Connector connection structure

Abstract

To suppress deterioration of a contact stability of a male terminal and a female terminal.SOLUTION: In a connector connection structure 1, a male connector 10 comprises a male terminal 11 having a tab part 30, and a female connector 20 comprises: a male terminal 21 having a box part 51 into which the tab part 30 is inserted; and a female housing 22 that partially houses the male terminal 21. The box part 51 includes: a Lance hole 55; and an elastic contact piece 54 that is elastically contacted to the tab part 30 to a direction directed to the side of the Lance hole 55. The female housing 22 includes a Lance 62 in which a Lance beak 62c engaged to the Lance hole 55. The Lance beak 62c includes a projection 65 that is projected toward the tab part 30 inserted into the box part 51. The tab part 30 includes a V-shaped groove part 34 as a projection engagement part that engages the projection 65 while nipping them to a width direction orthogonal to at least both of an insertion direction and a projection direction of the projection 65 when an insertion of the tab part 30 to the box part 51 is completed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5A

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, many connector connection structures for connecting male connectors and female connectors have been adopted in vehicles such as automobiles. Here, some male connectors have male terminals with tab portions at their tips. On the other hand, some female connectors have female terminals with box portions into which the tab portions of the male terminals are inserted when connecting with the male connector, and female housings with cavities for accommodating the female terminals.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology relating to a connector in which, after a female terminal is inserted into a cavity, a lance beak provided on the female housing engages with a lance hole provided in the box portion of the female terminal, thereby locking the female terminal in the female housing. In this connector, when the tab portion of a male terminal is inserted into the box portion of the female terminal, inside the box portion, a bent top plate presses the tab portion against the lance hole, so that the tab portion comes into contact with a part of the lance beak that penetrates the lance hole. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-18631 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] For example, in an on-board connector, vibrations caused by vehicle vibrations are applied to the connector connection structure for connecting a male connector and a female connector. In this case, in the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, the tab portion that contacts the run beak inside the box portion of the female terminal slides in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the tab portion, which may result in a decrease in contact stability between the male terminal and the female terminal.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the problems inherent in the conventional technology, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector connection structure that prevents a decrease in the contact stability between the male terminals and the female terminals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a connector connection structure for connecting a male connector and a female connector, wherein the male connector includes a male terminal having a tab portion, and the female connector includes a female terminal having a box portion into which the tab portion is inserted, and a female housing that partially accommodates the female terminal, the box portion has a lance hole that penetrates from the inside to the outside in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the tab portion, and an elastic contact piece that elastically contacts the tab portion in a direction toward the lance hole, the female housing has a lance formed with a lance beak that engages with the lance hole when insertion of the tab portion into the box portion is completed, the lance beak has a projection that protrudes toward the tab portion inserted into the box portion, and the tab portion has a projection locking portion that engages with the projection so as to clamp it in at least a width direction perpendicular to both the insertion direction and the protrusion direction when insertion of the tab portion into the box portion is completed. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a connector connection structure that prevents a decrease in the contact stability between a male terminal and a female terminal. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector connection structure according to one embodiment; [Figure 2A]1 is a cross-sectional view of a connector connection structure according to one embodiment before connection is completed; [Figure 2B] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the connector connection structure according to the embodiment after connection is completed. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a first example of a male terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing a first example of a lance of a female housing. [Figure 5A] 2C is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a connector connection structure corresponding to the VA portion in FIG. 2B. [Figure 5B] 5B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a connector connection structure corresponding to the VB portion in FIG. 5A. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a second example of a male terminal. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing a second example of a lance of the female housing. [Figure 8A] 13 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a connector connection structure employing a second example of a lance, etc. [Figure 8B] 8B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a connector connection structure corresponding to part VIIIB in FIG. 8A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, a connector connection structure according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0011] Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector connection structure 1 according to one embodiment. Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B are cross-sectional views having a chronological relationship between before and after completion of connection of the connector connection structure 1. Fig. 2A is a view of the connector connection structure 1 before completion of connection. Fig. 2B is a view of the connector connection structure 1 after completion of connection.

[0012] The connector connection structure 1 is a structure relating to the connection between a male connector 10 and a female connector 20. The connector connection structure 1 is applied, for example, as an in-vehicle connector for electrically connecting between a power source and equipment or between equipment. The male connector 10 is electrically connected to one equipment or the like, and the female connector 20 is electrically connected to the other equipment or the like.

[0013] Hereinafter, the direction in which the female connector 20 is connected to the male connector 10 is defined as the X direction. Hereinafter, the X direction may be referred to as "front" or "rear". The Y direction and the Z direction are each perpendicular to the X direction and perpendicular to each other. The Y direction is a direction along the width direction of each of the male connector 10 and the female connector 20. Hereinafter, the Y direction may be referred to as "left" or "right". The Z direction is a direction along the height direction of each of the male connector 10 and the female connector 20, particularly from the bottom to the top. Hereinafter, the Z direction may be referred to as "upper" or "lower".

[0014] According to the above directional definition, the cutting planes in Figures 2A and 2B are imaginary XZ planes that pass through the portions where the male terminal 11 is accommodated in the male housing 12 and the portions where the female terminal 21 is accommodated in the female housing 22, as illustrated in Figure 1.

[0015] The male connector 10 includes a male terminal 11, a male housing 12, and a first spacer 13. In this embodiment, a case in which one male terminal 11 is accommodated in one of a plurality of cavities 41 included in the male housing 12 is illustrated.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the male terminal 11. As shown in FIG.

[0017] The male terminal 11 is a terminal fitting that connects with the female terminal 21 of the female connector 20 when the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are connected. The male terminal 11 is formed by punching a conductive metal plate into a predetermined shape and performing bending or the like on the plate material. The male terminal 11 is generally rod-shaped with the X direction as the extension direction, and has a tab portion 30, a box portion 31, a conductor crimping portion 32, and a coating crimping portion 33 that are aligned integrally along the X direction.

[0018] The tab portion 30 has a first main plane 30a and a second main plane 30b (see FIG. 1) that are parallel to each other, and is a rod-shaped portion that extends in the extension direction of the entire male terminal 11. The tab portion 30 can be formed by bending a metal plate material so that the first side end portion 30c and the second side end portion 30d face each other in the Y direction, which corresponds to the width direction of the tab portion 30 (see FIG. 5B). The position where the first side end portion 30c and the second side end portion 30d face each other is the middle position of the width direction dimension of the tab portion 30.

[0019] The tab portion 30 also has a V-shaped groove portion 34. The V-shaped groove portion 34 is a protrusion locking portion that engages the protrusion 65 provided on the lance 62 of the female housing 22 so as to sandwich it at least in the width direction when the insertion of the tab portion 30 into the box portion 51 is completed. The V-shaped groove portion 34 is formed, for example, by cutting out at least a part of the first side end portion 30c and the second side end portion 30d. In other words, the two side surfaces that constitute the V-shaped groove portion 34 constitute tapered surfaces, one side surface is formed on the first side end portion 30c, and the other side surface is formed on the second side end portion 30d. In this embodiment, the V-shaped groove portion 34 is on the side of the first main plane 30a.

[0020] Furthermore, as will be described in detail below, when the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are connected, the tab portion 30 is inserted into the inside of the box portion 51 included in the female terminal 21. Therefore, in order to make it easier to insert the tab portion 30 into the box portion 51, a tapered surface 30e may be formed at the tip of the tab portion 30.

[0021] The box portion 31 supports the tab portion 30 at one end. The box portion 31 is shaped like a cylinder with the X direction as the axial direction, the Y direction as the width direction, and the Z direction as the height direction, and has a rectangular outer periphery in cross section. The box portion 31 has, for example, a bottom plate 31a (see FIG. 1), a first side plate 31b, a second side plate 31c, a top plate 31d, and an outer plate 31e.

[0022] The first side plate 31b rises in the height direction from one edge in the width direction of the bottom plate 31a. The second side plate 31c rises in the height direction from the other edge in the width direction of the bottom plate 31a. The first side plate 31b and the second side plate 31c face each other in the Y direction. The top plate 31d is bent from the upper edge of the first side plate 31b toward the second side plate 31c and faces a part of the bottom plate 31a in the Z direction. The outer plate 31e is bent from the upper edge of the second side plate 31c so as to be overlapped on the outside of the top plate 31d.

[0023] One axial end of the box portion 31 is a first continuous end 31f that is continuous with one end of the tab portion 30. The other axial end of the box portion 31 is a second continuous end 31g that is continuous with one end of the conductor crimping portion 32, and includes a locking surface 31h as an edge of the outer plate 31e.

[0024] Furthermore, the outer plate 31e has a lance hole 35. The lance hole 35 engages with a lance beak 42c of a lance 42 provided in the male housing 12 when the male terminal 11 is accommodated in the correct position of a cavity 41 provided in the male housing 12. The lance hole may also be referred to as a "terminal locking hole."

[0025] The conductor crimping portion 32 and the covering crimping portion 33 connect a first electric wire 100 whose conductor portion is covered with an insulating covering portion. The first electric wire 100 is, for example, an electric wire routed from a first in-vehicle device (not shown). The conductor crimping portion 32 has a pair of crimping pieces and is crimped to the conductor portion 101 of the first electric wire 100. The covering crimping portion 33 has a pair of crimping pieces and is crimped to the covering portion 102 of the first electric wire 100.

[0026] The male housing 12 holds at least one male terminal 11, and when the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are connected, the male housing 12 fits into the female housing 22 of the female connector 20. The male housing 12 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The male housing 12 has a fitting portion 40, a plurality of cavities 41, a plurality of lances 42, and a spacer opening 43.

[0027] When the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are connected, the fitting portion 40 fits at least a part of the outer periphery 60 of the female housing 22. The fitting portion 40 has a locking claw 40a that locks the locking arm 64.

[0028] The cavity 41 is a housing portion that houses the male terminal 11. The overall shape of the cavity 41 is a long hole along the X direction with a rectangular cross section. The male terminal 11 is inserted into the cavity 41 in a position where the extension direction of the male terminal 11 is aligned with the X direction. A plurality of cavities 41 are arranged along the Y direction. In this embodiment, four cavities 41 arranged along the width direction are arranged so as to be stacked in two stages in the height direction. That is, in this embodiment, there are eight cavities 41, and the male housing 12 can connect eight male terminals 11 corresponding to a maximum of eight first electric wires 100. Focusing on one cavity 41, the downstream opening in the X direction is a housing opening 41a that houses the male terminal 11 in the cavity 41. After the male terminal 11 is housed in the cavity 41, the first electric wire 100 connected to the male terminal 11 is drawn out of the male housing 12 from the housing opening 41a. The opening on the upstream side of the cavity 41 in the X direction is an exposure opening 41b through which the tab portion 30 penetrates and is exposed to the inside of the fitting portion 40.

[0029] The lance 42 locks the male terminal 11 accommodated in the cavity 41. The lance 42 is provided on a bottom surface 41c on the lower side in the Z direction among the four side surfaces forming the cavity 41. The lance 42 extends along the X direction with a tip portion 42a on the upstream side as a free end, and has a shape that elastically deforms in a direction away from the cavity 41 when subjected to an external force. In this embodiment, the direction in which the lance 42 moves away from the cavity 41 is approximately along the Z direction, from the upper side to the lower side. The lance 42 has a lance beak 42c that protrudes in the Z direction on the tip portion 42a side in the X direction on the inner surface 42b facing the cavity 41. When the male terminal 11 is accommodated in the cavity 41, the lance beak 42c faces an edge portion of the lance hole 35 provided in the male terminal 11 in the X direction. The lance beak may also be called a "locking claw portion."

[0030] When the male terminal 11 is inserted into the empty cavity 41, the outer plate 31e of the box portion 31 comes into contact with the lance beak 42c of the lance 42 as the male terminal 11 is inserted, and the lance 42 elastically deforms so as to move away from the cavity 41. When the male terminal 11 is subsequently inserted and the lance beak 42c reaches the lance hole 35, the shape of the lance 42 is restored toward the cavity 41, and finally the male terminal 11 is disposed in the correct position of the cavity 41. In the correct position, the lance beak 42c is engaged with the lance hole 35, so that the male terminal 11 is accommodated in the cavity 41 in a state where it is prevented from coming out.

[0031] The spacer opening 43 accommodates the first spacer 13 from below in the Z direction. The spacer opening 43 penetrates between the outside and the cavities 41 so that some portion of the first spacer 13 enters into all of the cavities 41 when the entire first spacer 13 is accommodated. The position at which the spacer opening 43 is provided is downstream in the X direction from the box portion 31 of the male terminal 11 accommodated in any of the cavities 41, that is, closer to the accommodation opening 41a than the box portion 31.

[0032] The first spacer 13 is detachably attached to the spacer opening 43, and is a member that locks the male terminal 11 housed in the cavity 41 when the entire first spacer 13 is housed in the spacer opening 43. The first spacer 13 is formed of an insulating material such as synthetic resin, similar to the male housing 12. Here, in the male connector 10, the male terminal 11 housed in the cavity 41 is locked by a lance 42. In other words, the first spacer 13, as a locking member separate from the lance 42, performs double locking of the male terminal 11 and detects partial insertion of the male terminal 11. The spacer may be referred to as a "retainer."

[0033] The first spacer 13 has a plurality of through holes 13a or a plurality of notches 13b so that a part of the first spacer 13 does not enter each cavity 41 when the first spacer 13 has not completely entered the spacer opening 43, that is, when the first spacer 13 is in the so-called temporary locking position. When the first spacer 13 is in the temporary locking position, the first spacer 13 does not face the locking surface 31h of the box portion 31 of the male terminal 11 in the X direction. In other words, the first spacer 13 does not lock the male terminal 11 in the X direction, and therefore the male terminal 11 is not double-locked in the male connector 10.

[0034] On the other hand, when the first spacer 13 has completed entering the spacer opening 43, i.e., when it is in the so-called full locking position, a part of the first spacer 13 faces the locking surface 31h of the male terminal 11 in the X direction. In other words, when the first spacer 13 is in the full locking position, it locks the male terminal 11, so that the male terminal 11 in the male connector 10 is doubly locked.

[0035] Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a lance 62 provided in the female housing 22. Figs. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining a state in which a protrusion 65 provided on the lance 62 of the female housing 22 is engaged with a V-shaped groove 34 provided on the tab portion 30 of the male terminal 11 in the connector connection structure 1 after connection is completed. Fig. 5A is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view corresponding to the portion VA in Fig. 2B. Fig. 5B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view corresponding to the portion VB in Fig. 5A.

[0036] The female connector 20 includes a female terminal 21, a female housing 22, and a second spacer .

[0037] The female terminal 21 is a terminal fitting that connects with the male terminal 11 of the male connector 10 when the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are connected. The female terminal 21 is formed by punching a conductive metal plate into a predetermined shape and performing bending or the like on the plate material. The female terminal 21 is generally rod-shaped with the X direction as the extension direction, and has a box portion 51, a conductor crimping portion 52, and a coating crimping portion 53 that are aligned integrally along the X direction.

[0038] When the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are connected, the tab portion 30 of the male terminal 11 is inserted into the box portion 51. The box portion 51 is shaped like a cylinder with the X direction as the axial direction, the Y direction as the width direction, and the Z direction as the height direction, and has a rectangular outer periphery in cross section. The box portion 51 has, for example, a bottom plate 51a, a first side plate 51b, a second side plate 51c, a top plate (not shown), and an outer plate 51e.

[0039] The first side plate 51b rises in the height direction from one edge in the width direction of the bottom plate 51a. The second side plate 51c rises in the height direction from the other edge in the width direction of the bottom plate 51a. The first side plate 51b and the second side plate 51c face each other in the Y direction. The top plate is bent from the upper edge of the first side plate 51b toward the second side plate 51c and faces a part of the bottom plate 51a in the Z direction. The outer plate 51e is bent from the upper edge of the second side plate 51c so as to be overlapped on the outside of the top plate.

[0040] One axial end of the box portion 51 is an insertion opening 51f for inserting the tab portion 30. The other axial end of the box portion 51 is a continuous end 51g that is continuous with one end of the conductor crimping portion 52, and includes a locking surface 51h as an edge of the outer plate 51e.

[0041] The bottom plate 51a also has a resilient contact piece 54. The resilient contact piece 54 is provided on an inner surface 51i of the bottom plate 51a and resiliently contacts the tab portion 30 inserted into the box portion 51 for electrical connection. The resilient contact piece 54 is in a cantilever shape with a fixed end 54a on the continuous end 51g side and a free end 54b on the insertion opening portion 51f side. The free end 54b has a mountain shape that protrudes toward the outer plate 31e side. The bottom plate 51a also has a bead portion 51j that is raised so as to contact the lower surface portion of the resilient contact piece 54 at a position on the inner surface 51i facing between the fixed end 54a and the free end 54b of the resilient contact piece 54.

[0042] Furthermore, the outer plate 51e has a lance hole 55. The lance hole 55 engages a lance beak 62c of a lance 62 provided in the female housing 22 when the female terminal 21 is accommodated in a correct position of a cavity 61 provided in the female housing 22. In this embodiment, the lance hole 55 is formed in the outer plate 51e so as to penetrate from the inside to the outside of the box portion 51 along the Z direction.

[0043] In this embodiment, the elastic contact piece 54 is provided on the bottom plate 51a, and the lance hole 55 is provided on the outer plate 51e facing the bottom plate 51a in the Z direction. Therefore, when the tab portion 30 is inserted into the box portion 51, the elastic contact piece 54 elastically contacts the tab portion 30 in a direction toward the lance hole 55. Note that, although FIG. 5A shows a part of the free end portion 54b overlapping with a part of the tab portion 30 inserted inside the box portion 51, in reality, the tip of the free end portion 54b contacts the second main plane 30b of the tab portion 30.

[0044] The conductor crimping portion 52 and the covering crimping portion 53 connect a second electric wire 200 having a conductor portion covered by an insulating covering portion. The second electric wire 200 is, for example, an electric wire routed from a second in-vehicle device (not shown). The conductor crimping portion 52 has a pair of crimping pieces and is crimped to a conductor portion 201 of the second electric wire 200. The covering crimping portion 53 has a pair of crimping pieces and is crimped to a covering portion 202 of the second electric wire 200.

[0045] The female housing 22 holds at least one female terminal 21, and is fitted into the male housing 12 of the male connector 10 when the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are connected. The female housing 22 is formed of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The female housing 22 has an outer periphery 60, a plurality of cavities 61, a plurality of lances 62, a spacer opening 63, and a lock arm 64.

[0046] When the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are connected, at least a portion of the outer circumferential portion 60 is fitted into the fitting portion 40 of the male housing 12. In this embodiment, a cross section of the outer circumferential portion 60 taken along the YZ plane is approximately rectangular.

[0047] The cavity 61 is a housing portion that houses the female terminal 21. The overall shape of the cavity 61 is a long hole along the X direction with a rectangular cross section. The female terminal 21 is inserted into the cavity 61 in a position in which the extension direction of the female terminal 21 is aligned with the X direction. A plurality of cavities 61 are arranged along the Y direction. In this embodiment, four cavities 61 arranged along the width direction are arranged so as to be stacked in two stages in the height direction. That is, in this embodiment, there are eight cavities 61, and the female housing 22 can connect eight female terminals 21 corresponding to a maximum of eight second electric wires 200. Focusing on one cavity 61, the opening on the upstream side in the X direction is a housing opening 61a that houses the female terminal 21 in the cavity 61. After the female terminal 21 is housed in the cavity 61, the second electric wire 200 connected to the female terminal 21 is drawn out of the female housing 22 from the housing opening 61a. The opening on the downstream side in the X direction of the cavity 61 is a connection opening 61b through which the tab portion 30 is inserted into the cavity 61 when the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are connected. Note that the opening edge of the connection opening 61b may have a tapered surface 61d that is inclined from the outside toward the cavity 61 in order to facilitate the insertion of the tab portion 30.

[0048] The lance 62 engages the female terminal 21 accommodated in the cavity 61. The lance 62 is provided on a bottom surface 61c on the lower side in the Z direction among the four side surfaces forming the cavity 61. The lance 62 extends along the X direction with a downstream tip 62a as a free end, and has a shape that elastically deforms in a direction away from the cavity 61 when subjected to an external force. In this embodiment, the direction in which the lance 62 moves away from the cavity 61 is approximately along the Z direction, from the upper side to the lower side. The lance 62 has a lance beak 62c that protrudes in the Z direction on the tip 62a side in the X direction on an inner surface 62b facing the cavity 61. When the female terminal 21 is accommodated in the cavity 61, the lance beak 62c faces an edge of the lance hole 55 provided in the female terminal 21 in the X direction.

[0049] The lance beak 62c has a projection 65 that projects toward the tab portion 30 inserted into the box portion 51. The projection 65 has a triangular prism shape whose cross section perpendicular to the Z direction, which is the insertion direction of the tab portion 30, forms a triangle with a tip 65a in the projection direction as an apex. In the Y direction, which corresponds to the width direction of the lance 62 and the lance beak 62c, the position at which the projection 65 is provided on the lance beak 62c is the midpoint between the width dimension of the lance 62 and the width dimension of the lance beak 62c.

[0050] When the female terminal 21 is inserted into the empty cavity 61, the outer plate 51e of the box portion 51 comes into contact with the lance beak 62c of the lance 62 as the female terminal 21 is inserted, and the lance 62 is elastically deformed so as to move away from the cavity 61. When the female terminal 21 is subsequently inserted and the lance beak 62c reaches the lance hole 55, the shape of the lance 62 is restored toward the cavity 61, and finally the female terminal 21 is disposed in the correct position of the cavity 61. In the correct position, the lance beak 62c is engaged with the lance hole 55, so that the female terminal 21 is accommodated in the cavity 61 in a state where it is prevented from coming out.

[0051] The spacer opening 63 accommodates the second spacer 23 from below in the Z direction. The spacer opening 63 penetrates between the outside and the cavities 61 so that some portion of the second spacer 23 enters all of the cavities 61 when the entire second spacer 23 is accommodated. The position at which the spacer opening 63 is provided is upstream in the X direction from the box portion 51 of the female terminal 21 accommodated in any of the cavities 61, that is, closer to the accommodation opening 61a than the box portion 51.

[0052] The lock arm 64 extends approximately along the X direction with the side opposite to the side mated with the male housing 12 as a free end. The base end of the lock arm 64 is located on a part of the outer periphery 60 of the female housing 22. The lock arm 25 elastically deforms approximately along the Z direction when subjected to an external force. When the female housing 22 is mated with the male housing 12, the lock arm 25 engages with a locking claw 40a provided on the male housing 12 to maintain the mated state.

[0053] The second spacer 23 is detachably attached to the spacer opening 63, and is a member that locks the female terminal 21 housed in the cavity 61 when the entire second spacer 23 is housed in the spacer opening 63. The second spacer 23 is formed of an insulating material such as synthetic resin, similar to the female housing 22. Here, in the female connector 20, the female terminal 21 housed in the cavity 61 is locked by a lance 62. In other words, the second spacer 23, as a locking member separate from the lance 62, performs double locking of the female terminal 21 and detects partial insertion of the female terminal 21.

[0054] The second spacer 23 has a plurality of through holes 23a or a plurality of notches 23b so that a part of the second spacer 23 does not enter each cavity 61 when the second spacer 23 has not completely entered the spacer opening 63, that is, when the second spacer 23 is in the so-called temporary locking position. When the second spacer 23 is in the temporary locking position, the second spacer 23 does not face the locking surface 51h of the box portion 51 of the female terminal 21 in the X direction. In other words, the second spacer 23 does not lock the female terminal 21 in the X direction, and therefore the female terminal 21 in the female connector 20 is not double-locked.

[0055] On the other hand, when second spacer 23 has completed entering spacer opening 63, i.e., when second spacer 23 is in the so-called full locking position, a part of second spacer 23 faces locking surface 51h of female terminal 21 in the X direction. In other words, when second spacer 23 is in the full locking position, it locks female terminal 21, so that female terminal 21 in female connector 20 is doubly locked.

[0056] Next, the operation and effects of the connector connection structure 1 will be described.

[0057] The connector connection structure 1 connects a male connector 10 and a female connector 20. The male connector 10 includes a male terminal 11 having a tab portion 30. The female connector 20 includes a female terminal 21 having a box portion 51 into which the tab portion 30 is inserted, and a female housing 22 that partially accommodates the female terminal 21. The box portion 51 has a lance hole 55 that penetrates from the inside to the outside in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the tab portion 30, and an elastic contact piece 54 that elastically contacts the tab portion 30 in a direction toward the lance hole 55. The female housing 22 has a lance 62 formed with a lance beak 62c that engages with the lance hole 55 when the insertion of the tab portion 30 into the box portion 51 is completed. The lance beak 62c has a protrusion 65 that protrudes toward the tab portion 30 inserted into the box portion 51. The tab portion 30 has a protrusion locking portion that engages the protrusion 65 so as to clamp it at least in a width direction perpendicular to both the insertion direction and the protrusion direction of the protrusion 65 when insertion of the tab portion 30 into the box portion 51 is completed.

[0058] Here, the protrusion locking portion is, for example, the V-shaped groove portion 34 in the above example. The insertion direction of the tab portion 30 corresponds to the direction along the X direction in the above example. The direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the tab portion 30 and the protrusion direction of the protrusion 65 each correspond to the direction along the Z direction in the above example. The width direction perpendicular to both the insertion direction of the tab portion 30 and the protrusion direction of the protrusion 65 corresponds to the Y direction in the above example.

[0059] First, the connector connection structure 1 has a structure in which, when the insertion of the tab portion 30 into the box portion 51 of the female terminal 21 is completed, the lance beak 62c of the lance 62 engages with the lance hole 55 provided in the box portion 51. Also, in the connector connection structure 1, at this time, inside the box portion 51, the elastic contact piece 54 presses the tab portion 30 against the lance hole 55, so that the tab portion 30 comes into contact with a part of the lance beak 62c that has passed through the lance hole 55.

[0060] Here, the time when the insertion of the tab portion 30 of the male terminal 11 into the box portion 51 of the female terminal 21 is completed is when the connection between the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 is completed and both the male terminal 11 and the female terminal 21 are in the normal positions. In the connector connection structure 1, when the male terminal 11 and the female terminal 21 are in the normal positions, the protrusion 65 provided on the run beak 62c engages with the protrusion locking portion provided on the tab portion 30. At this time, the protrusion locking portion locks the protrusion 65 so as to pinch it at least in the width direction, so that the movement of the protrusion 65 in the width direction is restricted. Therefore, even if vibration is applied to the connector connection structure 1, the left and right sliding along the width direction of the tab portion 30 with respect to the female housing 22 of which the run beak 62c is a part is suppressed, so that the deterioration of the contact stability between the male terminal 11 and the female terminal 21 can be suppressed.

[0061] As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a connector connection structure 1 that prevents a decrease in the contact stability between the male terminals 11 and the female terminals 21.

[0062] In the connector connection structure 1, the protrusion 65 may be a triangular prism whose cross section perpendicular to the insertion direction has a triangular shape with the tip 65a in the protruding direction as the apex. The protrusion locking portion may be a V-shaped groove portion 34 formed along the extension direction of the tab portion 30.

[0063] According to this connector connection structure 1, the shape of the protrusion 65 is made to easily and simply engage with the tapered surface of the V-shaped groove portion 34, and the condition that the protrusion engagement portion engages the protrusion 65 by sandwiching it in the width direction can be satisfied.

[0064] Up to this point, we have shown an example of engaging the protrusion 65 as a protrusion locking portion with the V-shaped groove portion 34 provided in the tab portion 30, but the connector connection structure 1 can also adopt the following alternative structure.

[0065] Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a second example of male terminal 11 that replaces male terminal 11 having a V-shaped groove portion 34 as a protruding locking portion as a first example. Note that male terminal 11 shown in Fig. 6 is shown in accordance with male terminal 11 shown in Fig. 3, and parts with the same shapes are given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0066] Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing a lance 62 which replaces the first example, assuming that the lance 62 has a projection 65 on the lance beak 62c. Note that the lance 62 shown in Fig. 7 is shown to match the lance 62 shown in Fig. 4, and parts with the same shapes are given the same reference numerals and will not be described.

[0067] 8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining a state in which the projection 66 provided on the lance 62 of the second example is engaged with the hole 36 provided on the tab portion 30 of the male terminal 11 of the second example in the connector connection structure 1 after the connection is completed. FIG. 8A is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the connector connection structure 1 employing the second examples of the lance 62 and the male terminal 11. The connector connection structure 1 shown in FIG. 8A is shown in accordance with the connector connection structure 1 shown in FIG. 5A, and the same symbols are used for the parts with the same shapes, and the description is omitted. FIG. 8B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the connector connection structure 1 corresponding to the VIIIB part in FIG. 8A. The connector connection structure 1 shown in FIG. 8B is shown in accordance with the connector connection structure 1 shown in FIG. 5B, and the same symbols are used for the parts with the same shapes, and the description is omitted.

[0068] In the male terminal 11 according to the second example, the tab portion 30 has, in addition to the V-shaped groove portion 34, a hole portion 36 with which the protrusion 65 engages when the insertion of the tab portion 30 of the male terminal 11 into the box portion 51 of the female terminal 21 is completed. The shape of the hole portion 36 is semispherical. The hole portion 36 is also located at the middle position of the width direction dimension of the tab portion 30 on the side of the first main plane 30a. Note that when the second example is adopted, the V-shaped groove portion 34 does not necessarily have to be present.

[0069] In the lance 62 according to the second example, the lance beak 62c has a hemispherical protrusion 66 instead of the triangular prism-shaped protrusion 65. The protrusion 66 also protrudes toward the tab portion 30 inserted into the box portion 51, and is located at the midpoint between the width direction dimension of the lance 62 and the width direction dimension of the lance beak 62c. The diameter of the protrusion 66 is equal to the diameter of the hole portion 36 with which the protrusion 66 engages.

[0070] Thus, in the connector connection structure 1, the projection 66 may be semispherical. The projection locking portion may be the hole portion 36 that is semispherical.

[0071] According to this connector connection structure 1, as in the first example, the shape of the protrusion 66 is made to be easy to engage with the hemispherical surface of the hole portion 36, and more simply, thereby satisfying the condition that the protrusion engagement portion engages the protrusion 66 by sandwiching it in the width direction.

[0072] Furthermore, in this connector connection structure 1, the hole 36, which is the protrusion locking portion, is considered to engage so as to sandwich the protrusion 66 not only in the width direction corresponding to the Y direction but also in any direction along the XY plane. In other words, when vibration is applied to the connector connection structure 1, sliding of the tab portion 30 is prevented in any direction along the XY plane including the front and rear along the insertion direction of the tab portion 30 as well as left and right along the width direction relative to the female housing 22. Therefore, according to this connector connection structure 1, it is possible to further prevent a decrease in the stability of contact between the male terminal 11 and the female terminal 21.

[0073] Although one embodiment has been described above, the embodiment is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1. Connector connection structure 10 Male Connector 11 Male terminal 20 female connector 21 Female terminal 22 Female housing 30 Tab section 34 V-shaped groove 36 Hole 51 Hakobe 54 Elastic contact piece 55 Lance Hall 62 Lance 62c Ransbeek 65,66 protrusion 65a Tip

Claims

1. A connector connection structure for connecting a male connector and a female connector, The male connector includes a male terminal having a tab portion, the female connector includes a female terminal having a box portion into which the tab portion is inserted, and a female housing that partially accommodates the female terminal; The box portion is a lance hole penetrating from the inside to the outside in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the tab portion; a resilient contact piece that resiliently contacts the tab portion in a direction toward the lance hole; having the female housing has a lance having a lance beak formed therein, the lance being adapted to engage with the lance hole when the insertion of the tab portion into the box portion is completed, The run beak has a projection that projects toward the tab portion inserted into the box portion, a tab portion having a protrusion locking portion that engages the protrusion so as to sandwich the protrusion at least in a width direction perpendicular to both the insertion direction and the protrusion direction when insertion of the tab portion into the box portion is completed.

2. The protrusion has a triangular prism shape in which a cross section perpendicular to the insertion direction forms a triangle with a tip in the protruding direction as a vertex, 2. The connector connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the protruding engagement portion is a V-shaped groove portion formed along an extending direction of the tab portion.

3. The protrusion is hemispherical; The connector connection structure according to claim 1 , wherein the protruding engagement portion is a semispherical hole portion.

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