connector

Abstract

The present invention provides a connector that can improve the ease of assembly of the sub-housing to the main housing. [Solution] The connector 1 includes a connector housing 2 that accommodates and holds a terminal T provided at the end of an electric wire W and leads out the electric wire W in a removal direction X2 opposite to the mating direction X1. The connector housing 2 has a housing body 10 and a sub-housing 20 that is detachably formed to the housing body 10. The housing body 10 has a pair of side wall portions 12 that extend in the longitudinal direction Y and are formed opposite to the short direction Z, and a holding portion 13 that is formed in a concave shape from the wall surface of the first side wall portion 12a toward the second side wall portion 12b, and is formed to detachably attach the sub-housing 20 along the short direction Z in a held state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector.

Background Art

[0002] In some conventional connectors, after performing conduction inspections on each of the housing body and the sub-housing, an operation of assembling the sub-housing to the housing body is carried out. For example, in Patent Document 1, it is described that a sub-housing and a housing case are provided, the housing case is a semi-complete box body with open left and right side surfaces and a front surface, and the sub-housing is inserted into the housing case through the opening.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in conventional connectors, when assembling the sub-housing to the housing body, due to the electric wires led out from the housing body, the assembling work is difficult to perform, so there is room for improvement.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a connector capable of improving the workability of assembling the sub-housing to the housing body.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the connector according to the present invention comprises a connector housing formed to be matable with a mating object along the mating direction, which accommodates and holds a terminal provided at the end of an electric wire and leads the electric wire out in a direction opposite to the mating direction, wherein the connector housing comprises a housing body and a sub-housing formed to be detachably attached to the housing body, wherein the housing body extends in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the mating direction and is formed opposite to the mating direction and in a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and has a pair of side wall portions formed in a concave shape from the wall surface of one of the pair of side wall portions toward the other side wall portion, and is formed to be detachably attached to the sub-housing along the short direction while the sub-housing is holding the terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The connector according to the present invention makes it possible to easily assemble the sub-housing to the housing body from the short side direction perpendicular to the mating direction, thereby improving work efficiency compared to the conventional assembly work of the sub-housing to the housing body. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of a connector according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the housing body and sub-housing that make up the connector in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the fitting structure between the housing body and the sub-housing in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the connector according to the embodiment temporarily fixed to the jig. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the housing body and sub-housing of a connector according to a modified embodiment. [Figure 6]Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the embodiment with the connector temporarily fixed to the jig. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. That is, the components in the embodiments described below include those that are easily conceivable by those skilled in the art, or that are substantially the same, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0010] In the following description, the X direction in the diagram will be referred to as the "insertion / extraction direction X," the Y direction as the "longitudinal direction Y," and the Z direction as the "short direction Z." The insertion / extraction direction X, the longitudinal direction Y, and the short direction Z are mutually orthogonal. For example, the insertion / extraction direction X corresponds to the insertion / extraction direction of the connector relative to the mating object. Of the insertion / extraction directions X in this embodiment, one will be referred to as the "mating direction X1" and the other as the "extraction direction X2." Also, of the "short direction Z," one will be referred to as the "first direction Z1" and the other as the "second direction Z2." Unless otherwise specified, the directions used in the following description represent the directions when the parts are assembled together.

[0011] [Embodiment] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of connector 1 according to an embodiment. Figure 1 shows the state immediately before connector 1 is mated with mating connector 100. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the housing body 10 and sub-housing 20 that constitute connector 1 in Figure 1. Note that Figure 2 shows the state in which the sub-housing 20 is separated from the housing body 10 compared to connector 1 in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the mating structure between the housing body and sub-housing in Figure 1. Note that in Figures 2 and 3, the electric wire W is shown as a dashed line. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing connector 1 temporarily fixed to jig 50. Figure 4 shows the state in which the sub-housing 20 is assembled to the housing body 10 temporarily fixed to jig 50.

[0012] Connector 1 is applicable to a wire harness WH used in vehicles such as automobiles. A wire harness WH is a bundle of multiple wires W used for power supply and signal communication to connect various devices mounted on a vehicle, and the multiple wires W are connected to each device using connector 1.

[0013] The wire harness WH comprises a plurality of electric wires W, a plurality of terminals T provided at the end of each electric wire W, and a connector 1 that houses and holds the plurality of terminals T. The wire harness WH may also include various other components such as grommets, electrical connection boxes, and fasteners.

[0014] The electric wire W is routed through the vehicle and electrically connects various devices. The electric wire W is composed of, for example, a conductive portion and an insulating coating portion that covers the outside of the conductive portion. The electric wire W is an insulated electric wire in which the conductive portion is covered with an insulating coating portion.

[0015] Terminal T is electrically connected to the electric wire W, and to which a conductive mating terminal 101 is connected. Here, the mating terminal 101 is, for example, a terminal formed of a conductive metal material to which terminal T can be connected. Multiple mating terminals 101 are housed and held in the mating connector 100. The mating connector 100 is the mating target of connector 1 and is provided in a device mounted on a vehicle. Terminal T may have a so-called female terminal shape. In that case, the mating terminal 101 has a male terminal shape. Alternatively, terminal T may have a male terminal shape. In that case, the mating terminal 101 has a female terminal shape. Terminal T is, for example, formed extending along the insertion / removal direction X and housed and held in the connector 1 along the insertion / removal direction X.

[0016] The connector 1 includes a connector housing 2. The connector housing 2 is formed of an insulating synthetic resin or the like, and houses and holds the terminal T provided at the end of the electric wire W. The connector housing 2 of the present embodiment is formed so as to be able to hold a plurality of terminals T along each of the longitudinal direction Y and the lateral direction Z. The connector housing 2 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is formed to be fitted along the fitting direction X1 with respect to the mating connector 100. As shown in FIG. 1, when viewed from the lateral direction Z of the connector 1, the connector housing 2 guides out a plurality of electric wires W in the removal direction X2 opposite to the fitting direction X1 while holding the plurality of terminals T. [[ID=?]]

[0017] The plurality of electric wires W led out from the connector housing 2 extend, for example, along the longitudinal direction Y intersecting with the insertion / removal direction X (or the fitting direction X1), and are bundled in the bundling region A shown in FIG. 1. The bundling region A is, for example, on the removal direction X2 side from the end of the connector housing 2 in the removal direction X2 with respect to the connector 1, and is located outside the connector housing 2 from one end in the longitudinal direction Y. The bundling region A is, for example, the end of the exterior member wound by a tape member. This exterior member may be a corrugated tube or the like.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector housing 2 includes a housing body 10 and a sub-housing 20 formed to be detachable from the housing body 10. When viewed from the insertion / removal direction X, the housing body 10 includes a first main body portion 10a, a second main body portion 10b, and a connecting portion 10c that connects the first main body portion 10a and the second main body portion 10b along the longitudinal direction Y. The first main body portion 10a, the second main body portion 10b, and the connecting portion 10c are integrally formed.

[0019] Next, the housing body 10 constituting the connector housing 2 will be described. The housing body 10 includes a terminal accommodation chamber 11, a pair of side wall portions 12, and a holding portion 13.

[0020] The terminal housing chamber 11, which is so-called a cavity, is a space for housing and holding the terminal T. The terminal housing chamber 11 is provided in each of the first main body portion 10a and the second main body portion 10b. The terminal housing chamber 11 is formed as a hollow portion inside the housing main body 10. The terminal housing chamber 11 has an opening at the end on the removal direction X2 side, and guides out the electric wire W from the opening while housing and holding the terminal T provided at the end of the electric wire W.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pair of side wall portions 12 extend in the longitudinal direction Y and are formed to face each other in the short-side direction Z orthogonal to the fitting direction X1 and the longitudinal direction Y. The pair of side wall portions 12 includes a first side wall portion 12a provided on one side (the first direction Z1) in the short-side direction Z of the housing main body 10 and a second side wall portion 12b provided on the other side (the second direction Z2) in the short-side direction Z of the housing main body 10.

[0022] The first side wall portion 12a is provided with a holding portion 13 for housing and holding the sub-housing 20. The holding portion 13 is formed in a concave shape from the wall surface of the first side wall portion 12a toward the second side wall portion 12b side, and is a portion where the sub-housing 20 is formed to be detachable along the short-side direction Z while the sub-housing 20 holds the terminal T. The holding portion 13 of the present embodiment is located substantially at the center in the longitudinal direction Y when the housing main body 10 (or the connector housing 2) is viewed from the insertion / removal direction X. The holding portion 13 has a housing space portion 30 and a pair of holding surfaces 31.

[0023] The housing space portion 30 is a portion for housing the sub-housing 20. The housing space portion 30 is formed by the first main body portion 10a, the second main body portion 10b, and the connecting portion 10c. The housing space portion 30 communicates with the outside space of the housing main body 10 in both one side (the first direction Z1) in the short-side direction Z and the insertion / removal direction X.

[0024] The pair of retaining surfaces 31 are formed facing each other in the longitudinal direction Y, with the housing space 30 in between. The pair of retaining surfaces 31 contact the sub-housing 20 and hold it in place when the sub-housing 20 is housed in the housing space 30 and held by the retaining part 13. Each of the pair of retaining surfaces 31 has a groove 32 into which a rib 23 provided on the sub-housing 20 side fits in the above holding state. The groove 32 in this embodiment is composed of a first groove portion 32a and a second groove portion 32b, each having a different length in the short direction Z and a different depth in the longitudinal direction Y (groove depth).

[0025] The first groove portion 32a is located on the side of the second side wall portion 12b (connecting portion 10c) in the short direction X. On the other hand, the second groove portion 32b is located on the side of the first side wall portion 12a in the short direction X. The first groove portion 32a and the second groove portion 32b are connected along the short direction X.

[0026] The first groove portion 32a is relatively longer in the shorter direction Z than the second groove portion 32b. Also, the groove depth of the first groove portion 32a is shallower (shorter) than that of the second groove portion 32b. One end of the first groove portion 32a in the shorter direction Z connects to the second groove portion 32b and extends to just before the second side wall portion 12b. One end of the second groove portion 32b in the shorter direction Z penetrates the first side wall portion 12a, and the other end connects to the second groove portion 32b.

[0027] As shown in Figure 4, the second side wall portion 12b is formed to abut against the jig 50 that fixes the connector housing 2 and to be temporarily fixed to the jig 50. The second side wall portion 12b has a flat wall surface, similar to that of a typical connector.

[0028] Here, the jig 50 will be described. The jig 50 has a flat surface 51 and a recess 52. The recess 52 is a portion recessed into the jig 50 from the flat surface 51. The shape of the recess 52 is formed to match the shape of the second side wall portion 12b when viewed from the short side Z. The housing body 10 is inserted into the recess 52 from the second side wall portion 12b side relative to the jig 50. The depth of the recess 52 is such that it accommodates the second side wall portion 12b of the housing body 10 and the multiple electric wires W do not interfere with the flat surface 51.

[0029] Next, the sub-housing 20 that constitutes the connector housing 2 will be described. The sub-housing 20 has a terminal housing chamber 21 and a pair of retaining surfaces 22.

[0030] The terminal housing chamber 21, like the terminal housing chamber 11 described above, is a space for housing and holding the terminal T. The terminal housing chamber 21 is provided in both the first main body portion 10a and the second main body portion 10b. The terminal housing chamber 21 is formed as a hollow portion inside the sub-housing 20. The terminal housing chamber 21 has an opening at the end on the side of the removal direction X2, and the electric wire W is led out through the opening while the terminal T provided at the end of the electric wire W is housing and holding the terminal T.

[0031] The pair of retained surfaces 22 are formed on one side wall and the other side wall of the four side walls of the sub-housing 20 in the longitudinal direction Y. The pair of retained surfaces 22 are the parts that face each retained surface 31 of the retaining part 13 in the longitudinal direction Y when the sub-housing 20 is housed in the housing space 30 of the retaining part 13 and is held by the retaining part 13. Each of the pair of retained surfaces 22 has a rib 23 that fits into a groove 32 provided on the housing body 10 side as described above in the retained state. The rib 23 in this embodiment is composed of a first rib portion 23a and a second rib portion 23b, each having a different length in the short direction Z and a different height in the longitudinal direction Y.

[0032] The first rib portion 23a is located on the side of the second side wall portion 12b (connecting portion 10c) in the short direction X while the structure is being held as described above. On the other hand, the second rib portion 23b is located on the side of the first side wall portion 12a in the short direction X while the structure is being held as described above. The first rib portion 23a and the second rib portion 23b are connected along the short direction X.

[0033] The first rib portion 23a is relatively longer in the shorter direction Z than the second rib portion 23b. Also, the height (length) of the rib in the first rib portion 23a is lower (shorter) than that of the second rib portion 23b. One end of the first rib portion 23a in the shorter direction Z (first direction Z1) is connected to the second rib portion 23b, and the other end (second direction Z2) extends in the above-mentioned holding state to just before the second side wall portion 12b. One end of the second rib portion 23b in the shorter direction Z (first direction Z1) extends in the above-mentioned holding state to the wall surface of the first side wall portion 12a, and the other end (second direction Z2) is connected to the second rib portion 23b.

[0034] Next, the assembly process of the sub-housing 20 to the housing body 10 will be described. In this embodiment, it is assumed that multiple terminals T with electric wires W attached are housed and held in both the housing body 10 and the sub-housing 20.

[0035] First, the assembler temporarily fixes the housing body 10 to the jig 50. At this time, the assembler inserts the housing body 10 into the recess 52 provided in the jig 50 from the second side wall portion 12b side. Next, the assembler inserts the sub-housing 20 into the housing space portion 30 of the holding portion 13 along the short direction X. At this time, the assembler inserts each rib 23 into the corresponding groove portion 32 and pushes the sub-housing 20 toward the second side wall portion 12b in the short direction X relative to the housing body 10 until the sub-housing 20 abuts against the connecting portion 10c. Then, the assembler removes the connector 1 with the sub-housing 20 assembled to the housing body 10 from the jig 50 and fits it into the mating connector 100.

[0036] In conventional connectors, the sub-housing is assembled to the main housing along the mating direction X1. However, since a portion of the wires leading from the main housing passes over the insertion point of the sub-housing (for example, area P shown in Figure 1), this portion of the wires interferes with the sub-housing, making assembly difficult.

[0037] Therefore, in this embodiment, the connector 1 allows the sub-housing 20 to be assembled to the housing body 10 from the short-side direction Z which is perpendicular to the mating direction X1.

[0038] As described above, the connector 1 according to the embodiment has a housing body 10 that is concave from the wall surface of the first side wall portion 12a toward the second side wall portion 12b, and has a holding portion 13 that is formed so that the sub-housing 20 can be attached and detached along the short direction Z while the sub-housing 20 is holding the terminal T. As a result, the connector 1 makes it possible to easily assemble the sub-housing 20 to the housing body 10 from the short direction Z perpendicular to the mating direction X1, improving workability compared to the conventional assembly work of the sub-housing to the housing body. Furthermore, compared to the conventional assembly work of the sub-housing to the housing body, the connector 1 does not require, for example, separating or bending multiple wires W in the area P shown in Figure 1, thus reducing the load on the wires W during assembly work.

[0039] Furthermore, the connector 1 is formed such that the second side wall portion 12b abuts against the jig 50 that fixes the connector housing 2, allowing it to be temporarily fixed to the jig 50. In this way, by temporarily fixing the housing body 10 to the jig 50, the assembly workability of the sub-housing 20 to the housing body 10 can be further improved.

[0040] Furthermore, the connector 1 has a rib 23 formed on the retained surface 22 of the sub-housing 20, which protrudes in the longitudinal direction Y and extends in the short direction Z. The retaining surface 31 of the housing body 10 has a groove 32 that accommodates and fits the rib 23 in the retained state, and the rib 23 is formed to be slidable along the short direction Z relative to the groove 32. As a result, the connector 1 allows the sub-housing 20 to be easily assembled to the housing body 10. In addition, the fitting structure of the connector 1, which combines the groove 32 and the rib 23, restricts the work of assembling the sub-housing 20 to the housing body 10 along the fitting direction X1, so that the assembly accuracy can be improved compared to conventional connectors that do not have the above-described fitting structure.

[0041] [Modified examples of embodiments] Next, a modified example of the connector 1A of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the housing body 10A and sub-housing 20 of the connector 1A of the modified embodiment. Note that Figure 5 shows the state in which the sub-housing 20 is separated from the housing body 10A. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the connector 1A is temporarily fixed to the jig 50. Figure 6 shows the state in which the sub-housing 20 is assembled to the housing body 10A which is temporarily fixed to the jig 50.

[0042] Connector 1A differs from connector 1 in that the assembly direction of the sub-housing 20 to the housing body 10 is different. In the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for components that are the same as in the first embodiment, and their detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0043] Connector 1A includes a connector housing 2A. The connector housing 2A has a housing body 10A and a sub-housing 20 that is detachably formed with respect to the housing body 10A.

[0044] The housing body 10A includes a terminal housing chamber 11, a pair of side wall portions 12, and a holding portion 13. The pair of side wall portions 12 consist of a second side wall portion 12b provided on one side of the housing body 10 in the short direction Z (first direction Z1), and a first side wall portion 12a provided on the other side of the housing body 10 in the short direction Z (second direction Z2).

[0045] The first side wall portion 12a is provided with a holding portion 13 for accommodating and holding the sub-housing 20. The holding portion 13 is formed in a concave shape from the wall surface of the first side wall portion 12a toward the second side wall portion 12b, and is a portion formed to allow the sub-housing 20 to be attached and detached along the short direction Z while the sub-housing 20 is holding the terminal T. The holding portion 13 has an accommodating space portion 30 and a pair of holding surfaces 31.

[0046] As shown in Figure 6, the second side wall portion 12b of the modified embodiment is formed to abut against the jig 50A that fixes the connector housing 2A and to be temporarily fixed to the jig 50A.

[0047] Here, the jig 50A will be described. The jig 50A has a flat surface 51 and a recess 52A. The recess 52A is a portion recessed into the jig 50A from the flat surface 51. The shape of the recess 52A is formed to match the shape of the second side wall portion 12b when viewed from the short side Z. The housing body 10A is inserted into the recess 52A from the second side wall portion 12b side relative to the jig 50A. The depth of the recess 52A is such that it accommodates the second side wall portion 12b of the housing body 10A and the multiple electric wires W do not interfere with the flat surface 51.

[0048] Next, the assembly process of the sub-housing 20 to the housing body 10A will be described. In this embodiment, it is assumed that multiple terminals T with electric wires W attached are housed and held in both the housing body 10A and the sub-housing 20.

[0049] The assembler temporarily fixes the housing body 10A to the jig 50A. At this time, the assembler inserts the housing body 10A into the recess 52A provided in the jig 50A from the second side wall portion 12b side. Next, the assembler inserts the sub-housing 20 into the housing space portion 30 of the holding portion 13 along the short direction X. At this time, the assembler inserts each rib 23 into the corresponding groove portion 32 and pushes the sub-housing 20 toward the second side wall portion 12b in the short direction X relative to the housing body 10A until the sub-housing 20 abuts against the connecting portion 10c. Then, the assembler removes the connector 1A with the sub-housing 20 assembled to the housing body 10A from the jig 50A and fits it into the mating connector 100.

[0050] As described above, in the modified form of the embodiment, the connector 1A has the retaining portion 13 provided on the second direction Z2 side, compared to the connector 1 in which the retaining portion 13 is provided on the first direction Z1 side. As a result, the connector 1A allows the sub-housing 20 to be assembled to the housing body 10A from the second direction Z2 side, enabling assembly work in accordance with changes in the routing direction of the electric wire W. Furthermore, the connector 1A allows the sub-housing 20 to be a common part with the connector 1 described above.

[0051] In the above embodiments and modifications, the connectors 1 and 1A have grooves 32 on the retaining surfaces 31 of the housing bodies 10 and 10A and ribs 23 on the retained surface 22 of the sub-housing 20, but are not limited to this. Specifically, the connectors 1 and 1A may have ribs 23 on the retaining surfaces 31 of the housing bodies 10 and 10A and grooves 32 on the retained surface 22 of the sub-housing 20.

[0052] Furthermore, in the above embodiments and modifications, the connector housings 2 and 2A of the connectors 1 and 1A are formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, but are not limited to this. For example, the connector housings 2 and 2A may be cubic, cylindrical, or elliptical.

[0053] Furthermore, in the above embodiments and modifications, the terminal housing chambers 11 and 21 house and hold terminals, but are not limited to this. For example, the terminal housing chambers 11 and 21 may house and integrate electronic components such as connectors, fuses, relays, capacitors, branching sections, electronic control units, or electronic component units that unitize these components. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0054] 1 Connector 2 Connector Housing 10 Housing body 12 Side wall section 13 Holding part 20 Subhousing 22 Surface to be held 23 Ribs 30. Storage space 31 Holding surface 32 grooves 50 jigs 100 Mating connector (to be mated) 101 Mating terminal W electric wire T terminal WH Wire Harness

Claims

1. The connector housing is formed to be able to be fitted to a mating object along the mating direction, and accommodates and holds a terminal provided at the end of an electric wire, and guides the electric wire out in the direction opposite to the mating direction. The connector housing is The housing body and It has a sub-housing that is detachably formed to the housing body, The housing body is A pair of side wall portions extending in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the fitting direction and formed opposite to the fitting direction and in a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, The pair of side walls includes a retaining portion formed in a concave shape from the wall surface of one side wall toward the other side wall, which allows the sub-housing to be detachably attached along the shorter direction while the sub-housing is holding the terminal. A connector characterized by the following features.

2. The other side wall portion is, The connector housing is formed to abut against a jig that secures the connector housing and to be temporarily fixed to the jig. The connector according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned retaining part is A housing space for housing the aforementioned sub-housing, It has a pair of retaining surfaces formed facing each other in the longitudinal direction, with the aforementioned storage space in between, The aforementioned sub-housing is In a state in which the sub-housing is housed in the housing space and held by the holding portion, it has a pair of held surfaces that face each of the holding surfaces in the longitudinal direction, Either the holding surface or the surface to be held is It has ribs that protrude in the longitudinal direction and extend in the short direction, The other of the holding surface and the surface to be held is It has a groove portion that accommodates and fits the rib in the aforementioned holding state, The aforementioned rib is Formed to be slidable along the shorter direction relative to the groove The connector according to claim 1 or 2.

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