Pushing jig and pushing method

Abstract

To provide a push-in tool and a push-in method capable of smoothly performing a process of pushing a terminal into a housing of a connector.SOLUTION: A push-in jig 90 pushes a short terminal 20 into a connector housing 10, the short terminal 20 having a cantilever beam-like arm 25 extending in a fitting direction with a mating connector 2 and a jig contact part 26 provided at a tip of the arm 25. The pushing portion 94 is arranged on the front side of the jig contact portion 26 in the connecting direction and pushes the jig contact portion 26. The jig contact portion receiver 97 is arranged on the back surface side of the jig contact portion 26 in the connecting direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pushing jig used when pushing a terminal into a connector housing, and a pushing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, connectors have been proposed that include shorting terminals that electrically short-circuit specific terminals in order to prevent unintended current flow between those terminals (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This type of connector is used, for example, in a circuit for activating an inflator of a vehicle airbag, and is designed to prevent the inflator from malfunctioning due to static electricity or the like. [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] 7 shows a shorting terminal 200 to be pressed into the housing of a conventional connector, and a pressing jig 300 used with the shorting terminal. The shorting terminal 200 has a flat base portion 201, a pair of elastically deformable contact pieces 202 that bend upward from the front end of the base portion 201 and extend rearward, cantilevered arms 203, 203 that extend in the mating direction with a mating connector (not shown), and jig contact portions 204, 204 provided at the ends of the arms 203, 203. The arms 203 and the jig contact portion 204 are formed in a generally L-shape in a plan view from the base portion 201. The jig contact portion 204 is spaced a predetermined distance from the base portion 201, and the end opposite the arm 203 is open. The pressing jig 300 is generally rectangular parallelepiped in shape. The pushing jig 300 moves toward the connector housing with the pushing surface 301 in contact with the jig contact portions 204, 204. As a result, the shorting terminal 200 is pushed into the shorting terminal mounting space (not shown).

[0005] However, in the shorting terminal 200, the jig contact portion 204 is spaced a predetermined distance from the base portion 201. Also, the end of the shorting terminal 200 opposite the arm 203 is an open end. As shown in FIG. 8, the conventional pressing jig 300 may bend the arm 203 relative to the base portion 201 during the pressing process. For this reason, the pressing process of the shorting terminal 200 using the conventional pressing jig 300 requires careful attention to the pressing force, pressing speed, and pressing stroke, making it complicated.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pushing jig and a pushing method that enable the process of pushing a terminal into a connector housing to be carried out smoothly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the pushing jig according to the present invention has the following features. A pushing jig for pushing a terminal into a connector housing, the pushing jig having a cantilever-shaped arm extending in a mating direction with a mating connector and a jig contact portion provided at the tip of the arm, a pushing portion disposed on a front side of the jig contact portion in the fitting direction and configured to push the jig contact portion; A jig contact portion receiver arranged on the rear side of the jig contact portion in the fitting direction, It is a pushing jig.

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the pushing method according to the present invention is characterized as follows. A method for pushing a terminal into a connector housing using the pushing jig described above, comprising: mounting the terminal on the terminal mounting portion of the first component; a step of mounting the first component on the bottom of the second component and arranging the jig abutment receiver on a rear side of the jig abutment of the terminal in the fitting direction; and a step of moving the pushing jig toward the rear side in the fitting direction to push the terminals into the connector housing. It is a pushing method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The pushing jig and pushing method according to the present invention have the effect of enabling the process of pushing a terminal into a connector housing to be carried out smoothly.

[0010] 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]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector and a pushing jig according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connector shorting terminal and a pressing jig. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the shorting terminal and the pressing jig. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the shorting terminal and the pressing jig. [Figure 5] Figure 5(a) is a schematic diagram showing the state at the start of the pushing process, Figure 5(b) is a schematic diagram showing the state in which a short terminal has been mounted on the first part of the pushing jig from the state of Figure 5(a), and Figure 5(c) is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the second part has been placed in a predetermined position from the state of Figure 5(b). [Figure 6] Figure 6(a) is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the shorting terminal has been pushed into the shorting terminal mounting space by the pushing jig from the state of Figure 5(c), Figure 6(b) is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the second part of the pushing jig has been separated from the state of Figure 6(a), and Figure 6(c) is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the first part and the second part of the pushing jig have retracted from the shorting terminal mounting space from the state of Figure 6(b). [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a shorting terminal and a conventional pressing jig. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing a conventional pressing jig. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] <Embodiment> A connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described 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) housed in the housing 10 are electrically connected to mating terminals (male terminals) 80 housed in the mating housing 70, thereby electrically connecting electric wires 51 connected to the terminals 50 and electric wires (not shown) connected to the mating terminals 80.

[0013] 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 each other. 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.

[0014] 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 opposing the elastic force of the spring 60, and then engaging the locking protrusion 62 of the inner housing 10B with the locking hole 61 of the outer housing 10A.

[0015] 2, the housing 10 includes a terminal accommodating portion 11 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and formed by an inner housing 10B, and a substantially square cylindrical outer tubular portion 13 formed by an outer housing 10A that 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 with a square cylindrical rubber packing 40 interposed therebetween when the front holder 30 is attached.

[0016] 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 upper row so as to be aligned in the width direction across substantially the entire width direction of the terminal accommodating portion 11.

[0017] A pair of shorting terminal mounting spaces 17 for mounting a pair of shorting terminals 20 are formed in both widthwise outer portions of the five terminal accommodating chambers 14 in the lower row of the two upper and lower rows. Each shorting terminal mounting space 17 is vertically connected to the front region of the lance portion of a pair of terminal accommodating chambers 14 arranged adjacent to the corresponding widthwise end of the nine terminal accommodating chambers 14 in the upper row.

[0018] Next, the shorting terminal 20 will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, the metal shorting terminal 20 integrally comprises a flat base portion 21, a pair of elastically deformable contact pieces 22 that bend upward from the front end of the base portion 21 and extend rearward, a pair of cantilever-shaped arms 25 that extend in the direction of mating with the mating connector 2, and a jig contact portion 26 provided at the tip of each arm 25. The pair of contact pieces 22 are arranged side by side in the width direction. A contact point 23 that curves upward is formed at the tip (rear end) of each contact piece 22 at a position outside in the width direction.

[0019] The pair of arms 25 are arranged side by side in the width direction. The jig contact portion 26 is formed by bending the tips of the pair of arms 25 inward in the width direction. That is, the arms 25 and the jig contact portion 26 are formed in a substantially L-shape from the base portion 21. The jig contact portion 26 is spaced a predetermined distance from the base portion 21, and the end opposite the arm 25 is an open end.

[0020] The shorting terminals 20 are inserted and mounted into a pair of shorting terminal mounting spaces 17 (see FIG. 2) of the housing 10 from the front using a pushing jig 90. The state in which the shorting terminals 20 are mounted in the shorting terminal mounting spaces 17 will be described. In this state, the pair of contact points 23 come into contact with a pair of short-circuit target terminals 50 inserted into a pair of short-circuit target terminal accommodating chambers 14 located above them, thereby short-circuiting the pair of short-circuit target terminals 50 with each other. The configuration of each component that makes up the connector 1 has been described above.

[0021] Next, a description will be given of a pressing jig 90 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The pressing jig 90 includes a first part 91 and a second part 92 that can be separated from each other. The first part 91 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes a notch 93 that vertically penetrates the end on the rear side in the mating direction, a pressing part 94 that makes surface contact with the jig contact part 26 of the shorting terminal 20 on the inner surface of the notch 93, and a terminal mounting part 95 that is generally C-shaped in plan view and protrudes from the inner surface of the notch 93 for mounting the shorting terminal 20. The second part 92 includes a bottom part 96 on which the first part 91 is mounted and a jig contact part receiver 97 that stands upright from the bottom part 96.

[0022] The second component 92 has the jig contact portion receiver 97 inserted into the cutout 93 from below the first component 91. As a result, the push-in portion 94 and the jig contact portion receiver 97 face each other, and the first component 91 is mounted on the bottom portion 96. As shown in FIG. 4 , the distance g1 between the push-in portion 94 and the jig contact portion receiver 97 is slightly larger than the thickness t1 of the jig contact portion 26. Furthermore, the thickness t2 of the jig contact portion receiver 97 is set smaller than the distance g2 between the base portion 21 of the shorting terminal 20 and the jig contact portion 26.

[0023] <Step of pushing the shorting terminal 20 into the shorting terminal mounting space 17> Next, a process for pushing the shorting terminal 20 into the shorting terminal mounting space 17 provided in the housing 10 of the connector 1 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the first part 91 of the pushing jig 90 is positioned in front of the shorting terminal mounting space 17 so that the pushing part 94 faces rearward in the mating direction and faces the shorting terminal mounting space 17. Next, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the shorting terminal 20 is mounted on the terminal mounting part 95 from above the first part 91. At this time, the outer edge of the base part 21, the arms 25, and the jig contact parts 26 are supported by the terminal mounting part 95, so there is no risk of the shorting terminal 20 falling off the first part 91.

[0024] 5(c), second component 92 is raised from below first component 91, and jig contact portion receptacle 97 is inserted into notch 93, thereby positioning jig contact portion receptacle 97 on the rear side in the fitting direction of each jig contact portion 26 of shorting terminal 20. At this time, because the distance g1 between push-in portion 94 and jig contact portion receptacle 97 is slightly larger than the thickness dimension t1 of jig contact portion 26, there is no risk of damage to each jig contact portion 26 of shorting terminal 20 by push-in portion 94 or jig contact portion receptacle 97.

[0025] 6(a), the pushing jig 90, with the first part 91 and the second part 92 integrated, is moved rearward in the mating direction, and the pushing portion 94 pushes the shorting terminal 20 rearward through the jig contact portions 26, pushing the shorting terminal 20 into the shorting terminal installation space 17. At this time, the rear of each jig contact portion 26 is supported by the jig contact portion receiver 97, so there is no risk of deformation of the arms 25 or the jig contact portions 26. Furthermore, because the thickness dimension t2 of the jig contact portion receiver 97 is set smaller than the gap dimension g2 between the base portion 21 of the shorting terminal 20 and the jig contact portion 26, the jig contact portion receiver 97 does not interfere with the base portion 21 during the process, and there is no risk of damage to the shorting terminal 20.

[0026] Next, as shown in Fig. 6(b), the second component 92 is lowered relative to the first component 91 so as to pull the jig abutment receiver 97 out of the notch 93, thereby separating the first component 91 and the second component 92. Then, as shown in Fig. 6(c), the first component 91 and the second component 92 are retracted toward the front side in the fitting direction relative to the shorting terminal installation space 17, thereby returning the pushing jig 90 to the initial standby position shown in Fig. 5(a).

[0027] <Actions and Effects> As described above, the pushing jig 90 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a pushing portion 94 that is disposed on the front side of the jig contact portion 26 in the fitting direction and pushes the shorting terminal 20 into the shorting terminal installation space 17 via the jig contact portion 26, and a jig contact portion receiver 97 that is disposed on the back side of the jig contact portion 26 in the fitting direction. Therefore, even if the pushing portion 94 presses the shorting terminal 20 via the jig contact portion 26, the jig contact portion receiver 97 supports the jig contact portion 26 on the back side in the fitting direction. Therefore, there is no risk of deformation of the arms 25 or the jig contact portions 26 during the process of pushing the shorting terminal 20 into the shorting terminal installation space 17.

[0028] Therefore, with the pushing jig 90 according to the embodiment of the present invention, there is less need to pay close attention to the pushing force, pushing speed, and pushing stroke compared to when using conventional pushing jigs. Also, with the pushing jig 90 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the process of pushing the shorting terminal 20 into the shorting terminal mounting space 17 provided in the housing 10 of the connector 1 can be carried out smoothly.

[0029] Furthermore, the pushing jig 90 according to the embodiment of the present invention is separable into a first component 91 provided with a pushing portion 94, and a second component 92 provided with a bottom portion 96 on which the first component 91 is mounted and a jig abutment portion receiver 97 erected from the bottom portion 96. Therefore, after the step of pushing the shorting terminal 20 into the shorting terminal mounting space 17, the second component 92 can be lowered relative to the first component 91, thereby returning the first component 91 and the second component 92 to their initial standby positions without interfering with the shorting terminal 20. This also allows the step of pushing the shorting terminal 20 into the shorting terminal mounting space 17 to be carried out smoothly.

[0030] Furthermore, according to the pressing jig 90 of the embodiment of the present invention, the first component 91 is provided with a notch 93 at its rear end in the mating direction, penetrating the jig contact portion receptacle 97 in the vertical direction, and a terminal mounting portion 95 for mounting the shorting terminal 20, which stands upright from the inner surface of the notch 93. Furthermore, according to the pressing jig 90, with the first component 91 mounted on the bottom portion 96 of the second component 92, the jig contact portion receptacle 97 of the second component 92 is inserted into the notch 93. That is, according to the pressing jig 90 of the embodiment of the present invention, the terminal mounting portion 95 can stably mount the shorting terminal 20 on the first component 91. Furthermore, according to the pressing jig 90, the pushing portion 94 and the jig contact portion receptacle 97 work together to press the jig contact portion 26 without causing damage. This also facilitates the process of pressing the shorting terminal 20 into the shorting terminal mounting space 17.

[0031] Furthermore, the pushing method according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of mounting the terminals 20 on the terminal mounting portion 95 of the first component 91, mounting the first component 91 on the bottom portion 96 of the second component 92 and positioning the jig abutment receiver 97 on the rear side of the jig abutment portion 26 of the terminals 20 in the mating direction, and moving the pushing jig 90 rearward in the mating direction to push the terminals 20 into the connector housing 10. This allows the shorting terminals 20 to be stably mounted on the first component 91 by the terminal mounting portion 95. Furthermore, the pushing portion 94 and the jig abutment receiver 97 work together to press the jig abutment portion 26 without causing damage. This also allows the step of pushing the shorting terminals 20 into the shorting terminal mounting space 17 to be carried out smoothly.

[0032] <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.

[0033] In addition, in the above embodiment, in the process of pushing the shorting terminal 20 into the shorting terminal installation space 17, the second part 92 is raised from below the first part 91, but this is not limited to this. For example, the second part 92 may be lowered from above the first part 91, and this may be adjusted or selected as appropriate in consideration of the structure of the connector 1, the process procedure, etc.

[0034] Furthermore, a notch 93 was provided that penetrates the end of the first part 91 on the back side in the mating direction in the vertical direction, but it is sufficient if only a through hole through which the jig contact part receiver 97 can be inserted is provided at the position facing the pushing part 94.

[0035] Here, the features of the embodiments of the pressing jig and pressing method according to the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [4].

[0036] [1] A pushing jig (90) for pushing a terminal (20) into a connector housing (10), the terminal having a cantilever-shaped arm (25) extending in a mating direction with a mating connector (2) and a jig abutment portion (26) provided at the tip of the arm (25), a push-in portion (94) that is disposed on the front side of the jig contact portion (26) in the fitting direction and that pushes in the jig contact portion (26); and a jig contact portion receiver (97) arranged on the rear side of the jig contact portion (26) in the fitting direction. Pressing jig (90).

[0037] According to the pushing jig (90) having the configuration [1] above, compared to when a conventional pushing jig is used, there is less need to pay close attention to the pushing force, pushing speed, and pushing stroke, and the process of pushing the shorting terminal (20) into the shorting terminal mounting space (17) provided in the housing (10) of the connector (1) can be carried out smoothly.

[0038] [2] In the pushing jig (90) described in [1] above, a first part (91) provided with the pushing portion (94); a bottom portion (96) on which the first part (91) is mounted, and a second part (92) provided with the jig contact part receiver (97) erected from the bottom portion (96); Pressing jig (90).

[0039] According to the pushing jig (90) having the configuration [2] above, the first part (91) and the second part (92) are arranged so as to be separable. Therefore, after the step of pushing the shorting terminal (20) into the shorting terminal mounting space (17), the second part (92) can be lowered relative to the first part (91) to return the first part (91) and the second part (92) to their initial standby positions without interfering with the shorting terminal (20). This also makes it possible to smoothly carry out the step of pushing the shorting terminal (20) into the shorting terminal mounting space (17).

[0040] [3] In the pushing jig (90) described in [2] above, The first component (91) is provided at an end portion on the rear side in the fitting direction, and is provided with a notch (93) penetrating in the erecting direction of the jig abutment receiver (97), and a terminal mounting portion (95) for mounting the terminal (20) erected from the inner surface of the notch (93), With the first part (91) mounted on the bottom part (96) of the second part (92), the jig abutment part receiver (97) of the second part (92) is inserted into the notch (93). Pressing jig (90).

[0041] According to the pushing jig (90) having the configuration [3] above, the shorting terminal (20) can be stably mounted on the first component (91) by the terminal mounting portion (95), and the pushing portion (94) and the jig contact portion receiver (97) work together to press the jig contact portion (26) without causing damage, which also makes it possible to smoothly push the shorting terminal (20) into the shorting terminal mounting space (17).

[0042] [4] A method for pushing a terminal (20) into a connector housing (10) using the pushing jig (90) described in [3] above, a step of mounting the terminal (20) on the terminal mounting portion (95) of the first component (91); a step of mounting the first component (91) on the bottom (96) of the second component (92) and arranging the jig abutment receiver (97) on the rear side of the jig abutment portion (26) of the terminal (20) in the fitting direction; and a step of moving the pushing jig (90) toward the rear side in the fitting direction to push the terminal (20) into the connector housing (10). Push-in method.

[0043] According to the pushing method of the configuration [4] above, the shorting terminal (20) can be stably mounted on the first component (91) by the terminal mounting portion (95), and the pushing portion (94) and the jig contact portion receiver (97) work together to press the jig contact portion (26) without causing damage, which also makes it possible to smoothly push the shorting terminal (20) into the shorting terminal mounting space (17). [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 connector 2 Mating connector 10 Housing (connector housing) 25 Arm 26 Jig contact part 20 Short terminal (terminal) 90 Push-in jig 91 First Part 92 2nd part 93 Cutout 94 Push-in section 95 Terminal mounting area 96 Bottom 97 Jig holder

Claims

1. A pushing jig for pushing a terminal into a connector housing, the pushing jig having a cantilever-shaped arm extending in a mating direction with a mating connector and a jig contact portion provided at the tip of the arm, a pushing portion disposed on a front side of the jig contact portion in the fitting direction and configured to push the jig contact portion; A jig contact portion receiver arranged on the rear side of the jig contact portion in the fitting direction, Press-in jig.

2. The pushing jig according to claim 1, a first component provided with the pressing portion; a second part provided with a bottom part on which the first part is mounted and the jig contact part receiver erected from the bottom part; Press-in jig.

3. The pushing jig according to claim 2, the first component is provided at an end portion on the rear side in the fitting direction, and is provided with a notch penetrating in the erecting direction of the jig abutment portion receiver, and a terminal mounting portion for mounting the terminal erected from an inner surface of the notch, With the first component mounted on the bottom of the second component, the jig abutment receiver of the second component is inserted into the notch. Press-in jig.

4. A method for pushing a terminal into a connector housing using the pushing jig according to claim 3, comprising: mounting the terminal on the terminal mounting portion of the first component; a step of mounting the first component on the bottom of the second component and arranging the jig abutment receiver on a rear side of the jig abutment of the terminal in the fitting direction; and a step of moving the pushing jig toward the rear side in the fitting direction to push the terminals into the connector housing. Push-in method.

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