Electrical connector and electrical connector assembly

Abstract

To provide an electric connector that can use common parts in a one-touch type electric connector assembly and a screw-fastening type electric connector assembly.SOLUTION: An electrical connector (70, 170) according to the present invention is mated and secured to a mating connector (10, 110), and includes a housing (80) having a mating tube (83) that engages with the mating connector (10, 110), and a base (90, 190) assembled to the housing (80) and having locking elements (97, 197) for engaging with the mating connector (10, 110).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector that is compatible with two different locking methods. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, a header connector for supplying external power to a motor such as a servo motor is installed, and a receptacle connector connected to a cable is fitted into this header connector and locked to prevent it from coming loose, thereby forming an electrical connector assembly that supplies power to the motor. There are two typical means for locking the receptacle connector and the header connector together: a one-touch type and a screw-tight type. One example of a one-touch type connector is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The connector assembly disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a locking system that engages locking members provided on both sides of the receptacle connector in the width direction with elastic locking members provided on both sides of the header connector in the width direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-48654 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Currently, one-touch electrical connectors are the mainstream, but there is also demand for screw-type electrical connectors. One-touch and screw-type electrical connectors have different locking methods, so separate parts must be prepared for each type. However, apart from the locking method, the functions of the electrical connector are the same for both types. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector that can use standardized components even when different locking methods are used, such as a one-touch type or a screw-tight type. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention is an electrical connector that is mated and fixed to a mating connector, a housing having a fitting tube for fitting with a mating connector; The housing can be assembled with any of a plurality of bases having locking elements for securing the housing to a mating connector; In an assembly in which a housing and a base are assembled, The fitting tube penetrates the front and back of the base and protrudes from the base. The locking element can be selected from a plurality of locking methods that correspond to the fixing method of the mating connector.

[0006] When the electrical connector is fixed to the mating connector with a one-touch mechanism, The locking element may be a locking piece that engages with the mating connector.

[0007] When the electrical connector is fastened to the mating connector by a screw fastening method, The locking element may be a threaded hole that mates with a locking screw provided on the mating connector.

[0008] The seal member fitted to the fitting cylinder is It is preferable to provide at least two sealing projections in the mating direction.

[0009] The housing is a housing base supporting the base; a fitting tube protruding from the housing base, The base is a base on which the housing base is placed; It is preferable that the base portion further includes a fitting cylinder space that penetrates the front and back of the base portion and in which the fitting cylinder is disposed.

[0010] An electrical connector assembly is provided in which a first connector and a second connector are mated and secured together. Any of the above electrical connectors can be used as the second connector of this assembly. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the electrical connector is divided into a housing having a fitting tube for mating with a mating connector, and a base having a locking element attached to the housing for fixing the mating connector. Of these, the housing having the fitting tube does not need to be related to the locking system, so it can be used in common regardless of the type of locking system, such as a one-touch type or a screw-tight type. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a one-touch receptacle connector according to an embodiment, and FIGS. 1B and 1C are exploded perspective views thereof. [Figure 2] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a one-touch header connector according to an embodiment, and FIGS. 1B, 1C, and 1D are exploded perspective views thereof. [Figure 3] The figure shows an assembly of a one-touch receptacle connector and a header connector, where (a) is a right side view, (b) is a plan view, (c) is a left side view, and (d) is a bottom view. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B show an assembly of a one-touch receptacle connector and a header connector, where FIG. 1A is a rear view and FIG. 1B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view. [Figure 5] 1A is a perspective view of a screw-type receptacle connector according to an embodiment, and FIGS. 1B and 1C are exploded perspective views thereof. [Figure 6] 1A is a perspective view of a screw-type header connector according to an embodiment, and FIGS. 1B, 1C, and 1D are exploded perspective views thereof. [Figure 7]The assembly of a screw-type receptacle connector and a header connector is shown, with (a) being a right side view, (b) being a plan view, (c) being a left side view, and (d) being a bottom view. [Figure 8] 1A and 1B show an assembly of a screw-type receptacle connector and a header connector, where FIG. 1A is a rear view and FIG. 1B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the standardization of parts in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment includes a one-touch type first connector assembly 1 (FIGS. 3 and 4) and a screw-fastened type second connector assembly 2 (FIGS. 7 and 8), both of which are assemblies formed by mating a header connector with a receptacle connector. Specifically, the first connector assembly 1 is formed by mating a receptacle connector 10 with a header connector 70, and the second connector assembly 2 is formed by mating a receptacle connector 110 with a header connector 170.

[0014] Some parts are shared between the first connector assembly 1 and the second connector assembly 2. In particular, for each of the header connectors 70 (FIG. 2) and 170 (FIG. 6), the structure is divided into parts that can be shared and parts that cannot be shared, regardless of whether they are one-touch or screw-fastened. That is, the parts related to the mating of the receptacle connector 10 and the header connector 70 and the parts related to the mating of the receptacle connector 110 and the header connector 170 are shared components. The parts related to the mutual fixation, or locking, of the receptacle connector 10 and the header connector 70 are separate components from the parts related to the mutual locking of the receptacle connector 110 and the header connector 170. That is, each of the header connectors 70 and 170 is divided into two parts corresponding to the two functions of mating and locking, and the parts that perform the mating function are shared.

[0015] Below, the one-touch type connector assembly 1 and the screw-fastening type connector assembly 2 will be described in that order, and then the commonality of components will be mentioned.

[0016] [First connector assembly 1: see Figures 1 to 4] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the first connector assembly 1 comprises a receptacle connector 10 that terminates a cable (not shown), and a header connector 70 that is mated and locked with the receptacle connector 10.

[0017] [Receptacle connector 10: see Figure 1 and Figure 4(b)] The receptacle connector 10 includes a connector housing 20 and a pair of locking members 50 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the connector housing 20 includes a contact housing 30 and a base housing 40 that accommodates the contact housing 30.

[0018] [Contact housing 30: see Figure 1 and Figure 4(b)] The contact housing 30 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes, for example, two rows of contact accommodating chambers 31. The contact housing 30 is formed as a single member by, for example, injection molding a resin material. The base housing 40 is also formed in the same manner. A receptacle contact 25 is locked in each contact accommodating chamber 31 of the contact housing 30 by, for example, a housing lance (not shown). The receptacle contacts 25 are connected to respective electric wires (not shown) included in the cable. Each receptacle contact 25 is formed by stamping and forming a conductive metal plate. Note that only three receptacle contacts 25 are shown here as an example.

[0019] [Base housing 40: see Figures 1, 3, and 4] The base housing 40 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the mating direction indicated by arrow M, the left-right direction indicated by arrow X perpendicular to the mating direction, and the front-rear direction indicated by arrow Y perpendicular to the mating direction and the left-right direction. The base housing 40 has a top surface 40A, a bottom surface 40B, a front surface 40C, a rear surface 40D, a right side surface 40E, and a left side surface 40F. A space for accommodating the contact housing is formed in the base housing 40. This accommodating space opens downward in the fitting direction M of the base housing 40 and extends upward in the fitting direction M of the base housing 40. A pair of locking members 50 are attached to the base housing 40 .

[0020] A cable opening 42 for introducing a cable (not shown) is formed on the front 40C side of the base housing 40. A cable insertion tube 43 is formed to surround the cable opening 42 and protrude forward. A thread 44 is formed on the outer periphery of the cable insertion tube 43. A small-diameter portion 46A of a cylindrical waterproof rubber 46, which has a large-diameter portion and a small-diameter portion, is inserted into the inner periphery of the cable insertion tube 43. The thread 44 on the outer periphery of the cable insertion tube 43 is adapted to engage with a thread formed on the inner periphery of a waterproof rubber fastening nut 45. To install a cable, the tip of the cable is inserted into the cable opening 42 through the inner through-hole 46B of the waterproof rubber 46 (not shown). Then, as the waterproof rubber fastening member 45 engages with the cable insertion tube 43, the waterproof rubber 46 tightens the cable from the outer periphery of the cable. This creates a seal between the waterproof rubber 46 and the cable.

[0021] [Lock member 50: see Figures 1, 3, and 4] The pair of locking members 50 are installed on both outer ends of the base housing 40 in the left-right direction X. Each locking member 50 includes a locking piece 53 extending from the right side surface 40E or the left side surface 40F toward the rear surface 40D, and a locking piece 55 extending from the right side surface 40E or the left side surface 40F toward the top surface 40A. The locking piece 53 is fixed to the base housing 40 at the rear surface 40D, and the locking piece 55 is fixed to the base housing 40 at the top surface 40A, thereby attaching the locking member 50 to the base housing 40. A locking hole 51 penetrating from the front to the back is formed at the connection between the locking piece 53 and the locking piece 55, and the locking protrusion 99 of the header base 90 is inserted into this locking hole 51, thereby locking the receptacle connector 10 and the header connector 70 to each other.

[0022] [Header connector 70: see Figures 2, 3, and 4] The header connector 70 includes a header housing 80 that holds a plurality of header contacts (not shown), and a header base 90 that is supported by the header housing 80. Of these, the header housing 80 is shared with the second connector assembly 2.

[0023] [Header housing 80] The header housing 80 includes a housing base 81 that is rectangular in plan view and supports the header base 90, a fitting tube 83 that protrudes from the front surface of the housing base 81, and elastic locking portions 85 that are provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction (L) of the housing base 81. In the header connector 80, the housing base 81, the fitting tube 83, and the elastic locking portions 85 are formed as a single member by, for example, injection molding a resin material.

[0024] The fitting tube 83 has a rectangular cylindrical shape, and the contact housing 30 of the receptacle connector 10 is housed inside the fitting tube 83, as shown in FIG. 4(b).

[0025] The elastic locking portion 85 includes a support body 86 extending from both sides of the housing base 81 in the longitudinal direction (L), an elastic arm 87 rising from the support body 86, and a locking protrusion 88 protruding from the elastic arm 87 toward the mating tube 83. When the header housing 80 and the header base 90 are assembled, the elastic arms 87 of each elastic locking portion 85 are engaged with the locking claws 96 of the header base 90, thereby locking the header housing 80 and the header base 90 together.

[0026] An annular sealing groove 84 is formed on the outer periphery of the fitting tube 83. An annular rubber seal 89 is disposed in this annular sealing groove 84 to seal between the fitting tube 83 and the base housing 40. While FIG. 2 depicts a seal 89 having one sealing protrusion on the outer periphery, it is preferable to use a seal 89 having two sealing protrusions 89, as shown in FIG. 4(b), in order to obtain high waterproof performance. In this example, the sealing protrusion, which is a sealing element, is doubled in the fitting direction M. Although the two sealing protrusions 89 are not shown, an annular seal can also be disposed on the underside of the housing base 81. Only one (single) sealing protrusion 89 may be provided, or three or more sealing protrusions 89 may be provided.

[0027] [Header base 90] Next, the header base 90 will be described. The header base 90 includes a base base 91, a fitting cylinder space 93 through which the fitting cylinder 83 is disposed, and screw through holes 95 formed in each of the four corners of the base base 91. The base base 91 includes a locking claw 96 for locking the header housing 80 and a locking portion 97 for locking the base housing 40 of the receptacle connector 10 to each other. The locking claw 96 engages with the locking protrusion 88 of the header housing 80. The locking portion 97 includes a support 98 that rises from the base base 91 and a locking protrusion 99 that protrudes from the upper end of the support 98 toward the fitting cylinder 83. The locking protrusion 99 is inserted into a locking hole 51 of a locking member 50 provided in the base housing 40 to lock the receptacle connector 10 and the header connector 70 to each other. The header base 90 is formed as a single member by die-casting an aluminum alloy, for example. The same applies to the header base 190, which will be described later. When the header base 90 is made of a metal material, it is not limited to die-casting, but can also be made by other metal processing methods such as machining (cutting) or additive manufacturing. Furthermore, the header base 90 is not limited to a metal material, but can also be made of a material such as a resin material that has the strength to maintain the shape of the header base 90. When the header base 90 is made of a resin material, it can be made by injection molding.

[0028] The header base 90 is fixed to the housing of a motor (not shown) with the receptacle connector 10, which is to be mated with the header housing 80, placed on the header housing 80. This fixation is achieved by fastening screws through the four screw through holes 95 and into the motor housing. At this time, the receptacle connector 10 is mated with the header connector 70 between the base housing 40 and the header housing 80, the receptacle connector 10 is locked to the header connector 70 between the base housing 40 and the header base 90, and the first connector assembly 1 is fixed to the motor via the header base 90. In other words, in the connector assembly 1, the header housing 80 has the function of mating with the receptacle connector 10, and the header base 90 has the function of fixing to the motor, so that the header connector 70 is divided into two parts, the header housing 80 and the header base 90, according to their functions.

[0029] [Second connector assembly 2: see Figures 5 to 8] 5 and 6, the second connector assembly 2 includes a receptacle connector 110 that terminates a cable (not shown), and a header connector 170 that mates with and locks to the receptacle connector 110. The following description will focus on the differences from the first connector assembly 1, and elements that are the same as those in the first connector assembly 1 will be given the same reference numerals as those in the first connector assembly 1, and their description may be omitted.

[0030] [Receptacle connector 110: see Figures 5 and 8(b)] The receptacle connector 110 includes a contact housing 30 and a base housing 140 that accommodates the contact housing 30. Note that the contact housing 30 has the same configuration as the contact housing 30 in the first connector assembly 1, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0031] [Base housing 140: see Figures 5, 7, and 8] The base housing 140 is provided with screw holders 141 on both the right side surface 40E and the left side surface 40F. The screw holders 141 hold fixing screws 143 so that they extend in the fitting direction M and pass through the screw holder 141. The fixing screws 143 have heads exposed at the upper end of the screw holder 141 and the tips of the shanks exposed at the lower end of the screw holder 141. The shanks exposed from the screw holder 141 are engaged with screw holes 197 in the header base 190, which will be described later. The base housing 140 is provided with a cable opening 42, a cable insertion tube 43, a waterproof rubber fastening nut 44, and a waterproof rubber 46, similar to the base housing 4.

[0032] [Header connector 170: see Figure 6] The header connector 170 includes a header housing 80 that holds a plurality of header contacts (not shown), and a header base 190 that is supported by the header housing 80. Of these, the header housing 80 is common to the first connector assembly 1. Note that the header housing 80 has the same configuration as the header housing 80 in the first connector assembly 1, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0033] [Header Base 190: See Figures 6, 7, and 8] The header base 190 includes a base base 191, a fitting cylinder space 193 through which the fitting cylinder 83 is disposed, screw through holes 195 formed in each of the four corners of the base base 191, and a pair of locking claws 198 on both sides in the longitudinal direction L of the base base 191 for locking the header base 190 with the header housing 80. In addition, two screw holes 197 for fixing the base housing 140 with fixing screws 143 are formed on both sides in the longitudinal direction L, sandwiching the fitting cylinder space 193 therebetween.

[0034] The header base 190 is fixed to the housing of a motor (not shown) with the receptacle connector 110, which is to be mated with the header housing 80, placed on the header housing 80. This fixation is achieved by fastening screws through the four screw through holes 195 and into the motor housing. At this time, the mating of the receptacle connector 110 with the header connector 170 is achieved between the base housing 140 and the header housing 80, the locking of the receptacle connector 110 with the header connector 170 is achieved between the base housing 140 and the header base 190, and the fixing of the second connector assembly 2 to the motor is achieved via the header base 190. In other words, the second connector assembly 2 divides the header connector 170 into two parts, the header housing 80 and the header base 190, according to their functions, with the header housing 80 having the function of mating with the receptacle connector 110 and the header base 190 having the function of fixing to the motor.

[0035] [Standardization of header housing 80: see Figure 9] As described above, header housing 80 is used in common for header connector 70 of first connector assembly 1 and header connector 170 of second connector assembly 2. In other words, header connector 70 is formed by assembling seal 89, header housing 80, and header base 90, and header connector 170 is formed by assembling seal 89, header housing 80, and header base 190.

[0036] [Effects of this embodiment] As described above, according to this embodiment, the header connectors 70, 170 are divided into the header housing 80 involved in fitting with the base housings 40, 140 of the receptacle connectors 10, 110, and the header bases 90, 190 involved in fixing the receptacle connectors 10, 110 to the base housings 40, 140. Because the base housing 40 and the base housing 140 have different locking methods, one is a one-touch type and the other is a screw-tight type, it is not possible to share the structure of the header base 90 and the header base 190. On the other hand, the header housing 80 is a part involved in the fitting of the base housing 40 and the base housing 140, so the structure can be shared. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to select either the one-touch type first connector assembly 1 or the screw-fastened type second connector assembly 2 depending on the intended use of the specifications, while also standardizing the header housing 80. By standardizing the header housing 80, the connector housing 20 that fits into the fitting tube 83 of the header housing 80 and the seal 89 that is attached to the fitting tube 83 can also be standardized between the first connector assembly 1 and the second connector assembly 2.

[0037] Furthermore, when using a one-touch type header base 90 or a screw-tightened type header base 190, by applying a common header housing 80 to both, waterproofing and mating between the receptacle connector 10 or the receptacle connector 110 can be ensured.

[0038] Furthermore, the seal 89 according to this embodiment has a double seal projection, which is a sealing element, in the fitting direction M. This not only improves waterproofing, but also makes it possible to prevent loosening of the seal portion by utilizing the repulsive force of the rubber.

[0039] In addition to the above, the configurations given in the above embodiments can be selected or changed as appropriate to other configurations without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In the first connector assembly 1 and the second connector assembly 2, the direction in which the cables of the receptacle connectors 10 and 110 are drawn out can be perpendicular to the header bases 90 and 190. In addition, although the embodiments have shown one-touch and screw-fastening locking methods as specific examples of locking methods, the present invention can also be applied to other locking methods, such as slide, push, pull, and double-touch locking methods. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1. First connector assembly 2 Second connector assembly 10 Receptacle Connector 20 Connector housing 25 Receptacle Contact 30 Contactor housing 31 Contact Containment Room 40 Base Housing 40A top surface 40B Bottom 40C front 40D rear 40E right side 40F left side 42 Cable opening 43 Cable insertion tube 45 Waterproof rubber tightening nut 46 Waterproof rubber 50 Locking member 51 Lock hole 53 Lock piece 55 Lock piece 70 Header Connector 80 Header Housing 81 Housing base 83 Fitting tube 84 Annular groove for rubber seal 85 Elastic locking part 86 Support 87 Elastic Arm 88 Locking protrusion 89 Seal 90 Header Base 91 Base base 93 Mating cylinder space 95 screw through holes 110 Receptacle Connector 140 Base Housing 141 Screw holder 143 Fixing screw 170 Header Connector 190 Header Base 191 Base 193 Mating Space 195 screw through hole 197 screw holes 198 Locking Claw

Claims

1. An electrical connector that is mated and fixed to a mating connector, a housing having a fitting tube for fitting with the mating connector; The housing can be assembled with any of a plurality of bases having locking elements for fixing the housing to the mating connector; In the assembly in which the housing and the base are assembled, The fitting tube penetrates the front and back of the base and protrudes from the base, The locking element is an electrical connector in which a locking method corresponding to a fixing method of a mating connector can be selected from a plurality of locking methods.

2. When the electrical connector is fixed to the mating connector by a one-touch method, 2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking element is a locking piece that engages with the mating connector.

3. When the electrical connector is fixed to the mating connector by a screw fastening method, 2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking element is a screw hole that is engaged with a fixing screw provided in the mating connector.

4. The sealing member fitted to the fitting cylinder is One or more sealing protrusions are provided in the direction of the engagement.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1.

5. The housing includes: a housing base supporting the base; the fitting tube protruding from the housing base, The base is a base on which the housing base is placed; a fitting cylinder space that penetrates the front and back of the base portion and in which the fitting cylinder is disposed, 2. The electrical connector of claim 1.

6. An electrical connector assembly in which a first connector and a second connector are fitted and fixed to each other, The second connector is the electrical connector of claim 1. An electrical connector assembly (1, 2).

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