Connector

Abstract

To secure a terminal holding force while suppressing an increase in size of a scale.SOLUTION: A spacer 30 has: a main wall body 31 that can be flexibly deformed; a sub-wall body 32 that is flexibly deformed for forming a boundary part 33 from the main wall body along an insertion / extraction direction of an electric wire 10 with a terminal; a terminal engagement part 34 that is projected from an inner wall surface of the main wall body and the sub-wall body in one end in the insertion / extraction direction of the boundary part, engages a terminal metal fitting 12 at a main engagement position, and holds the electric wire with the terminal at a housing completion position; and a housing engagement part 35 that is projected from the other end side from the terminal engagement part in the insertion / extraction direction in the inner wall surface of the sub-wall body, is engaged with a temporal engagement part 22 of a housing 20 at a temporal engagement position, and is engaged with a main engagement part 23 of the housing at the main engagement position. The housing has a spacer holding part 24 that engages a come-off prevention locking part 32a of the one end of the sub-wall body when acting a force for separating the sub-wall body from a housing main body 21 at a spacer at the main engagement position, and keeps an engagement state of the main engagement part of the housing engagement part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a connector is known that includes a spacer that allows insertion and removal of a terminal-attached electric wire in a housing chamber at a temporary locking position relative to the housing body, and holds the terminal-attached electric wire in a fully-accommodated position at a fully-accommodated position relative to the housing body. The spacer has cantilevered flexible pieces arranged opposite each other with a gap between them, and has locking claws on the inner walls of the free ends of the flexible pieces that lock the housing body at the temporary locking position and the fully-accommodated position. When the locking claws pass over the temporary locking claw and the fully-accommodated claw of the housing body, the pair of flexible pieces bend in an opening direction that widens the gap between them and return to their original state, and the spacer reaches the fully-accommodated position. The spacer in the fully-accommodated position locks the terminal fittings with terminal locking parts connected to the pair of flexible pieces, and stops the terminal-attached electric wire in the fully-accommodated position. This type of connector is disclosed, for example, in the following Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-207101 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional spacer, when the terminal locking portion receives a force from the terminal fitting at the full locking position and the pair of flexible pieces are bent in the opening direction by the force, the locking claw is pulled away from the full locking claw, and the terminal-attached electric wire may slip out of the accommodating chamber. For this reason, the conventional spacer is formed in a shape that is highly rigid and difficult to deform so that the pair of flexible pieces are not bent in the opening direction by the force even if the terminal locking portion receives a force from the terminal fitting at the full locking position. Therefore, in the conventional connector, the spacer becomes larger as the rigidity increases, which may result in an increase in the overall size.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can ensure terminal retention force while preventing an increase in size. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention includes an electric wire with a terminal having a terminal fitting physically and electrically connected to an end of the electric wire, a housing that accommodates the end of the electric wire and the terminal fitting in an accommodation chamber of a housing main body at a fully accommodated position and allows the electric wire to be drawn outward from an electric wire outlet of the housing main body, and a spacer that allows the electric wire with terminal to be inserted into and removed from the accommodation chamber at a temporary locking position with respect to the housing and holds the electric wire with terminal in the fully accommodated position with respect to the housing, the spacer comprising: a plate-shaped main wall body that is capable of flexural deformation in a plate thickness direction and has an inner wall surface disposed opposite to the housing main body; a plate-shaped sub-wall body that is capable of flexural deformation in a plate thickness direction, is suspended from the main wall body, has an inner wall surface disposed opposite to the housing main body, and forms a boundary with the main wall body along the insertion / removal direction of the electric wire with terminal; and a spacer that is configured to flexibly deform in a plate thickness direction and has an inner wall surface disposed opposite to the housing main body and forms a boundary with the main wall body along the insertion / removal direction of the electric wire with terminal in the insertion / removal direction of the boundary. and a terminal locking portion that protrudes from the inner wall surfaces of the main wall and the sub-wall at one end thereof and locks the movement of the terminal fitting toward the wire pull-out outlet at the final locking position, thereby holding the terminal-attached wire in the completed accommodation position, and a housing locking portion that protrudes from the other end side of the terminal locking portion in the insertion / removal direction on the inner wall surface of the sub-wall and is locked to the temporary locking portion of the housing at the temporary locking position and to the final locking portion of the housing at the final locking position, and the housing has a spacer holding portion that locks the anti-slip locking portion at the one end of the sub-wall in the insertion / removal direction, to maintain the locking state of the housing locking portion with the final locking portion when a force is acting on the terminal locking portion from the terminal fitting at the spacer in the final locking position to pull the sub-wall body away from the housing main body. Effect of the Invention

[0007] In the connector according to the present invention, the sub-wall of the spacer is less likely to bend at one end in the insertion / removal direction where the terminal locking portion is located than at the other end in the insertion / removal direction where the housing locking portion is located. In the connector according to the present invention, when the terminal locking portion of the spacer in the full locking position receives a force from the terminal fitting to pull the sub-wall away from the housing body, the anti-slip locking portion at one end in the insertion / removal direction of the sub-wall is locked by the spacer holding portion of the housing, so that the housing locking portion is kept locked to the full locking portion. Therefore, in this connector, even if a force is applied to pull the sub-wall away from the housing body at the full locking position, the spacer is held in the full locking position, so that the end of the electric wire with the terminal and the terminal fitting can be kept in the receiving chamber in the fully-accommodated position. In this way, in the connector according to the present invention, the spacer can be held in the full locking position without increasing the rigidity, so that the terminal holding force can be ensured while preventing the connector from becoming large in size. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment in which the spacer is in the full locking position. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a connector according to an embodiment in which the spacer is in the final locking position. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y1-Y1 of FIG. 3 rotated 90 degrees. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y2-Y2 of FIG. 3 rotated 90 degrees. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a connector with a spacer in a provisionally locked position. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a connector with a spacer in a provisionally locked position. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y1-Y1 of FIG. 8 rotated 90 degrees. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y2-Y2 of FIG. 8 rotated 90 degrees. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0010] [Embodiment] One embodiment of a connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0011] Reference numeral 1 shown in Figures 1 to 10 denotes a connector of this embodiment. This connector 1 includes an electric wire with terminal 10, a housing 20 that accommodates the electric wire with terminal 10 in a fully accommodated position, and a spacer 30 that holds the electric wire with terminal 10 in the fully accommodated position (Figures 1 to 10).

[0012] The electric wire with terminal 10 includes an electric wire 11 and a terminal fitting 12 that is physically and electrically connected to an end of the electric wire 11 (FIGS. 1 and 4).

[0013] The terminal fitting 12 is made of a conductive material such as metal. The terminal fitting 12 has a terminal connection portion 12a that is physically and electrically connected to a mating terminal fitting, and an electric wire connection portion 12b that is physically and electrically connected to an end of an electric wire 11 (FIG. 1). In the terminal fitting 12, the terminal connection portion 12a and the electric wire connection portion 12b are arranged in a straight line, and the arrangement direction corresponds to the insertion / removal direction with respect to the mating terminal fitting. The terminal connection portion 12a is formed in the shape of either a male or female terminal. The terminal connection portion 12a shown here is formed in the shape of a female terminal having a cylindrical outer peripheral wall, and an axial mating terminal fitting is fitted and connected along the cylindrical axis direction.

[0014] The housing 20 is molded from an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The housing 20 is provided with a housing body 21 that accommodates the electric wire with terminal 10 in the accommodation complete position (FIGS. 1 to 10). The housing body 21 is formed with an accommodation chamber 21a that accommodates the end of the electric wire 11 and the terminal fitting 12 in the accommodation complete position, and an electric wire outlet 21b for pulling the electric wire 11 outward (FIG. 4). In the housing body 21 shown here, four pairs of accommodation chambers 21a and electric wire outlets 21b are arranged in a lattice pattern, and each of the accommodation chambers 21a accommodates one electric wire with terminal 10.

[0015] The spacer 30 is molded from an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The spacer 30 is locked to the housing 20 at a temporary locking position and a full locking position. The spacer 30 allows the electric wire with terminal 10 to be inserted into and removed from the accommodation chamber 21a at the temporary locking position, and holds the electric wire with terminal 10 in the fully accommodated position at the full locking position. Figures 2 to 6 show the spacer 30 assembled to the housing 20 at the full locking position. Figures 7 to 10 show the spacer 30 assembled to the housing 20 at the temporary locking position.

[0016] Specifically, the spacer 30 has a plate-shaped main wall 31 that can be flexibly deformed in the thickness direction and has an inner wall surface facing the housing body 21, and a plate-shaped sub-wall 32 that can be flexibly deformed in the thickness direction, is suspended from the main wall 31, and has an inner wall surface facing the housing body 21 (FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5 to 10). The sub-wall 32 has a fixed end on the main wall 31 side and a free end on the suspended end side. The sub-wall 32 forms a boundary 33 with the main wall 31 that is aligned with the insertion / removal direction of the electric wire with terminal 10 (FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5 to 10). The free end of the sub-wall 32 is also aligned with the insertion / removal direction of the electric wire with terminal 10. In the following description, when the term "insertion / removal direction" is used, it refers to the insertion / removal direction of the electric wire with terminal 10.

[0017] The spacer 30 has a terminal locking portion 34 that locks the movement of the terminal fitting 12 toward the wire outlet 21b at the full locking position and holds the terminal-attached electric wire 10 at the fully accommodated position (FIGS. 1, 6, and 10). The terminal locking portion 34 protrudes from the inner wall surfaces of the main wall 31 and the sub-wall 32 at one end in the insertion / removal direction of the boundary portion 33. The terminal locking portion 34 shown here extends from the fixed end on the boundary portion 33 side to the free end of the sub-wall 32, and the wall surface 34a on the protruding direction side is formed as an arc-shaped wall surface (FIGS. 1, 6, and 10). The terminal connection portion 12a shown here has a concentric ring-shaped fitting groove 12c formed on the cylindrical outer circumferential wall thereof, into which the terminal locking portion 34 is fitted at the full locking position (FIGS. 1, 4, 6, and 10). An arc-shaped wall surface 34a of the terminal locking portion 34 is disposed opposite to the groove bottom of the fitting groove 12c. In the terminal fitting 12, the terminal locking portion 34 is fitted into the fitting groove 12c, whereby the terminal locking portion 34 locks the terminal connecting portion 12a against movement in the axial direction.

[0018] The spacer 30 also has a housing locking portion 35 that is locked to the temporary locking portion 22 of the housing 20 at the temporary locking position and is locked to the full locking portion 23 of the housing 20 at the full locking position (FIGS. 1, 5, and 9). The housing locking portion 35 is formed in a claw shape that protrudes from the other end side of the terminal locking portion 34 in the insertion / removal direction on the inner wall surface of the sub-wall 32. The housing locking portion 35 shown here protrudes from the free end on the other end side of the terminal locking portion 34 in the insertion / removal direction on the inner wall surface of the sub-wall 32. In the housing 20, the temporary locking portion 22 and the full locking portion 23 are formed in a claw shape that protrudes from the housing main body 21 along the insertion / removal direction.

[0019] When the spacer 30 is assembled to the housing 20, for example, by pressing the main wall 31, the housing locking portion 35 receives a force from the temporary locking portion 22, bending the other end side of the sub-wall 32 in the insertion / removal direction, and when the housing locking portion 35 passes over the temporary locking portion 22, the bending of the sub-wall 32 is released. As a result, the spacer 30 is held in the housing 20 at the temporary locking position. Furthermore, by pressing the main wall 31 further, the housing locking portion 35 receives a force from the full locking portion 23, bending the other end side of the sub-wall 32 in the insertion / removal direction, and when the housing locking portion 35 passes over the full locking portion 23, the bending of the sub-wall 32 is released. As a result, the spacer 30 is held in the housing 20 at the full locking position.

[0020] In this spacer 30, a terminal locking portion 34 is provided at one end in the insertion / removal direction at a boundary portion 33 between the main wall body 31 and the sub-wall body 32, and the one end is less likely to bend than the other end of the sub-wall body 32 in the insertion / removal direction. In particular, in this spacer 30, the terminal locking portion 34 extends from the fixed end on the boundary portion 33 side to the free end at one end of the sub-wall body 32 in the insertion / removal direction, making the one end of the sub-wall body 32 less likely to bend than the other end. Therefore, in this spacer 30, when the housing locking portion 35 at the other end in the insertion / removal direction of the sub-wall body 32 overcomes the temporary locking portion 22 and the full locking portion 23 during a series of movements when assembling the spacer 30 to the housing 20, the amount of bending deformation at one end of the sub-wall body 32 is kept smaller than the amount of bending deformation at the other end. In this manner, the terminal locking portion 34 is provided so as to suppress the amount of flexural deformation of the sub-wall 32 at one end in the insertion / removal direction more than at the other end in the insertion / removal direction where the housing locking portion 35 is located.

[0021] In the connector 1 shown here, the spacer 30 is provided for each of the two electric wires 10 with terminals. Thus, the spacer 30 has two sub-walls 32 arranged opposite to each other with a gap therebetween. The spacer 30 has one terminal locking portion 34 protruding from a boundary portion 33 between the main wall 31 and one of the sub-walls 32, the other terminal locking portion 34 protruding from a boundary portion 33 between the main wall 31 and the other of the sub-walls 32, one housing locking portion 35 provided on one of the sub-walls 32, and the other housing locking portion 35 provided on the other of the sub-walls 32. The housing 20 has a provisional locking portion 22 and a full locking portion 23 that lock the one housing locking portion 35, and a provisional locking portion 22 and a full locking portion 23 that lock the other housing locking portion 35.

[0022] Furthermore, the spacer 30 shown here has a terminal locking portion (hereinafter referred to as a "central terminal locking portion") 36 between one terminal locking portion 34 and the other terminal locking portion 34, which is fitted together with one terminal locking portion 34 into the fitting groove 12c of one of the terminal fittings 12 of the two electric wires with terminals 10 at the full locking position, and which is fitted together with the other terminal locking portion 34 into the fitting groove 12c of the other of the two electric wires with terminals 10 at the full locking position (FIGS. 1, 6 and 10). This central terminal locking portion 36 protrudes from the inner wall surface of the main wall body 31. The central terminal locking portion 36 is provided with an arc-shaped wall surface 36a which cooperates with the arc-shaped wall surface 34a of one terminal locking portion 34 to form a semicircular wall surface and is disposed opposite the groove bottom of the fitting groove 12c of the terminal fitting 12 of one electric wire with terminal 10, and an arc-shaped wall surface 36b which cooperates with the arc-shaped wall surface of the other terminal locking portion 34 to form a semicircular wall surface and is disposed opposite the groove bottom of the fitting groove 12c of the terminal fitting 12 of the other electric wire with terminal 10 (FIGS. 1, 6 and 10). In the spacer 30, gaps are provided between the central terminal locking portion 36 and one terminal locking portion 34, and between the central terminal locking portion 36 and the other terminal locking portion 34.

[0023] Here, when the terminal fitting 12 receives a force from the mating terminal fitting during mating connection, or receives a force from the drawn-out electric wire 11 toward the electric wire outlet 21b, the force is transmitted from the side wall of the fitting groove 12c to the terminal locking portion 34 and the central terminal locking portion 36 in the full locking position. In the spacer 30 in the full locking position, if the main wall body 31 is deflected in the gap between the terminal locking portion 34 and the central terminal locking portion 36 due to the force received from the terminal fitting 12 by the terminal locking portion 34 or the central terminal locking portion 36, the sub-wall body 32 may be pulled away from the housing body 21, and the locked state of the housing locking portion 35 with respect to the full locking portion 23 may be released. Therefore, the housing 20 has a spacer retaining portion 24 that retains the anti-slip retaining portion 32a at one end of the sub-wall body 32 in the insertion / removal direction when a force is applied from the terminal fitting 12 to the terminal retaining portion 34 with the spacer 30 in the main retaining position, pulling the sub-wall body 32 away from the housing main body 21 (Figures 1 to 10).

[0024] The spacer holding portion 24 protrudes from the housing body 21. The spacer holding portion 24 shown here protrudes from the housing body 21 in an L-shape and is disposed opposite to the outer wall surface of the retaining portion 32a of the sub-wall 32. The housing 20 has a gap G between the housing body 21 and the spacer holding portion 24, which allows one end of the sub-wall 32 in the insertion / removal direction to enter from the free end on the vertical direction side to the fixed end on the boundary portion 33 side (FIG. 1). The spacer holding portion 24 is provided for each sub-wall 32. Thus, the housing 20 has one spacer holding portion 24 that engages the retaining portion 32a provided on one sub-wall 32, and the other spacer holding portion 24 that engages the retaining portion 32a provided on the other sub-wall 32. The housing 20 shown here has four spacer holding portions 24.

[0025] As described above, in the connector 1 of this embodiment, the sub-wall 32 of the spacer 30 is less likely to bend at one end in the insertion / removal direction where the terminal locking portion 34 is located than at the other end in the insertion / removal direction where the housing locking portion 35 is located. In the connector 1 of this embodiment, when a force is applied to the terminal locking portion 34 of the spacer 30 in the full locking position by the terminal fitting 12, which pulls the sub-wall 32 away from the housing main body 21, the anti-detachment locking portion 32a at one end in the insertion / removal direction of the sub-wall 32 is locked by the spacer holding portion 24 of the housing 20, so that the locking state of the housing locking portion 35 to the full locking portion 23 is maintained. Therefore, in this connector 1, even if a force is applied to pull the sub-wall 32 away from the housing main body 21 at the full locking position, the spacer 30 is maintained in the full locking position, so that the end of the electric wire 11 of the electric wire with terminal 10 and the terminal fitting 12 can be stored in the receiving chamber 21a in the fully-accommodated position. In this manner, in the connector 1 of this embodiment, the spacer 30 can be held in the full locking position without increasing its rigidity, so that the terminal holding force can be ensured while preventing the connector from becoming large in size. [Explanation of symbols]

[0026] 1 Connector 10 Wire with terminal 11 Electric wire 12 Terminal fitting 20. Housing 21 Housing body Containment Room 21a 21b Wire outlet 22 Temporary locking part 23 Main locking part 24 Spacer holder 30 Spacer 31 Main wall 32 Sub wall 32a Anti-slip locking part 33 Boundary 34 Terminal locking part 35 Housing locking part G Gap

Claims

1. A terminal-attached electric wire having a terminal metal fitting physically and electrically connected to an end of the electric wire; a housing that accommodates the end of the electric wire and the terminal fitting at a fully accommodated position in an accommodating chamber of a housing body and draws the electric wire outward from an electric wire drawing port of the housing body; a spacer that enables insertion and removal of the electric wire with terminal into and from the accommodating chamber at a provisional engagement position with respect to the housing and that holds the electric wire with terminal in the fully-accommodated position at a full engagement position with respect to the housing; Equipped with the spacer has a plate-like main wall body capable of flexural deformation in a thickness direction and with an inner wall surface disposed opposite the housing main body; a plate-like sub-wall body capable of flexural deformation in a thickness direction, suspended from the main wall body, with an inner wall surface disposed opposite the housing main body, and forming a boundary with the main wall body along the insertion / removal direction of the electric wire with terminal; a terminal locking portion that protrudes from the inner wall surfaces of the main wall body and the sub-wall body at one end of the boundary in the insertion / removal direction and locks the movement of the terminal fitting toward the electric wire outlet at the full locking position, thereby holding the electric wire with terminal at the completed accommodation position; and a housing locking portion that protrudes from the other end side of the terminal locking portion in the insertion / removal direction on the inner wall surface of the sub-wall body, and is locked with the temporary locking portion of the housing at the temporary locking position and is locked with the full locking portion of the housing at the full locking position, a spacer retaining portion that retains the anti-pullout locking portion at one end of the sub-wall body in the insertion / removal direction when a force is applied from the terminal fitting to the terminal locking portion with the spacer in the final locking position, thereby maintaining the housing locking portion in an engaged state with the final locking portion.

2. The spacer holding portion protrudes from the housing body, The connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that the housing has a gap between the housing main body and the spacer retaining portion, which allows the one end of the sub-wall body in the insertion / removal direction to penetrate from the free end on the vertical direction side to the fixed end on the boundary side.

3. the spacer has two sub-walls arranged opposite to each other with a gap therebetween, one of the terminal locking portions protruding from the boundary between the main wall and one of the sub-walls, the other of the terminal locking portions protruding from the boundary between the main wall and the other of the sub-walls, one of the housing locking portions provided on one of the sub-walls, and the other of the housing locking portions provided on the other of the sub-walls; 2. The connector as described in claim 1, wherein the housing has the temporary locking portion and the full locking portion that lock one of the housing locking portions, the temporary locking portion and the full locking portion that lock the other housing locking portion, one spacer retaining portion that locks the anti-slip locking portion provided on one of the sub-walls, and the other spacer retaining portion that locks the anti-slip locking portion provided on the other sub-wall.

4. A connector as described in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the terminal locking portion is arranged so as to suppress the amount of bending deformation of the sub-wall body at one end in the insertion / removal direction more than at the other end in the insertion / removal direction where the housing locking portion is located.

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