connector

Abstract

To provide a connector capable of keeping a terminal holding force of a lance and responding to downsizing.SOLUTION: A housing 20 comprises a lance 25, which protrudes forward from an inner face of a cavity 22 and locks a terminal fitting 60 from a rear side so as to prevent coming-off, and a wall surface part 41 disposed at a lower side of the lance 25. The lance 25 includes a corner 37, for example, as a deformation induction part, which induces bending to an upper side in a case where a force moving the terminal fitting 60 backward acts, on an opposite face 33 which is opposed to the wall surface part 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a connector.

Background Art

[0002] The connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a housing having a terminal accommodation chamber (hereinafter referred to as a cavity), and a connection terminal (hereinafter referred to as a terminal fitting) accommodated in the cavity. The housing has a lance that protrudes forward from the inner surface of the cavity. The lance is elastically deformable and engages with the terminal fitting to prevent it from coming out from the rear. The terminal fitting is connected to the terminal portion of a coating (hereinafter referred to as a wire). The wire is drawn out rearward from the housing. Connectors having this type of lance are also disclosed in Patent Documents 2-6.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Patent Document 6

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Incidentally, when the electric wire pulled out from the housing is pulled backward, causing the terminal fitting 60A to retract in the direction of the arrow, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the lance 25A may be pressed against the retracting terminal fitting 60A and deform into a V-shape in side view. Note that Figures 7 and 8 are schematic diagrams and do not represent the actual configuration.

[0005] Here, the lance 25A could take on either a first deformation mode (see Figure 7) in which the bent portion located at the center of the V-shape moves closer to the terminal fitting 60A, or a second deformation mode (see Figure 8) in which it moves away from the terminal fitting 60A. In the first deformation mode, the lance 25A could make strong contact with the terminal fitting 60A and restrict further deformation, thus suppressing the retraction of the terminal fitting 60A. In contrast, in the second deformation mode, the deformation of the lance 25A could not be restricted, raising concerns that the retraction of the terminal fitting 60A could not be suppressed. In particular, as the connector became smaller, the lance 25A also became smaller, which presented a problem in that it was difficult for the lance 25A in the second deformation mode to obtain sufficient holding force against the terminal fitting 60A.

[0006] Therefore, the objective of this disclosure is to provide a technology that can ensure the retention force of the lance against the terminal fittings even when the connector is miniaturized. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The connector of this disclosure comprises a housing having a cavity and a terminal fitting disposed inside the cavity, wherein the housing has a lance that protrudes forward from the inner surface of the cavity and locks the terminal fitting in a manner that prevents it from coming loose from the rear, and the housing has a wall portion on the lower side of the lance when the side that is pressed and elastically deformed by the terminal fitting during the insertion process into the cavity is considered to be the lower side, and the lance has a deformation-inducing portion on the opposing surface facing the wall portion that induces upward bending when a force that retracts the terminal fitting is applied. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a technology that ensures the retention force of the lance against the terminal fitting even when the connector is miniaturized. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a side cross-sectional view of the connector in Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a magnified side view showing the lance protruding into the housing cavity. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a magnified plan view showing the lance protruding into the housing cavity. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the lance that locks the terminal fitting inserted into the cavity of the housing. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing the state in which a force that deforms the lance is applied, causing the rear side of the lance to contact the base side wall. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing the lance of this embodiment 1 in a state of deformation in the first deformation mode. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a conventional reference diagram, a schematic representation showing the lance deformed in the first deformation mode. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a conventional reference diagram, a schematic representation showing the lance deformed in the second deformation mode. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] [Description of Embodiments in this Disclosure] First, the embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and described. The connector disclosed herein is (1) A housing having a cavity, and a terminal fitting disposed inside the cavity, wherein the housing has a lance that protrudes forward from the inner surface of the cavity and engages with the terminal fitting from the rear to prevent it from coming out, and when the side where the lance is elastically deformed by being pressed by the terminal fitting during the insertion process into the cavity is the lower side, the housing has a wall surface portion below the lance, and the lance has a deformation-inducing portion on the opposing surface facing the wall surface portion that induces bending upward when a force that causes the terminal fitting to retreat acts thereon.

[0011] According to the above configuration, when a force that causes the terminal fitting to retreat acts, the deformation-inducing portion induces deformation of the lance upward (toward the side closer to the terminal fitting), and the lance strongly contacts the terminal fitting and can restrict further deformation. Therefore, the retreat of the terminal fitting is suppressed. The above configuration is such that the deformation-inducing portion induces deformation of the lance toward the terminal fitting side, and conversely, deformation of the lance toward the wall surface portion side is restricted. Thus, the above configuration can avoid a situation where the holding force of the lance on the terminal fitting decreases due to deformation of the lance toward the wall surface portion side. As a result, the above configuration can ensure the holding force of the lance on the terminal fitting even when the connector is miniaturized.

[0012] (2) In the connector according to (1) above, the lance has a recess on the opposing surface, and the deformation-inducing portion preferably has a shape that linearly extends in the width direction orthogonal to the direction in which the lance elastically deforms, at the depth of the recess on the opposing surface. The above configuration can easily provide a deformation-restricting portion without performing special processing on the opposing surface of the lance.

[0013] (3) In the connector according to (2) above, the recess is provided on the opposing surface over the entire width direction, and the deformation-inducing portion preferably linearly extends over the entire width direction on the opposing surface. The above configuration can enhance the reliability of the deformation-inducing portion to induce deformation of the lance toward the terminal fitting side.

[0014] (4) In the connector according to (2) or (3) above, the inner angle of the corner formed at the bottom of the recess is preferably 150 degrees or more and 170 degrees or less. If the inner angle of the corner of the recess is less than 150 degrees, it becomes difficult to ensure the strength of the lance. If the inner angle of the corner of the recess is greater than 170 degrees, there is a concern that deformation of the lance toward the terminal fitting side cannot be induced. In this regard, since the inner angle of the corner of the recess is 150 degrees or more and 170 degrees or less in the above configuration, it is possible to ensure the strength of the lance and reliably induce deformation of the lance toward the terminal fitting side.

[0015] (5) In the connector according to any one of (2) to (4) above, the wall surface portion has a tip side wall surface portion facing the front end side of the lance and a base end side wall surface portion disposed at a position closer to the opposing surface than the tip side wall surface portion and facing the rear end side of the lance, the recess has a corner formed at the bottom of the recess, a front side portion disposed in front of the corner, and a rear side portion disposed behind the corner, and it is preferable that the base end side wall surface portion faces the rear side portion in a manner that allows contact therewith.

[0016] In the above configuration, when the rear side portion of the recess of the lance contacts the base end side wall surface portion, which is located closer to the opposing surface than the tip side wall surface portion, excessive deflection of the lance toward the wall surface portion side can be restricted. By the rear side portion of the lance contacting the base end side wall surface portion, the position where the lance contacts the wall surface portion (base end side wall surface portion) can be brought closer to the lance side, and accordingly, the height dimension of the housing (the dimension in the height direction orthogonal to the width direction and the front-rear direction) can be kept small.

[0017] [Details of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] Specific examples of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this exemplification, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0018] <Embodiment 1> The connector 10 according to Embodiment 1 comprises a housing 20 and terminal fittings 60 housed in the housing 20, as shown in Figure 1. The housing 20 is matable with a mating connector (not shown). In the following description, the front-rear direction is defined as the side of the housing 20 that mates with the mating connector being the front. The up-down direction is based on the up-down direction in Figure 1. The left-right direction is based on the left-right direction in Figure 4. In this specification, the up-down direction and the left-right direction are synonymous with the height direction and the width direction, respectively. The front, right, and top sides are represented by arrows X, Y, and Z, respectively, in Figure 1. These directions do not necessarily coincide with the directions when the connector 10 is mounted on a vehicle or the like (not shown). For example, the bottom side is not necessarily limited to the downward direction in the direction of gravity.

[0019] (Terminal fitting 60) The terminal fitting 60 is integrally formed by bending a conductive metal plate. As shown in Figure 1, the terminal fitting 60 has a cylindrical connecting portion 61 and a barrel-shaped barrel portion 62 positioned behind the connecting portion 61. Inside the connecting portion 61 is an elastic contact piece 65 that electrically contacts the tab of a mating terminal fitting (not shown). A locking portion 64 is provided on the lower rear edge of the connecting portion 61. The barrel portion 62 is electrically and mechanically connected to the end of the electric wire 90 (insulated electric wire). The connecting portion 61 has a stabilizer (not shown) that protrudes downward on the right side wall portion. The stabilizer has the function of guiding the insertion operation of the terminal fitting 60 into the housing 20 and preventing incorrect insertion of the terminal fitting 60 into the housing 20.

[0020] (Housing 20) The housing 20 is made of synthetic resin and has an overall flattened shape in the left-right direction. The housing 20 has elastically deformable lock arms 21 protruding from the left and right center of the upper surface. The lock arms 21 have the function of locking the mating connector and holding the housing 20 and the mating connector in a mated state.

[0021] The housing 20 has multiple cavities 22 (only one is shown in Figure 1). As shown in Figure 1, the cavities 22 extend in the front-rear direction within the housing 20 and open to the rear surface of the housing 20. A front wall 23 is provided on the front surface of the housing 20. The housing 20 has multiple tab insertion openings 24 that penetrate the front wall 23 in the front-rear direction (the direction in which the front wall 23 penetrates). The tab insertion openings 24 communicate with the cavities 22. The tabs of the mating terminal fittings are inserted into the cavities 22 through the tab insertion openings 24.

[0022] The housing 20 has a lance 25 for each cavity 22. The lance 25 cantilevered out into the cavity 22 from the inner lower surface of the cavity 22 in the housing 20. The lance 25 has the function of locking the terminal fitting 60 and restricting the terminal fitting 60 from coming out of the cavity 22 to the rear.

[0023] Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lance 25 has a base end portion 26 that protrudes from the inner lower surface of the cavity 22, an extension portion 27 that extends forward from the base end portion 26, and a projection portion 28 that extends forward from the front lower end side of the extension portion 27. The lance 25 is elastically deformable in the vertical direction with the base end portion 26 as the pivot point.

[0024] The upper surface of the extension portion 27 is positioned to extend with an upward inclination toward the front. The front surface of the extension portion 27 is a reverse tapered locking portion 29 that slopes forward toward the top. The locking portion 29 is designed to be able to lock onto the locking portion 64 of the terminal fitting 60.

[0025] The protruding portion 28 is plate-shaped and, as shown in Figure 4, protrudes from the left end of the front lower end of the extension portion 27. As shown in Figure 1, the upper surface of the protruding portion 28 is formed flat along the front-rear and left-right directions and is positioned opposite to the lower surface of the connection portion 61 of the terminal fitting 60 so as to be in contact with it.

[0026] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the lance 25 has an overhang 31 that extends laterally from the left side of the extension 27. The overhang 31 extends in the front-rear direction, and its front end is connected to the projection 28. The upper front corner of the overhang 31 is provided with an inclined portion 46 that is beveled. When the inclined portion 46 of the overhang 31 is pressed by a jig (not shown), the lance 25 is pushed down, making it possible to release the locking of the lance 25 to the terminal fitting 60. In addition, the right side of the extension 27 is provided with an L-shaped relief recess 32 when viewed from the front. The relief recess 32 has an L-shape when viewed from the front and has the function of providing relief for the stabilizer during the insertion of the terminal fitting 60 into the cavity 22.

[0027] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lower surface of the extension portion 27 is an opposing surface 33 that faces the wall portion 41, which will be described later. The opposing surface 33 of the extension portion 27 has a rear portion 34 that extends forward from the base end portion 26 with a gentle upward inclination. The rear portion 34 has a slightly downward curve or bend in the middle section between the front and rear.

[0028] Furthermore, the opposing surface 33 of the extension portion 27 has a recessed area 36 on the front end side that is recessed upward away from the wall portion 41. The recessed area 36 has a corner portion 37 at its rear apex, and further has a rear edge portion 38 that is connected behind the corner portion 37, and a front edge portion 39 that is connected in front of the corner portion 37.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, the corner portion 37 is linear in shape extending in the left-right direction over the entire width of the extension portion 27, and functions as a deformation-inducing portion that induces deformation such that the lance 25 bends toward the terminal fitting 60 side (hereinafter referred to as the first deformation mode; see Figure 6), as will be described later. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the rear side portion 38 extends inclined in a straight line in a side view from the front end of the rear portion 34 to the corner portion 37. The front side portion 39 extends inclined in a straight line in a side view from the corner portion 37 to the lower end of the locking portion 29 with a smaller inclination angle in the front-rear direction than the rear side portion 38. As shown in Figure 4, the rear side portion 38 and the front side portion 39 are flat surfaces that extend over the entire width of the extension portion 27. The front end of the front side portion 39 has a portion that connects to the protruding portion 28.

[0030] The interior angle of the corner 37 of the recess 36 (the opening angle of the recess 36 centered on the corner 37 when the recess 36 is viewed from the side, see α in Figure 2) is preferably set in the range of 150 degrees or more and 170 degrees or less, and more preferably in the range of 160 degrees or more and 170 degrees or less. This is because if the interior angle of the corner 37 of the recess 36 is less than 150 degrees, it becomes difficult to ensure the strength of the lance 25, and if the interior angle of the corner 37 of the recess 36 is greater than 170 degrees, it becomes difficult to induce deformation of the lance 25 to the first deformation mode.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, the housing 20 has a wall portion 41 below the lance 25 (in the direction in which the lance 25 is elastically deformed by the terminal fitting 60 during the insertion process into the cavity 22). The wall portion 41 is located in front of the base end portion 26 on the inner lower surface of the cavity 22, and is positioned in the vertical direction opposite to the opposing surface 33 of the lance 25.

[0032] The wall portion 41 has a base-side wall portion 42 facing the rear end portion 34, which is the rear end side of the lance 25, and a tip-side wall portion 43 facing the front side portion 39 and the protruding portion 28, which are the front end side of the lance 25. Both the base-side wall portion 42 and the tip-side wall portion 43 are arranged flat along the front-rear and left-right directions. The base-side wall portion 42 is positioned one step higher than the tip-side wall portion 43. In other words, the base-side wall portion 42 is positioned closer to the opposing surface 33 of the lance 25 than the tip-side wall portion 43. As shown in Figures 3-5, the wall portion 41 has a stepped surface portion 44 that slopes downward from the front end of the base-side wall portion 42 to the rear end of the tip-side wall portion 43.

[0033] (Function of connector 10) Before the terminal fitting 60 is inserted into the cavity 22 of the housing 20, the lance 25 is maintained in a natural state without elastic deformation. In its natural state, the lance 25 allows the upper end of the extension 27 to enter the insertion path for the terminal fitting 60 in the cavity 22. As the terminal fitting 60 is inserted into the cavity 22, the connecting portion 61 contacts the upper surface of the upper end of the extension 27, causing the lance 25 to elastically deform toward the wall portion 41. The contact of the connecting portion 61 with the front wall 23 stops the insertion of the terminal fitting 60, and the terminal fitting 60 is inserted into the cavity 22 to its normal depth (see Figure 1). At the same time, the lance 25 elastically returns to its original position, and the locking portion 29 is positioned opposite the locked portion 64 so as to be able to lock it from the rear. As a result, the terminal fitting 60 is held in a state where it is restricted from coming out of the housing 20 to the rear.

[0034] In the above state, if the electric wire 90 pulled out from the housing 20 is pulled backward, causing the terminal fitting 60 to retract, the locked portion 64 presses against the locked portion 29, and a force acts to deform the lance 25. In this embodiment 1, the recess 36 of the lance 25 is provided with a corner portion 37 as a deformation-inducing portion. Therefore, when the lance 25 receives the above force, a bending movement is induced that reduces the inner angle of the corner portion 37, that is, a movement from the pre-deformation state shown in Figure 1 to the first deformation mode shown in Figure 6. The lance 25, deformed into the first deformation mode, can be deformed in a direction that strongly contacts the protruding portion 28 with the lower surface of the connecting portion 61 and increases the locking allowance between the locked portion 29 and the locked portion 64. As a result, the holding force of the lance 25 against the terminal fitting 60 is increased, and further retraction of the terminal fitting 60 can be restricted.

[0035] When the lance 25 is released from its locking, a jig (not shown) is applied to the protruding portion 31, and the lance 25 is pushed down toward the wall portion 41. In such a case, for example, the lance 25 can avoid excessive elastic deformation by contacting the wall portion 41. In this embodiment 1, as shown in Figure 5, when a force F is applied from the outside or elsewhere and the lance 25 is strongly pushed down, the rear side portion 38 of the recess 36 provided in the middle of the lance 25 in the front-rear direction comes into contact with the base end side wall portion 42, and excessive elastic deformation of the lance 25 is restricted. In conventional designs, the front end of the lance contacted the opposing wall surface, restricting excessive elastic deformation of the lance. The wall surface opposite the front end of the lance required a specific thickness (vertical dimension) to ensure sufficient strength to prevent excessive deflection. In contrast, in this embodiment 1, the base end side wall portion 42 has the predetermined thickness, thereby ensuring strength to prevent excessive deflection. For this reason, the thickness of the tip side wall portion 43 facing the front end of the lance 25 is smaller than the thickness of the base end side wall portion 42. As a result, the height dimension of the housing 20 can be kept small, which in turn contributes to the miniaturization of the connector 10. When the rear side portion 38 of the recess 36 is in contact with the base side wall portion 42, the tip and protrusion 28 of the front side portion 39 of the recess 36 are positioned in contact with or close to the tip side wall portion 43.

[0036] As described above, according to this embodiment 1, when a force that causes the terminal fitting 60 to retract acts on it, the corner portion 37, which acts as a deformation-inducing portion, induces deformation of the lance 25 toward the terminal fitting 60, and the lance 25 can firmly contact the terminal fitting 60 and restrict further deformation. As a result, the retraction of the terminal fitting 60 is suppressed. The corner portion 37, which acts as a deformation-inducing portion, induces deformation of the lance 25 toward the first deformation mode and restricts deformation of the lance 25 toward the second deformation mode shown in Figure 8, in which the lance 25A bends toward the terminal fitting 60A. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the lance 25 deforms toward the second deformation mode and the holding force of the lance 25 is reduced. As a result, according to this embodiment 1, even if the connector 10 is made smaller, the holding force of the lance 25 toward the terminal fitting 60 can be ensured.

[0037] The corner portion 37, which serves as the deformation-inducing portion, can be easily formed on the opposing surface 33 of the lance 25 as part of the recess 36 without any special processing. In particular, the corner portion 37 has a shape that extends linearly across the entire width of the opposing surface 33 of the lance 25. This increases the reliability of inducing deformation of the lance 25 to the first deformation mode.

[0038] In this embodiment 1, the interior angle of the corner portion 37 is set to 150 degrees or more and 170 degrees or less. Therefore, the corner portion 37 can ensure the strength of the lance 25 and reliably induce deformation of the lance 25 toward the terminal fitting 60.

[0039] Furthermore, in this embodiment 1, the rear side portion 38 of the lance 25 contacts the base end side wall portion 42, thereby restricting excessive elastic deformation of the lance 25. This contributes to miniaturization of the connector 10 in the height direction.

[0040] [Other embodiments of this disclosure] Embodiment 1 disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. In the first embodiment described above, the corner of the recess constituted the deformation-inducing portion. In contrast, according to other embodiments, the deformation-inducing portion is not particularly limited as long as it has a shape that induces deformation of the lance to the first deformation mode. For example, a notch or other cut may be made on the opposing surface of the lance to serve as the deformation-inducing portion. In the first embodiment described above, the terminal fitting was a female terminal fitting having a cylindrical connecting portion. In contrast, according to other embodiments, the terminal fitting may be a male terminal fitting with a tab protruding from the front. In the first embodiment described above, the front edge of the recess was positioned on the opposing surface to be connected to the front surface (locking portion) of the extension. In contrast, according to other embodiments, the front edge of the recess may be positioned on the opposing surface to be separated from the front surface of the extension. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10… Connectors 20… Housing 21... Lock Arm 22... Cavity 23...Front wall 24... Tab insertion slot 25,25A...Lance 26...Proximal end 27...Extending part 28...Protrusion 29... Locking part 31...Protruding part 32... Relief recess 33… Opposite side 34…Rear part 36…recess 37... Corner section (deformation-inducing section) 38...Posterior side 39... Front side 41...Wall section 42... Base end side wall portion 43…Tip side wall section 44...Step surface part 46…Slope part 60...Terminal fittings (Conventional terminal fittings are labeled as 60A) 61...Connection part 62... Barrel section 64…Locked part 65...Elastic contact piece 90...Electric wire

Claims

1. A housing with a cavity, The cavity comprises terminal fittings arranged inside the cavity, The housing has a lance that protrudes forward from the inner surface of the cavity and locks the terminal fitting in a manner that prevents it from coming loose from the rear, When the side of the lance that is pressed and elastically deformed by the terminal fitting during the insertion process into the cavity is positioned downwards, the housing has a wall portion on the lower side of the lance. The lance has a deformation-inducing portion on the opposing surface facing the wall portion that induces upward bending when a force that retracts the terminal fitting is applied to it, thus forming a connector.

2. The lance has a recess on the opposing surface, The connector according to claim 1, wherein the deformation-inducing portion has a shape that extends linearly in the width direction perpendicular to the direction in which the lance elastically deforms, located deep within the recess.

3. The recess is provided on the opposing surface, extending over the entire width direction. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the deformation-inducing portion extends linearly across the entire width of the opposing surface.

4. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the inner angle of the corner formed at the back of the recess is 150 degrees or more and 170 degrees or less.

5. The wall portion has a front end wall portion facing the front end of the lance, and a base end wall portion positioned closer to the opposing surface than the front end wall portion and facing the rear end of the lance. The recess has a corner formed at the back of the recess, a front side positioned in front of the corner, and a rear side positioned behind the corner. The connector according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the base end side wall portion is opposite to the rear side edge portion so as to be in contact with it.

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