.

  Next, the configuration of the female connector 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the female connector 10. FIG. 3A is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the joint connector 1 in a state where the male connector 11 and the female connector 10 are separated. FIG. 3B is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the joint connector 1 in a state in which the male connector 11 and the female connector 10 are fitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a lock claw 19 is formed in the intermediate connector housing 17. On the other hand, the female connector housing 16 is formed with a lock portion 20 that can be engaged with the lock claw 19. With this configuration, the intermediate connector housing 17 can be fixed to the distal end portion of the female connector housing 16 by engaging the lock claw 19 so as to be hooked on the lock portion 20. As a result, the intermediate connector housing 17 and the female connector housing 16 can be handled integrally, and good assembly workability is realized.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the female connector housing 16 holds a plurality of first female terminals 21 corresponding to the plurality of male terminals 15 held by the male connector housing 14. The first female terminal 21 is electrically connected to the female wire harness 12 by a method such as crimping. The first female terminal 21 is formed in a metal square tube shape having a terminal insertion hole 18 into which the male terminal 15 can be inserted. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, each terminal insertion hole 18 is provided with an elastic piece 21 a that can elastically contact the male terminal 15 inserted into the terminal insertion hole 18. . With this configuration, when the male terminal 15 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 18, the male terminal 15 and the elastic piece 21a come into contact with each other, whereby the male terminal 15 and the first female terminal 21 are electrically connected to each other. It is like that. Thereby, the circuit on the female side wire harness 12 and the electrical component etc. which are connected to the male side wire harness 13 can be electrically connected.

  The intermediate connector housing 17 holds a plurality of second female terminals 22 corresponding to the plurality of male terminals 15 held by the male connector housing 14. The second female terminal 22 has a terminal through hole 25 configured to allow the male terminal 15 to pass therethrough. On the other hand, a terminal through hole 24 through which the male terminal 15 can be passed is formed at a position corresponding to the terminal through hole 25 of the intermediate connector housing 17. The terminal through hole 25 and the terminal insertion hole 18 are connected in a state where the intermediate connector housing 17 is fixed to the tip of the female connector housing 16.

  With the above configuration, when the female connector housing 16 and the male connector housing 14 are fitted in a state where the intermediate connector housing 17 is fixed to the tip of the female connector housing 16, the male terminal 15 is connected to the second female terminal 22 and the middle. The connector housing 17 is passed through and electrically connected to the first female terminal 21. In this state, the intermediate connector housing 17 is located between the male connector housing 14 and the female connector housing 16 as shown in FIG.

  The second female terminal 22 includes an elastic piece 23 that can elastically contact the male terminal 15 penetrating the second female terminal 22. Thereby, the electrical connection between the male terminal 15 and the second female terminal 22 can be ensured. In addition, among the plurality of second female terminals 22, predetermined second female terminals 22 are electrically connected to each other to form an appropriate short circuit pattern. For example, in the case of FIG. 2, the two second female terminals 22a and 22b are electrically connected, and the three second female terminals 22d, 22e, and 22f are also electrically connected. A configuration for electrically connecting the second female terminals 22 will be described later.

  With the above configuration, when the male terminal 15 is inserted into each of the second female terminals 22 that are electrically connected to each other, the male terminals 15 are short-circuited (electrically connected). That is, the male terminal 15 and the second female terminal 22 that are electrically connected to each other provide a function as a kind of bus bar. Therefore, when the shorted male terminal 15 is electrically connected to the first female terminal 21, the predetermined first female terminals 21 can be short-circuited.

  On the other hand, as described above, the joint connector 1 of the present embodiment can electrically connect the circuit on the female-side wire harness 12 and the electrical components connected to the male-side wire harness 13. That is, it is possible to short-circuit the circuit of the wire harness at the same time as connecting the circuit of the wire harness and the electrical component by one joint connector 1.

  In the present embodiment, the thickness of the female connector housing 16 (the dimension in the direction in which the male terminal 15 is inserted) is larger than the thickness of the female connector housing that is generally used (without the short-circuit function). It is formed to be thinner by the thickness of 17. The female connector 10 with the intermediate connector housing 17 fixed to the female connector housing 16 is configured to have the same appearance as the above-described general female connector housing as shown in FIG. Due to the compatibility of the shape on the female side, a male connector housing 14 having a general shape can be used as it is. That is, with the configuration using the general-purpose male connector 11, both the connection function between the circuit of the wire harness and the electrical component and the short-circuit function between the circuits can be realized.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the female connector 10 is formed to have the same appearance as a general-purpose female connector housing. Therefore, if the second female terminal 22 held by the intermediate connector housing 17 is omitted (that is, if an empty housing is used), the female connector 10 is used as a general-purpose (does not have a circuit short-circuit function). It can be handled as a female connector housing. Thereby, parts can be made common and cost can be reduced.

  Next, a configuration for electrically connecting the plurality of second female terminals 22 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a state in which the second female terminals 22 are connected to each other. FIG. 4B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state of mechanical coupling between the tuning fork-shaped terminal and the tab-shaped terminal.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, each second female terminal 22 is configured in a rectangular tube shape having the terminal through hole 25 through which the male terminal 15 can be inserted. In the second female terminal 22, a tab-like terminal (I-shaped terminal, convex side piece) 42 or a tuning-fork-like terminal (U-shaped terminal, concave side piece) is provided on a predetermined surface of the four side surfaces of the square tube. 43) is formed integrally.

  The tab-shaped terminal 42 is configured as a plate-shaped (I-shaped cross section) terminal protruding from the side surface of the square tube. On the other hand, the tuning fork-shaped terminal 43 has a substantially U-shaped cross section, and is configured to protrude from the side surface of the rectangular tube similarly to the tab-shaped terminal 42. Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the tuning fork terminal 43 and the tab shaped terminal 42 can be mechanically fixed by sandwiching the tab shaped terminal 42 by the tuning fork terminal 43. . As a result, the second female terminals 22 and 22 adjacent to each other are electrically connected by the tab-shaped terminal 42 and the tuning-fork-shaped terminal 43. Thus, it can be said that the tab-shaped terminal 42 and the tuning-fork-shaped terminal 43 are inter-terminal connection portions for electrically coupling the second female terminals 22 to each other.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, neither the tab-like terminal 42 nor the tuning-fork-like terminal 43 is formed on the second female terminal 22 c and is not connected to the other second female terminal 22. Thus, the 2nd female terminal 22 which is not connected at all with the surrounding 2nd female terminal 22 can also be arrange | positioned. However, the second female terminal 22c isolated in this manner has no electrical meaning and can be omitted.

  In the process of assembling the joint connector 1, the connection work between the tab-shaped terminal 42 and the tuning-fork-shaped terminal 43 is performed when the second female terminal 22 is attached to the intermediate connector housing 17. By the way, among the four side surfaces of the square tube of the second female terminal 22, a plurality of patterns are conceivable as to which surface the tab-like terminal 42 and the tuning fork-like terminal 43 are formed (or not formed). Accordingly, if the second female terminals 22 having such a plurality of patterns are prepared, various connection patterns between the second female terminals 22 can be obtained by arbitrarily combining the tab-shaped terminals 42 and the tuning fork-shaped terminals 43. realizable.

  FIG. 5 shows a schematic front view of the second female terminal 22. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the rule is that a tuning fork terminal 43 is formed on the upper surface and the left surface of the second female terminal 22, and a tab-shaped terminal 42 is formed on the lower surface and the right surface. A total of 16 patterns of second female terminals 22 are prepared. Any combination of connection patterns can be realized by combining the 16 patterns of the second female terminals 22. Thereby, since various short circuit patterns can be realized by combining common parts, the cost can be reduced by sharing parts.

  Instead of preparing the second female terminals 22 of all the 16 patterns, for example, the second female terminal 22 (for example, the second female terminal shown in FIG. 5) provided with a tab-like terminal 42 and a tuning-fork-like terminal 43 in all directions. Only the female terminal 22y) may be prepared, and the tab-shaped terminal 42 or the tuning-fork-shaped terminal 43 in an unnecessary portion may be removed and used by an appropriate method such as breaking.

  As described above, the joint connector 1 of the present embodiment is configured as follows. That is, the joint connector 1 includes a male connector housing 14, a female connector housing 16, and an intermediate connector housing 17. The male connector housing 14 holds a plurality of male terminals 15. The female connector housing 16 is configured to hold the plurality of first female terminals 21 and to be fitted to the male connector housing 14. The intermediate connector housing 17 holds a plurality of second female terminals 22. The intermediate connector housing 17 is disposed between the male connector housing 14 and the female connector housing 16 when the male connector housing 14 and the female connector housing 16 are fitted. The first female terminal 21 is configured to be electrically connected to the male terminal 15 when the male connector housing 14 and the female connector housing 16 are fitted. The intermediate connector housing 17 is configured to allow the male terminal 15 to pass therethrough. The second female terminal 22 is configured to be electrically connected to the male terminal 15 when the male terminal 15 passes through the intermediate connector housing 17. At least two of the plurality of second female terminals 22 are electrically connected.

  Thereby, since at least two second female terminals 22 are electrically connected, the male terminals 15 connected to the second female terminals 22 are short-circuited. Therefore, when the male terminal 15 is connected to the first female terminal 21, the first female terminals 21 can be short-circuited. That is, one joint connector 1 can short-circuit between circuits while electrically connecting the male terminal 15 held by the male connector 11 and the first female terminal 21 held by the female connector 10. As a result, a dedicated connector for short circuit becomes unnecessary, and the number of parts and occupied volume can be reduced.

  Further, in the joint connector 1 of the present embodiment, the intermediate connector housing 17 is configured to be fixed to the distal end portion of the female connector housing 16.

  Accordingly, the female connector housing 16 and the intermediate connector housing 17 can be integrated and handled in the same manner as a general-purpose female connector housing. As a result, a general-purpose male connector housing can be used, and cost reduction can be realized by sharing parts. Further, in a place where the joint connector is not necessary for some reason, the second female terminal 22 held by the intermediate connector housing 17 is omitted, so that the connector having no function as the joint connector can be realized by the same component. Can do.

  Moreover, in the joint connector 1 of this embodiment, the 2nd female terminal 22 is integrally provided with the connection part between terminals for electrically connecting with respect to the other adjacent 2nd female terminal 22, The said terminal The inter-connection portions can be mechanically coupled.

  Thereby, electrical connection can be achieved only by mechanically connecting the inter-terminal connection portions provided in the second female terminal 22. Therefore, for example, the second female terminals 22 can be electrically connected without using an instrument such as a soldering iron or a welding machine.

  Further, in the joint connector 1 of the present embodiment, the inter-terminal connection portion is configured as one of a tab-like terminal 42 formed in an I-shape and a tuning fork-shaped terminal 43 formed in a U-shape. ing. The tuning fork-shaped terminal 43 sandwiches the tab-shaped terminal 42 so that the tab-shaped terminal 42 and the tuning fork-shaped terminal 43 can be mechanically coupled to each other.

  Thereby, when attaching the 2nd female terminal 22 with respect to the intermediate | middle connector housing 17, the adjacent 2nd female terminal 22 can be connected by the tuning fork-shaped terminal 43 and the tab-shaped terminal 42. FIG. Therefore, by changing the connection pattern between the tuning fork-shaped terminal 43 and the tab-shaped terminal 42, it is possible to deal with circuits having various specifications.

  Moreover, in the joint connector 1 of this embodiment, the 2nd female terminal 22 is comprised so that the male terminal 15 can be penetrated. The second female terminal 22 includes an elastic piece 23 that can be electrically connected to the male terminal 15 by elastic contact.

  Thereby, the reliability of the electrical connection between the second female terminal 22 and the male terminal 15 can be improved with a simple configuration.

  Next, a joint connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the same or similar components as those in the above embodiment may be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof may be omitted. FIG. 6A is a schematic side sectional view of the joint connector 30 in a state where the male connector 11 and the female connector 10 are separated. FIG. 6B is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the joint connector 30 in a state where the male connector 11 and the female connector 10 are fitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the joint connector 30 of this embodiment includes a male connector 11 and a female connector 10 as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the intermediate connector housing 17 is fixed to the base of the male connector housing 14.

  More specifically, the intermediate connector housing 17 is a base (an end opposite to the opening) of the male connector housing 14 and is fixed to the inside of the male connector housing 14 formed in a rectangular tube shape. Yes. Thereby, the intermediate | middle connector housing 17 and the male connector housing 14 can be handled as integral.

  Further, in the state where the intermediate connector housing 17 is fixed to the base of the male connector housing 14 as described above, the male terminal 15 penetrates the second female terminal 22, and the male terminal 15 and the second female terminal 22 are electrically connected. It is in a connected state. Thereby, among the male terminals 15 provided in the male connector 11, the predetermined male terminals 15 are short-circuited by the second female terminal 22.

  In the joint connector 30 of the present embodiment, the depth of the male connector housing 14 (the length of the internal space of the hollow male connector housing 14) is configured to be deeper than the width of the intermediate connector housing 17. Then, by fixing the intermediate connector housing 17 inside the male connector housing 14, the inner shape of the male connector housing 14 is configured to exhibit the same shape as the inner shape of the general-purpose male connector housing. .

  Due to the compatibility of the male side shape as described above, a general-purpose one can be used as the female connector housing 16 on the female side. Since the general-purpose female connector housing 16 is fitted into the male connector housing 14 in which the intermediate connector housing 17 is fixed, the first female terminals 21 included in the female connector housing 16 can be short-circuited. is there.

  In the present embodiment, since the male connector 11 is configured to be compatible with the general-purpose female connector housing 16 as described above, the second female terminal 22 held by the intermediate connector housing 17 may be omitted. The male connector 11 can be handled as a general-purpose male connector housing (not having a circuit short-circuit function). Thereby, parts can be made common and cost can be reduced.

  Further, when it is not necessary to connect an electrical component to the female wire harness 12, the male wire harness 13 can be omitted (that is, the wire harness is not connected to the male terminal 15). Thereby, the male side connector 11 can be functioned similarly to the conventional joint connector only for the short circuit of a circuit.

  As described above, in the joint connector 30 of the present embodiment, the intermediate connector housing 17 is configured to be fixed to the base portion of the male connector housing 14.

  Thereby, the male connector housing 14 and the intermediate connector housing 17 can be integrated and can be handled similarly to a general-purpose male connector housing. As a result, a general-purpose female connector housing can be used, and cost reduction can be realized by sharing parts. Further, in a place where a joint connector is not necessary for some reason, the second female terminal 22 held in the intermediate connector housing 17 is omitted, and a connector that eliminates the function of the joint connector using the same component is also realized. can do. Further, in a location where connection with an electrical component is not necessary due to the layout, only the male terminal 15 is provided in the dummy male connector housing 14 that is not connected to the electrical component or the like, and is fitted to the second female terminal 22. If so, it can function in the same way as a conventional joint connector dedicated for short-circuiting.

  Next, a modified example of the first and second embodiments will be described with respect to a configuration for coupling the second female terminals 22 to each other.

  That is, in the above two embodiments, the second female terminals 22 are directly mechanically coupled, but instead of this configuration, the second female terminals 22 are indirectly connected via a connector (intermediate connection member). May be combined. For example, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 7A, only the tab-like terminal 42 is formed on the second female terminal 22 as an inter-terminal connection portion. In addition to the second female terminal 22, an E-shaped connector 31 formed in a substantially E shape is prepared as shown in FIG. The E-shaped connector 31 is formed in a shape capable of sandwiching two tab-shaped terminals 42 at the same time. Further, an elastic piece for electrically connecting the E-shaped connector 31 between the tab-shaped terminals 42 by elastic contact with the tab-shaped terminals 42 as shown in FIG. 7B. 31a is preferably provided. And this E-shaped connector 31 is comprised so that the two tab-shaped terminals 42 and 42 pinched | interposed may be electrically connected.

  With the above configuration, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 7C, when the tab-shaped terminals 42 formed on the two second female terminals 22 are coupled to each other, two E-shaped connectors 31 are used. By sandwiching the tab-shaped terminal 42, the two tab-shaped terminals 42 are mechanically coupled to each other. The second female terminals 22 can be electrically connected to each other by the indirect coupling of the tab-like terminals 42.

  Alternatively, only the tuning fork terminal 43 may be formed on the second female terminal 22 and a connector formed in a plate shape may be used as the connector. In this case, the tuning fork terminal 43 formed on the two second female terminals 22 is coupled to both ends of the connector so as to sandwich the end of the plate-shaped connector, thereby providing two second female terminals. The terminals 22 can be electrically connected.

  Further, for example, in the case of a joint connector in which the shape or arrangement interval of the plurality of male terminals 15 held by the male connector housing is not uniform, a hybrid in which second female terminals of different sizes are combined in accordance with the male terminal 15 A connector may be required. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8A, even if the second female terminals 22g and 22h having different sizes are simply connected by the tab-shaped terminal 42 and the tuning-fork-shaped terminal 43, the tab-shaped terminal 42 and the tuning-fork-shaped terminal In some cases, the second female terminal 22h cannot be connected to each other because 43 does not reach.

  In order to solve this, as shown in FIG. 8B, a substantially Y-shaped Y-shape having a tab-like terminal portion 32a on one end side and a tuning-fork-like terminal portion 32b on the other end side, respectively. It is conceivable to prepare a connector 32. Then, as shown in FIG. 8C, the tab-shaped terminal portion 32a is connected to the tuning-fork terminal 43 of the second female terminal 22, and the tuning-fork terminal portion 32b is connected to the tab-shaped terminal 42 of the second female terminal 22. If each is attached, the tab-like terminal 42 and the tuning-fork-like terminal 43 which are separated from each other can be mechanically and electrically connected.

  Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention and its modification have been described above, the above-described configuration can be changed as follows, for example.

  In FIG. 1 and the like, a joint connector having six male terminals is depicted, but the number of terminals is not limited to this, and can be appropriately changed according to the circuit configuration. The male connector housing has a substantially rectangular tube shape, and the female connector housing has a substantially prismatic shape. However, the shape is not limited to this, and can be changed to an appropriate shape.

  As long as the second female terminals can be electrically connected to each other, such as soldering, spot welding, laser welding, etc., in addition to the configuration in which the inter-terminal connection portions are engaged as described above. It can be connected in any way. Moreover, the structure which cut | disconnects the part which it does not want to short-circuit as needed may be sufficient, after shape | molding in the shape where several 2nd female terminal was connected integrally beforehand.

  Although the male terminal 15 is connected to the male side wire harness 13 and the first female terminal 21 is connected to the female side wire harness 12, respectively, all the terminals need not be connected to the wire harness. When the male terminal 15 or the first female terminal 21 is not connected to the wire harness, the terminal exhibits only a function of short-circuiting between circuits.

The perspective view which shows the schematic structure of the joint connector which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The typical exploded perspective view of a female side connector. (A) The typical side sectional drawing of the joint connector in the state where the male side connector and the female side connector isolate | separated. (B) The typical side surface sectional view of the joint connector in the state where the male side connector and the female side connector were fitted. (A) The typical exploded perspective view which showed the paper which connects 2nd female terminals. (B) The schematic diagram which shows the mode of the mechanical coupling | bonding of a tuning fork terminal and a tab-shaped terminal. The typical front view which shows the pattern of the tuning fork shaped terminal and tab shaped terminal which are formed in a 2nd female terminal. (A) Side surface sectional drawing which shows the state which the male side connector and the female side connector isolate | separated in the joint connector which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (B) Side surface sectional drawing which shows the state which the male side connector and the female side connector fitted in the joint connector which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (A) The typical front view of the 2nd female terminal which concerns on a modification. (B) Front view of E-shaped connector. (C) The typical front view which shows a mode that the 2nd female terminal was electrically connected by E-shaped connector. (A) The typical front view which shows a mode that the 2nd female terminal of different size was connected by the tab-shaped terminal and the tuning fork terminal. (B) Front view of Y-shaped connector. (C) The typical front view which shows a mode that the 2nd female terminal was electrically connected by the Y-shaped connector.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Joint connector 10 Female connector 11 Male connector 14 Male connector housing 15 Male terminal 16 Female connector housing 17 Intermediate connector housing 21 First female terminal 22 Second female terminal 23 Elastic piece 42 Tab-shaped terminal (I-shaped terminal)
43 Tuning fork terminal (U-shaped terminal)

Claims (5)

A male connector housing holding a plurality of male terminals;
A female connector housing configured to hold a plurality of first female terminals, and to be fitted to the male connector housing;
An intermediate connector housing that holds a plurality of second female terminals and is arranged between the male connector housing and the female connector housing when the male connector housing and the female connector housing are fitted together;
With
The first female terminal is configured to be electrically connected to the male terminal when the male connector housing and the female connector housing are fitted together.
The intermediate connector housing is configured to be able to penetrate the male terminal,
The second female terminal is configured to be electrically connected to the male terminal when the male terminal penetrates the intermediate connector housing;
At least two of the plurality of second female terminals are electrically connected ;
The second female terminal is integrally provided with an inter-terminal connection for electrically connecting to another adjacent second female terminal,
The joint connector characterized in that the inter-terminal connection portions can be mechanically coupled . The joint connector according to claim 1,
The intermediate connector housing is configured to be fixable to a distal end portion of the female connector housing. The joint connector according to claim 1,
The intermediate connector housing is configured to be fixable to a base portion of the male connector housing. The joint connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The inter-terminal connecting portion is either one of an I-shaped terminal and a U-shaped terminal,
The joint connector, wherein the I-shaped terminal and the U-shaped terminal can be mechanically coupled to each other when the U-shaped terminal sandwiches the I-shaped terminal. The joint connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The second female terminal is configured to be able to penetrate the male terminal,
The joint connector, wherein the second female terminal is provided with an elastic piece that can be electrically connected by elastic contact with the male terminal.

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