Connector holder

Abstract

To provide a connector holder capable of improving the backlash suppressing performance of a connector.SOLUTION: The connector holder 1 is provided with a cylindrical holder body 11 having a connector housing chamber 1S into which a connector 2 is inserted, an elastic piece 14 provided on the inner surface of the holder body 11 and elastically contactable with the connector 2 housed in the connector housing chamber 1S, and a locking means 12 for locking the connector 2 to the holder body 11 in a state that the connector 2 is inserted into the holder body 11, wherein the elastic piece 14 is provided with a strip-like elastic piece body 140 whose one end 14b is continued to the inner surface of the holder body 11 and the other end 14f is formed to extend in the insertion direction X1 of the connector 2 into the holder body 11 and a contact surface 141 capable of contacting the connector 2 with a step shape so as to increase the thickness of the elastic piece body 140 toward the other end 14f.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, a connector holder has been known that has an elastic piece that comes into contact with a connector and presses the connector down with the elastic force of the elastic piece, with the aim of preventing abnormal noises generated inside a vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The connector holder disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a connector accommodating portion into which the connector is inserted, and an elastic piece, which is rod-shaped and has a base end connected to the ceiling surface that is part of the inner surface of the connector accommodating portion, and a free end that extends obliquely toward the bottom surface of the connector accommodating portion, thereby pressing the connector against the inner surface of the connector accommodating portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-036429 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the elastic piece in the conventional connector holder disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided in a rod shape, and the tip of the elastic piece is in contact (abuts) with the connector. That is, the contact area of ​​the elastic piece in the conventional connector holder with the connector is small, so the connector is prone to wobbling.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a connector holder that has improved performance in suppressing rattle of a connector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem and achieve the object, the invention described in claim 1 is a connector holder comprising: a cylindrical holder body having a connector accommodating chamber into which a connector is inserted; an elastic piece provided on the inner surface of the holder body and capable of elastically contacting the connector accommodated in the connector accommodating chamber; and a locking means for locking the connector to the holder body when the connector is inserted into the holder body, wherein the elastic piece has a strip-shaped elastic piece body having one end continuous with the inner surface of the holder body and the other end extending in the insertion direction of the connector into the holder body; and a contact surface having a stepped shape in which the thickness of the elastic piece body increases toward the other end and capable of contacting the connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the invention as set forth in claim 1, it is possible to improve the rattle suppression performance of the connector. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a connector body in which a connector is inserted into a connector holder according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the connector body. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the connector holder. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is an enlarged view of an elastic piece of the connector holder shown in FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the assembly procedure of the connector body, showing how the connector is brought close to the connector holder. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a step subsequent to that shown in FIG. 6, illustrating the process of inserting the connector into the connector holder. FIG. [Figure 8]8A and 8B are diagrams showing a post-process of FIG. 7, in which (A) is a front view of the connector body formed by inserting the connector into the connector holder, and (B) is a cross-sectional view along line II-II of (A). [Figure 9] FIG. 8B is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 8B. [Figure 10] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing a connector body formed by inserting connectors of different sizes into the connector holder, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged view showing a main part of FIG. 1A. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a front view of a modified example of the connector holder. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a front view of a modified example of the connector holder. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a front view of a modified example of the connector holder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 10. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a connector body 10 in which a connector 2 is inserted into a connector holder 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the connector body 10.

[0010] In the following, arrows X, Y, and Z are defined as directions perpendicular to one another. Arrow X is the axial direction (longitudinal direction) of holder body 11 constituting connector holder 1, arrow Y is the width direction of holder body 11, and arrow Z is the height direction. Arrow X is defined as the "front-rear direction," with the insertion direction of connector 2 into holder body 11 defined as "forward X1" and the direction opposite to the insertion direction defined as "rear X2." Arrow Y is defined as the "width direction," with one side defined as "left L(Y)" and the other as "right R(Y)." Arrow Z is defined as the "vertical direction," with one side defined as "upper Z1" and the other as "lower Z2."

[0011] The connector body 10 shown in FIG. 1 is part of a wire harness arranged in a vehicle, and includes a connector 2 and a connector holder 1 into which the connector 2 is inserted and which is supported by a vehicle body (not shown).

[0012] As shown in Figures 2 and 6, the connector 2 comprises a roughly rectangular parallelepiped connector portion 20 that is fitted into a mating connector (not shown), a square cylindrical hood portion 21 that is provided continuous with the front X1 of the connector portion 20 and receives the mating connector, and a lockable portion 22 (shown in Figure 6) that is provided at a step located at the boundary between the connector portion 20 and the hood portion 21 and is locked by a locking means 12 of the connector holder 1, which will be described later.

[0013] As shown in Figure 8, the connector portion 20 is fitted to a mating connector by inserting and guiding the mating connector into the hood portion 21, and includes a housing 20 (given the same reference numeral as the connector portion) having a plurality of terminals (not shown) attached to the respective ends of a plurality of electric wires and terminal accommodating chambers 20S (shown in Figure 8(A)) that accommodate each of these terminals.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the lower surface 20d of the housing 20 is provided with a protruding portion 23 having a stopper receiving surface 230 that abuts against a stopper (not shown) of the connector holder 1, which will be described later, to stop the insertion into the connector holder 1.

[0015] The protruding portion 23 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a stopper receiving surface 230 on its front surface and a pair of sliding surfaces 231, 231 on both sides in the width direction Y.

[0016] The stopper receiving surface 230 is continuous with the lower surface 20d of the housing 20, is composed of an orthogonal surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction X, and is configured to abut against a stopper (described later) of the connector holder 1. The pair of sliding surfaces 231, 231 are continuous with the lower surface 20d of the housing 20, are composed of orthogonal surfaces perpendicular to the width direction Y of the connector 2, and are configured to slide on guide surfaces 131 (described later) of the connector holder 1.

[0017] 6, the locked part 22 is configured to be locked by the locking means 12 when the connector 2 is inserted into the connector holder 1 and reaches a position where the stopper receiving surface 230 abuts against the stopper. With the locked part 22 locked by the locking means 12 of the connector holder 1, the connector 2 is restricted from moving in the direction opposite to the insertion direction relative to the connector holder 1. In other words, by locking the locked part 22 to the locking means 12, the connector 2 is prevented from coming off the connector holder 1.

[0018] When such a connector 2 is inserted into the connector holder 1, the stopper receiving surface 230 abuts against a stopper provided on the holder main body 11, and the locked member 22 is locked by the locking means 12 provided on the holder main body 11. As a result, the connector 2 is positioned at the reach position of the connector holder 1 and is prevented from coming off the connector holder 1. In this state, a free end 14f (the other end, shown in FIG. 8(B)) of an elastic piece 14 (described later) provided on the connector holder 1 abuts against the connector 2. When the elastic piece 14 of the connector holder 1 abuts against the connector 2, the elastic force of the elastic piece 14 of the connector holder 1 presses the connector 2 against a left wall 11L (described later) that faces the elastic piece 14 of the holder main body 11.

[0019] 2 and 3, the connector holder 1 comprises a square cylindrical holder body 11 having a connector accommodating chamber 1S into which the connector 2 is inserted, a locking means 12 provided in the holder body 11 for locking a locked part 22 of the connector 2, a guide structure 13 for guiding the connector 2, and an elastic piece 14 for pressing the connector 2. In this embodiment, one elastic piece 14 is provided.

[0020] The axial dimension (dimension in the front-to-rear direction X) of this connector holder 1 is formed to be shorter than the axial dimension of the connector 2, as shown in Figure 8 (B), and when the connector 2 is inserted inside the connector holder 1 (finished form), the connector 2 is arranged to protrude from the front end 1f of the connector holder 1.

[0021] 2 and 3, the holder body 11 is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape and includes an upper wall 11C (first surface) and a lower wall 11D (second surface) that face each other in the vertical direction Z, and a left wall 11L (third surface) and a right wall 11R (fourth surface) that face each other in the width direction Y. A locking means 12 is provided on the upper wall 11C, and a guide structure 13 for guiding the connector 2 is provided on the lower wall 11D.

[0022] 2, the locking means 12 is provided in a central portion of the upper wall 11C in the width direction Y, and is provided in a recessed groove portion 110 that protrudes upward Z1 and extends in the front-rear direction X. The locking means 12 is configured to include a pair of arms 12A, 12A and a connecting portion 12B that connects the tips of the pair of arms 12A, 12A and abuts against the locked portion 22. The pair of arms 12A, 12A are provided with a gap in the width direction Y. The connecting portion 12B is provided so as to be displaceable in the up-down direction Z and is configured to elastically abut against the connector 2.

[0023] The guide structure 13 is configured to include a pair of guide surfaces 131, 131 that are arranged opposite each other in the width direction Y and that slide a pair of sliding surfaces 231, 231 provided on the connector 2, and a stopper (not shown) that is composed of a flat surface perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction X and abuts against the stopper receiving surface 230 of the connector 2.

[0024] 4 and 5, the elastic piece 14 has a strip-shaped elastic piece main body 140, with its base end 14b continuing from the right wall 11R and its free end 14f at the tip extending forward X1 (the insertion direction of the connector 2). The free end 14f of the elastic piece main body 140 is provided with an abutment surface 141 (contact surface) that abuts against the connector 2. The abutment surface 141 is formed in a stepped shape such that the thickness increases toward the tip (other end) of the elastic piece main body 140.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 5, the contact surface 141 is formed in a stepped shape having a plurality of step portions 141A. The step portions 141A are arranged side by side in a direction from the base end to the tip end of the elastic piece main body 140. The top portion 14P of each step portion 141A comes into contact with the connector 2 (hereinafter, may be referred to as a contact portion). Each contact portion 14P is configured in a linear shape (a collection of a plurality of points) extending in the up-down direction Z so as to be perpendicular to the direction from the base end to the tip end of the elastic piece main body 140. As shown in Fig. 8(B), such a contact surface 141 is configured so that the contact portions 14P come into contact with the connector 2 at intervals in the front-rear direction X.

[0026] Next, an assembly procedure for inserting the connector 2 into the connector holder 1 to assemble the connector body 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0027] 6, the front end 2f of the connector 2 on the hood portion 21 side is brought close to the rear end 1b of the connector holder 1 and inserted. The sliding surfaces 231 of the connector 2 slide along the guide surfaces 131 of the connector holder 1, and the connector 2 is guided to the front X1 of the connector holder 1.

[0028] As the insertion progresses, the front end 2f of the connector 2 comes into contact with the elastic piece main body 140 of the elastic piece 14, as shown in Fig. 7, and as the insertion progresses further, the front end 2f of the connector 2 presses the elastic piece main body 140, bending the elastic piece main body 140 toward the right wall 11R (in the bending direction). At this time, the upper surface 21c (shown in Fig. 6) of the hood portion 21 of the connector 2 comes into contact with the connecting portion 12B of the locking means 12 in the connector holder 1, and the connecting portion 12B is pressed by the upper surface 21c of the connector 2, bending each arm 12A of the locking means 12.

[0029] 8(A) and 8(B), the contact surface 141 of the elastic piece 14 comes into contact with the connector 2, and the elastic force of the elastic piece 14 presses the connector 2 against the left wall 11L of the connector holder 1. As shown in FIG. 9, the elastic piece 14 is configured with the contact surface 141 configured with a stepped shape, so that the contact surface 141 can press against a wider range of the connector 2, and the connector 2 can be pressed in a stable state.

[0030] Furthermore, the stopper receiving surface 230 of the connector 2 abuts against the stopper of the connector holder 1, stopping the insertion of the connector 2 into the connector holder 1. At approximately the same time, the locked part 22 approaches and reaches the connecting part 12B of the locking means 12, the arms 12A return to their natural state, and the connecting part 12B locks the locked part 22. In this way, the connector 2 is inserted into the connector holder 1 and the connector body 10 is assembled.

[0031] Here, the elastic piece 14 in this embodiment is formed in a strip shape, with one end 14b continuing to the right wall 11R (fourth surface, inner surface) of the holder main body 11 and the other end 14f extending forward X1 (the insertion direction of the connector 2 into the holder main body 11), so that as shown in Figures 10(A) and 10(B), it is possible to accommodate connectors 2A of different sizes that differ by the amount of deflection of the elastic piece 14. Specifically, the minimum value of the width dimension of the hood portion 21 of the connector 2A (hereinafter referred to as the smallest-sized connector 2A) may be such that the abutment surface 141 of the elastic piece 14 can come into contact with the hood portion 21 of the connector 2A when the elastic piece 14 is in its natural state (see Figures 10(A) and 10(B)). Furthermore, the maximum value of the width dimension of the hood portion 21 of the connector 2 (hereinafter referred to as the maximum size connector 2) may be a dimension that allows the abutment surface 141 of the elastic piece 14 to come into contact with the hood portion 21 of the connector 2 when the elastic piece 14 is in a maximally bent state (see FIGS. 8(A) and (B)). In this way, the connector holder 1 can accommodate connectors 2, 2A within an allowable range from the smallest size connector 2A to the largest size connector 2.

[0032] According to the embodiment described above, the elastic piece 14 includes a strip-shaped elastic piece main body 140 having a base end 14b (one end) continuous with the right wall 11R (fourth surface, inner surface) of the holder main body 11 and a free end 14f (other end) extending forward X1 (the direction in which the connector 2 is inserted into the holder main body 11), and an abutment surface 141 (contact surface) that has a stepped shape such that the thickness of the elastic piece main body 140 increases toward the other end 14f and can come into contact with the connector 2. Since the elastic piece 14 has the abutment surface 141 configured with a stepped shape, the abutment surface 141 can press a wider area of ​​the connector 2 and can press the connector 2 in a stable state. This improves the anti-rattle performance of the connector 2.

[0033] Furthermore, the elastic piece 14 has a strip-shaped elastic piece main body 140 whose one end 14b is continuous with the right wall 11R (fourth surface, inner surface) of the holder main body 11 and whose other end 14f extends forward X1 (the insertion direction of the connector 2 into the holder main body 11), thereby ensuring a flexure between the elastic piece main body 140 and the right wall 11R, making it possible to accommodate connectors 2, 2A of different sizes that differ by the dimension of the flexure. Furthermore, even when connectors 2, 2A of different sizes are inserted into the connector holder 1, the abutment surface 141 is configured to have a stepped shape, i.e., the abutment surface 141 is always in contact at multiple points, so that the connector 2 can be pressed in a stable state.

[0034] Moreover, holder body 11 has upper wall 11C (first surface) on which locking means 12 is provided, lower wall 11D (second surface) facing upper wall 11C, left wall 11L (third surface) and right wall 11R (fourth surface) connecting upper wall 11C and lower wall 11D, and elastic piece 14 is provided on at least one surface of lower wall 11D, left wall 11L, and right wall 11R. This realizes a configuration that improves the ability to suppress rattle of connector 2 while maintaining the locked state of connector 2 by locking means 12.

[0035] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes other configurations that can achieve the object of the present invention, and the following modifications are also included in the present invention.

[0036] In the above embodiment, one elastic piece 14 is provided, and the one elastic piece 14 is provided on the right wall 11R (fourth surface portion), but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 11, the elastic piece 14A of the connector holder 1A may be provided on the left wall 11L (third surface portion). Also, as shown in FIG. 12, two elastic pieces 14B of the connector holder 1B may be provided on the bottom wall 11D (second surface portion), and the two elastic pieces 14B, 14B may be provided on both sides of the locking means 12. Also, as shown in FIG. 13, the elastic piece 14C of the connector holder 1C may be provided on each of the left wall 11L and the right wall 11R. That is, the two elastic pieces 14C, 14C may be provided on both sides of the locking means 12. This provides substantially the same effects as the above embodiment. In the connector holder modifications 1A to 1C shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, parts having the same functions or configurations as those in the connector holder 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 10 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0037] Although the best configurations and methods for carrying out the present invention have been disclosed above, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, although the present invention has been particularly illustrated and described mainly with reference to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the above-described embodiments in terms of shape, material, quantity, and other detailed configurations without departing from the scope of the technical idea and purpose of the present invention. Therefore, the above-disclosed descriptions limiting the shape, material, etc. are provided as examples to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Therefore, descriptions using names of components that are free from some or all of the limitations on shape, material, etc. are included in the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C connector holder 1S Connector housing 2 connectors 11 Holder body 12 Locking means 14, 14A, 14B, 14C Elastic piece 14b Base end (one end) of elastic piece 14f Free end of elastic piece (other end) 140 Elastic piece body 141 Contact surface (contact surface) 11C Upper wall (first side) 11D Lower wall (second side) 11L Left wall (3rd side) 11R Right wall (4th side, inner surface) X1 Front (Insertion direction of connector into holder body)

Claims

1. a cylindrical holder body having a connector accommodating chamber into which a connector is inserted; an elastic piece provided on the inner surface of the holder body and capable of elastically contacting the connector accommodated in the connector accommodating chamber; and a locking means for locking the connector to the holder body when the connector is inserted into the holder body, This connector holder is characterized in that the elastic piece has a strip-shaped elastic piece main body, one end of which is continuous with the inner surface of the holder main body and the other end of which extends in the direction of insertion of the connector into the holder main body, and a contact surface that has a stepped shape in which the thickness of the elastic piece main body increases toward the other end and can come into contact with the connector.

2. the holder main body has a first surface portion on which the locking means is provided, a second surface portion facing the first surface portion, and a third surface portion and a fourth surface portion connecting the first surface portion and the second surface portion, 2. The connector holder according to claim 1, wherein the elastic piece is provided on at least one of the second surface portion, the third surface portion, and the fourth surface portion.

Images