Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector 1 capable of smoothly performing an assembling process of an outer housing side 10A and an inner housing side 10B.SOLUTION: The connector 1 includes terminals 50, an inner housing side 10B having terminal-receiving chambers 14 for receiving the terminals 50, and a tubular outer housing side 10B covering the inner housing side 10A. The inner housing side 10B has a first locking projection 93 and a second locking projection 94 provided side by side in an intersecting direction intersecting the fitting direction of the mating connector 2. The outer housing side 10A has a first locking hole 91 and a second locking hole 92 to be locked to the first locking projection 93 and the second locking projection 94. The first locking projection 91 is provided with the inclined surface 97 in which the projection height h2 decreases as the distance from the second locking projection 92 increases, and the second locking projection 92 is provided with the inclined surface 97 in which the projection height h4 decreases as the distance from the first locking projection 91 increases.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, connectors have been widely known in which the housing is composed of an inner housing having terminal accommodating chambers for accommodating terminals, and a cylindrical outer housing that covers the inner housing (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-194633 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] 13 shows an outline of a connector 100 in which a housing 101 is formed by an inner housing 102 and an outer housing 103. The inner housing 102 has a large number of terminal accommodating chambers (not shown), and is provided with a plurality of locking protrusions 104, 104 on its outer surface. Each locking protrusion 104, 104 is generally triangular prism-shaped. Each locking protrusion 104, 104 is oriented so that a guide surface 106 continuing from a ridge line 105 parallel to the outer surface 102A of the inner housing 102 faces the outer housing 103, and is arranged along the width direction intersecting with the insertion direction.

[0005] The outer housing 103 is cylindrical and covers the inner housing 102, and is provided with a plurality of locking holes 107, 107 into which the locking protrusions 104, 104 can engage. These locking holes 107, 107 are provided so that the inner surface 103A and the outer surface 103B of the outer housing 103 are in communication. The inner housing 102 is inserted from the edge of the opening of the outer housing 103, and the locking protrusions 104, 104 and the locking holes 107, 107 engage with each other, thereby fixing the inner housing 102 and the outer housing 103 to each other.

[0006] In such a connector 100, when the inner housing 102 is inserted from the edge of the opening of the outer housing 103, the locking projections 104, 104 come into strong contact with the inner surface 103A of the outer housing 103, as shown in Fig. 14. As a result, the outer housing 103 is deformed so as to be curved archingly, and when the locking projections 104, 104 of the inner housing 102 are locked into the locking holes 107, 107 of the outer housing 103, the outer housing 103 returns to its initial shape.

[0007] However, in the conventional structure, the ridge 105 of each locking projection 104, 104 is parallel to the outer surface 102A of the inner housing 102, so it is necessary to deform the outer housing 103 to an extent that the corners of each locking projection 104, 104 on the far side can be inserted into the outer housing 103. For this reason, in the conventional structure, it is difficult to insert the inner housing 102 into the outer housing 103, making the assembly process complicated.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector in which the process of assembling the outer housing and the inner housing can be carried out smoothly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the connector according to the present invention has the following features. The terminal and an inner housing having a terminal accommodating chamber for accommodating the terminal; a cylindrical outer housing that covers the inner housing, The inner housing has a first locking projection and a second locking projection arranged side by side in a direction intersecting a mating direction of the mating connector, the outer housing has a first locking hole and a second locking hole that are locked with the first locking projection and the second locking projection, The first locking projection has an inclined surface at an end portion away from the second locking projection, the height of the first locking projection decreasing with increasing distance from the second locking projection, The second locking projection has an inclined surface at an end portion away from the first locking projection, the height of the second locking projection decreasing with increasing distance from the first locking projection. It is a connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The connector according to the present invention has the advantage that the process of assembling the outer housing and the inner housing can be carried out smoothly.

[0011] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the following detailed description of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a spring provided between an inner housing and an outer housing. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the locking arm, the first locking projection, and the second locking projection. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view seen from a different angle than FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] Figure 6(a) is a schematic diagram showing the assembly process of the inner housing and the outer housing, Figure 6(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line bb in Figure 6(a), and Figure 6(c) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line cc in Figure 6(a). [Figure 7] Figure 7(a) is a schematic diagram showing the assembly process of the inner housing and the outer housing, Figure 7(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line bb in Figure 7(a), and Figure 7(c) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line cc in Figure 7(a). [Figure 8] FIG. 8(a) is a schematic diagram showing the process of assembling the inner housing and the outer housing, and FIG. 8(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line bb in FIG. 8(a). [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a front view showing the inner housing and the outer housing being assembled together. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11(a) is a schematic diagram showing the effect of the present invention, and FIG. 11(b) is a schematic diagram showing a comparative example. [Figure 12] FIG. 12(a) is a perspective view showing a modified example of the first locking projection, FIG. 12(b) is a side view of FIG. 12(a), and FIG. 12(c) is a plan view of FIG. 12(a). [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional connector. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the problems with conventional connectors. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] <Embodiment> A connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, a housing 10 of the connector 1 is adapted to mate with a mating housing 70 of a mating connector 2. When the connector 1 (housing 10) and the mating connector 2 (mating housing 70) are mated, terminals 50 (female terminals) accommodated in the housing 10 are electrically connected to mating terminals (male terminals) 80 accommodated in the mating housing 70, thereby electrically connecting wires 51 connected to the terminals 50 to wires (not shown) connected to the mating terminals 80. The mating of the connector 1 and the mating connector 2 is secured by mutual engagement between a locking arm 90 provided at the center of the width of the surface of the housing 10 and a claw 71 provided on the surface of the mating housing 70.

[0014] For ease of explanation, the following definitions are used for the "mating direction," "width direction," "vertical direction," "upper," and "lower" as shown in Figure 1. The "mating direction," "width direction," and "vertical direction" are perpendicular to one another. The mating direction coincides with the mating direction between connector 1 and mating connector 2. With respect to connector 1, the front side in the mating direction where mating connector 2 is mated is referred to as the "front" side, and the opposite rear side in the mating direction is referred to as the "rear" side.

[0015] First, we will explain the housing 10. As shown in Fig. 1, the housing 10 is composed of a resin outer housing 10A, a resin inner housing 10B, and a plurality of (four in this example) metal springs 60. Assembly of the housing 10 is completed by clamping (compressing) the spring 60 in the fitting direction between a spring holding portion 63 on the outer housing 10A side and a spring holding portion 64 on the inner housing 10B side, thereby countering the elastic force of the spring 60 (see Fig. 2), and then engaging the first locking protrusion 93 and the second locking protrusion 94 of the inner housing 10B with the first locking hole 91 and the second locking hole 92 of the outer housing 10A, respectively.

[0016] 3 and 4, the first locking projection 93 and the second locking projection 94 are arranged in the width direction (the direction intersecting the mating direction of the mating connector) with the locking arm 90 sandwiched between them. The first locking projection 93 includes a guide surface 95 facing the outer housing 10A, a sliding surface 96 provided along the ridge of the guide surface 95 and substantially parallel to the surface of the inner housing 10B, and an inclined surface 97 adjacent to the guide surface 95 and the sliding surface 96 and provided toward the end portion away from the second locking projection 94. The inclined surface 97 has a trapezoidal shape that gradually widens from the sliding surface 96, and is provided so that the projection height decreases with increasing distance from the second locking projection 94. Therefore, the projection height h2 of the end face of the first locking projection 93 facing closer to the second locking projection 94 is smaller than the projection height h1 of the end face facing closer to the second locking projection 94.

[0017] Like the first locking projection 93, the second locking projection 94 has a guide surface 95 and a sliding surface 96, and is provided with an inclined surface 97 provided toward the end portion away from the first locking projection 93. The second locking projection 94 is provided so that the protrusion height of the inclined surface 98 decreases with increasing distance from the second locking projection 94. Therefore, the protrusion height dimension h4 of the end portion away from the first locking projection 93 is smaller than the protrusion height dimension h3 of the end portion closer to the first locking projection 93. The first locking projection 93 and the second locking projection 94 are plane-symmetrical at positions symmetrical to each other across the locking arm 90, and are generally rectangular in plan view. The first locking hole 91 and the second locking hole 92 are rectangular in plan view corresponding to the shapes of the first locking projection 93 and the second locking projection 94, and are through-holes that communicate between the inner and outer surfaces of the outer housing 10A.

[0018] In other words, the maximum height of the first and second locking projections 93 and 94, measured from the surface of the inner housing 10B, decreases continuously or in stages as they move away from each other.

[0019] 5, the housing 10 includes a terminal accommodating portion 11 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and formed by an inner housing 10B, and an outer cylindrical portion 13 having a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape and formed by an outer housing 10A, which covers the outer periphery of the terminal accommodating portion 11 via an annular gap 12 that opens to the front side. The annular gap 12 functions as a space into which the front holder 30 is inserted when the front holder 30 is attached.

[0020] Terminal accommodating chambers 14 for accommodating terminals 50 (see FIG. 1) are formed in the terminal accommodating portion 11 so as to extend in the fitting direction. In this example, a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 14 are arranged in two rows, upper and lower, so as to be aligned in the width direction. Specifically, five terminal accommodating chambers 14 are arranged in the lower row so as to be aligned in the width direction in the central region of the terminal accommodating portion 11 excluding both end portions in the width direction, and nine terminal accommodating chambers 14 are arranged in the width direction across substantially the entire width direction of the terminal accommodating portion 11 in the upper row. The configuration of each component that constitutes the connector 1 has been described above.

[0021] <Assembly of the outer housing 10A and the inner housing 10B> Next, the assembly of the outer housing 10A and the inner housing 10B will be described. First, as shown in Fig. 6(a), the outer housing 10A and the inner housing 10B are arranged along the assembly direction (fitting direction). At this time, the outer housing 10A is in its initial shape as shown in Fig. 6(b).

[0022] Next, as shown in FIG. 7(a), when the inner housing 10B is inserted into the opening edge of the outer housing 10A, the guide surfaces 95 of the first locking projections 93 and the second locking projections 94 begin to deform, causing the outer housing 10A to be pulled up from the opening edge. Also, as shown in FIG. 7(c), the inclined surfaces 97 of the first locking projections 93 and the second locking projections 94 come into sliding contact with the inner surface of the outer housing 10A. This state is indicated by the two-dot chain lines in FIGS. 9 and 10. Also, as shown in FIG. 7(b), because the deformation of the outer housing 10A is due to the inclined surfaces 97, there is only slight deformation at the locations where the first locking holes 91 and the second locking holes 92 are located.

[0023] Then, as shown in Figures 8(a) and 8(b), the first locking protrusion 93 and the second locking protrusion 94 are locked into the first locking hole 91 and the second locking hole 92, respectively, thereby completing the assembly process of the outer housing 10A and the inner housing 10B.

[0024] <Actions and Effects> As described above, according to the connector 1 of the embodiment of the present invention, the first locking projection 93 is provided with an inclined surface 97 at its end remote from the second locking projection 94, such that the projection height h2 decreases with increasing distance from the second locking projection 94. The second locking projection 94 is provided with an inclined surface 97 at its end remote from the first locking projection 93, such that the projection height h4 decreases with increasing distance from the first locking projection 93. Therefore, when assembling the outer housing 10A and the inner housing 10B, the amount of deformation of the outer housing 10A required until the first locking projection 93 and the second locking projection 94 are locked into the first locking hole 91 and the second locking hole 92, respectively, is smaller than when the inclined surface 97 is not provided on the first locking projection 93 and the second locking projection 94.

[0025] Therefore, according to the connector 1 of the embodiment of the present invention, when assembling the outer housing 10A and the inner housing 10B, it is easy to insert the entire first locking protrusion 93 and the entire second locking protrusion 94 into the inside of the outer housing 10A, and the assembly process of the outer housing 10A and the inner housing 10B can be carried out smoothly.

[0026] Furthermore, according to the connector 1 of the embodiment of the present invention, the inner housing 10A has a locking arm 94 that locks with the mating connector 2, and the locking arm 90 is provided between the first locking projection 93 and the second locking projection 94. That is, according to the connector 1, the locking arm 90 is provided in the widthwise center portion of the surface of the inner housing 10A, and the first locking projection 93 and the second locking projection 94 are arranged near both widthwise ends that sandwich the locking arm 90. Therefore, although the widthwise ends of the inner housing 10A are structurally difficult to deform, when the outer housing 10A and the inner housing 10B are assembled together, the inclined surfaces 97 of the first locking projection 93 and the second locking projection 94 make it easy to insert the entire first locking projection 93 and the entire second locking projection 94 into the inside of the outer housing 10A, which also facilitates the assembly process.

[0027] Furthermore, the connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a spring 60 provided between the inner housing 10A and the outer housing 10B. After the outer housing 10A and the inner housing 10B are assembled, the connector 1 must maintain the first locking protrusions 93 and the second locking protrusions 94 locked in the first locking holes 91 and the second locking holes 92 against the elastic force of the springs 60. Therefore, in order to ensure the locking strength of the first locking protrusions 93 and the second locking protrusions 94 in the first locking holes 91 and the second locking holes 92, the connector 1 must increase the widthwise dimensions of the first locking protrusions 93 and the second locking protrusions 94. In other words, the widthwise end positions of the first locking protrusions 93 and the second locking protrusions 94 overlap with positions on the outer housing 10A that are less likely to deform, thereby significantly enhancing the effect of the inclined surfaces 97 of the first locking protrusions 93 and the second locking protrusions 94.

[0028] FIG. 11 shows a comparison of the above effects between this embodiment and a comparative example. FIG. 11(a) is a schematic diagram of a connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11(b) shows a connector 100 having a conventional structure (see also FIG. 12). As shown in FIG. 11(a), in the connector 1 of this embodiment, during the process of assembling the outer housing 10A and the inner housing 10B, the inclined surfaces 97 of the first locking projection 93 and the second locking projection 94 cause the outer housing 10A to deform from its initial shape to a deformation dimension D1. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11(b), in the connector 100 of the conventional structure, during the process of assembling the outer housing 103 and the inner housing 102, the outer housing 102 deforms from its initial shape to a deformation dimension D2. The deformation dimension D1 in the connector 1 of this embodiment is smaller than the deformation dimension D2 in the connector 100 of the conventional structure, demonstrating the benefits of the structure of this embodiment.

[0029] <Other forms> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, etc. are possible as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary and not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

[0030] In the above embodiment, the inclined surfaces 97 of the first and second locking projections 93 and 94 are trapezoidal and gradually widen from the sliding contact surface 96. However, as shown in Figures 11(a), 11(b), and 11(c), a first locking projection 93A having a band-shaped inclined surface 97A is also included in the present invention. While the first locking projection 93 in the above embodiment has a shape as if an existing locking projection has been partially chamfered, the first locking projection 93A has a shape as if one end side has been obliquely recessed from the center in the width direction, and has a guide surface 95B adjacent to the guide surface 95A. The end surfaces of this first locking projection 93A have similar shapes.

[0031] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the inclined surface 97 is in surface contact with the inner surface of the outer housing 10A, but the boundary line between the guide surface 96 and the inclined surface 97, or the boundary line between the inclined surface 97 and the end faces of the first locking protrusion 93 and the second locking protrusion 94, may be in line contact with the inner surface of the outer housing 10A.

[0032] Here, the features of the above-described embodiments of the connector according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [3].

[0033] [1] A terminal (50), an inner housing (10B) having a terminal accommodating chamber (14) for accommodating the terminal (50); a cylindrical outer housing (10A) that covers the inner housing (10B), The inner housing (10B) has a first locking projection (93) and a second locking projection (94) arranged side by side in a direction intersecting the mating direction of the mating connector (2), The outer housing (10A) has a first locking hole (91) and a second locking hole (92) that are locked with the first locking projection (93) and the second locking projection (94), The first locking projection (91) is provided with an inclined surface (97) at an end portion away from the second locking projection (92), the inclined surface (97) having a projection height (h2) that decreases with increasing distance from the second locking projection (92), The second locking projection (92) has an inclined surface (97) at an end portion away from the first locking projection (91), the inclined surface (97) having a projection height (h4) that decreases with increasing distance from the first locking projection (91). Connector(1).

[0034] According to the connector (1) having the configuration [1] above, the first locking projection (93) and the second locking projection (94) are each provided with an inclined surface (97), making it easy to insert the entire first locking projection (93) and the entire second locking projection (94) into the inside of the outer housing (10A), and the assembly process of the outer housing (10A) and the inner housing (10B) can be carried out smoothly.

[0035] [2] In the connector (1) described in [1] above, The inner housing (10B) has a locking arm (90) that locks with the mating connector (2), The locking arm (90) is provided between the first locking projection (93) and the second locking projection (94). Connector(1).

[0036] According to the connector (1) having the configuration [2] above, the inclined surfaces 97 of the first locking protrusion 93 and the second locking protrusion 94 make it easy to insert the entire first locking protrusion 93 and the entire second locking protrusion 94 into the inside of the outer housing 10A, which also makes the assembly process smooth.

[0037] [3] In the connector (1) described in [1] above, A spring (60) is provided between the inner housing (10B) and the outer housing (10A). Connector(1).

[0038] According to the connector (1) having the configuration (3) above, even when it is necessary to increase the widthwise dimensions of the first locking projection 93 and the second locking projection 94, it is easy to insert the entire first locking projection 93 and the entire second locking projection 94 into the inside of the outer housing 10A, which also makes it possible to carry out the assembly process smoothly. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1 connector 10A outer housing 10B inner housing 14 Terminal housing 50 terminals 60 Spring 90 Locking arm 91 First locking hole 92 Second locking hole 93 1st locking protrusion 94 Second locking protrusion 97 Slope h1 Protrusion height dimension h2 Protrusion height dimension h3 Protrusion height dimension h4 Protrusion height dimension

Claims

1. The terminal and an inner housing having a terminal accommodating chamber for accommodating the terminal; a cylindrical outer housing that covers the inner housing, The inner housing has a first locking projection and a second locking projection arranged side by side in a direction intersecting a mating direction of the mating connector, the outer housing has a first locking hole and a second locking hole that are locked with the first locking projection and the second locking projection, The first locking projection has an inclined surface at an end portion away from the second locking projection, the height of the first locking projection decreasing with increasing distance from the second locking projection, The second locking projection has an inclined surface at an end thereof away from the first locking projection, the height of the second locking projection decreasing with increasing distance from the first locking projection. connector.

2. 2. The connector according to claim 1, The inner housing has a locking arm that locks with a mating connector, The locking arm is provided between the first locking projection and the second locking projection. connector.

3. 2. The connector according to claim 1, A spring is provided between the inner housing and the outer housing. connector.

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