connector

Abstract

This technology provides a solution that can achieve both the necessary strength of the housing and the necessary creepage distance between terminal fittings. [Solution] The connector 10 comprises a male housing 11 having a hood portion 11B, a male terminal fitting 12 having a tab 12D that protrudes forward within the hood portion 11B, and a moving plate 13 disposed within the hood portion 11B and movable from an initial position within the hood portion 11B to a mating position further back than the initial position. The moving plate 13 has a plate body 13A through which the tab 12D passes, and a front wall 13B that protrudes forward from the plate body 13A. When the moving plate 13 is in the initial position, the front end of the front wall 13B is located in front of the front end of the tab 12D.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for ensuring a creepage distance between adjacent terminal fittings by fitting a partition wall of a mating housing into a partition recess of a housing. The mating housing is provided with a hood, and a mating terminal fitting protrudes into the hood. The position of the protruding end of the partition wall protrudes further in the fitting direction than the position of the protruding end of the mating terminal fitting inside the hood. This can prevent inadvertent contact with the mating terminal fitting.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The housing of Patent Document 1 has a concern that the formation of the partition recess makes the housing flexible and prone to deformation.

[0005] The present disclosure has been completed in view of the circumstances described above, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of ensuring the strength of a housing.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The connector of the present disclosure is a male housing having a hood portion, and a male terminal fitting having a tab protruding forward inside the hood portion, A moving plate disposed within the hood and movable from an initial position within the hood to a fitting position rearward from the initial position, Equipped with, The aforementioned moving plate is The plate body through which the aforementioned tab passes, A front wall protruding forward from the plate body, It has, With the moving plate positioned in the initial position, The front end of the front wall is located forward of the front end of the tab. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, the strength of the housing can be ensured. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the connector according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the male housing. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the moving plate from an oblique angle above and in front. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the moving plate from the upper rear at an oblique angle. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the female housing. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing the female housing inserted into the hood portion of the male housing. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing the female housing in contact with the moving plate. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a side cross-sectional view showing the male housing and female housing after mating is complete. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow AA in Figure 8. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. A connector of the present disclosure comprises: (1) A male housing having a hood portion, a male terminal fitting having a tab protruding forward inside the hood portion, and a moving plate disposed inside the hood portion and movable from an initial position inside the hood portion to a fitting position rearward of the initial position, wherein the moving plate has a plate body through which the tab penetrates, and a front wall protruding forward from the plate body, and in a state where the moving plate is disposed at the initial position, a front end of the front wall is located forward of a front end of the tab.

[0010] According to the configuration of the above (1), in the state where the moving plate is disposed at the initial position, the front end of the front wall is located forward of the front end of the tab, so that foreign matter can be prevented from touching the tab before mating with the female housing. Since the initial position is a position closer to the front end of the tab than the fitting position, the protruding dimension of the front wall can be reduced compared to a case where the front wall is made to protrude from the rear end face of the hood portion.

[0011] (2) In the connector described in the above (1), it is preferable that the front wall has a flat plate-shaped first front wall with a plate thickness direction oriented in the left-right direction, and an upper end edge and a lower end edge of the first front wall are in slidable contact with an inner surface of the hood portion.

[0012] According to the configuration of the above (2), the first front wall can make the plate body less likely to tilt upward or downward relative to the hood portion.

[0013] (3) In the connector described in the above (1) or (2), it is preferable that the front wall has a flat plate-shaped second front wall with a plate thickness direction oriented in the up-down direction, and a left end edge and a right end edge of the second front wall are in slidable contact with an inner surface of the hood portion.

[0014] According to the configuration of (3) above, the second front wall can make the plate body less likely to tilt leftward or rightward relative to the hood portion.

[0015] (4) The connector according to any one of (1) to (3) above, further comprising a female housing configured to fit with the male housing, wherein the female housing is formed with a front side groove recessed in a fitting direction for the front wall to fit into, and in a state where the female housing and the male housing are fitted together, a front end of the front wall is preferably located rearward of a front end of the tab.

[0016] According to the configuration of (4) above, the length of the front wall in the fitting direction can be prevented from becoming excessively large, so that the depth of the front side groove in the female housing can be reduced, whereby the strength of the female housing can be improved.

[0017] (5) In the connector according to any one of (1) to (4) above, the moving plate preferably has a rear wall protruding rearward from the plate body so as to partition the adjacent tabs.

[0018] According to the configuration of (5) above, a creepage distance between the adjacent male terminal fittings can be secured.

[0019] [Details of the Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] Specific examples of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to this illustration, is indicated by the scope of the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims.

[0020] <Embodiment 1> Embodiment 1 of the connector 10 of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 9. In the figures, "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "right," and "left" are represented by "F," "B," "U," "D," "R," and "L," respectively. The front-rear direction is the mating direction in which the male housing 11 and the female housing 14 are mated together. As shown in Figure 1, the connector 10 comprises a male housing 11, a plurality of male terminal fittings 12 housed in the male housing 11, a moving plate 13, a female housing 14, and a plurality of female terminal fittings 15 housed in the female housing 14.

[0021] The male housing 11 is made of synthetic resin. As shown in Figure 2, the male housing 11 is a single component having a terminal holding portion 11A that is wall-shaped with the plate thickness direction oriented in the front-rear direction, and a hood portion 11B that is rectangular in shape and protrudes forward, connected to the outer edge of the terminal holding portion 11A. The terminal holding portion 11A has a plurality of terminal insertion holes 11E that penetrate in the front-rear direction and a rear groove 11F. The rear groove 11F is formed recessed in the rearward direction, which is the fitting direction, on the side (front side) of the terminal holding portion 11A that faces the space inside the hood portion 11B. The rear groove 11F is arranged to partition the space between adjacent terminal insertion holes 11E. Specifically, the rear groove 11F has a first rear groove 11G that extends in the vertical direction and a second rear groove 11H that extends in the left-right direction. The first rear groove 11G is arranged between the terminal insertion holes 11E that are arranged in the left-right direction. The second rear groove 11H is positioned between the vertically aligned terminal insertion holes 11E. The first rear groove 11G and the second rear groove 11H are perpendicular to each other. The back surfaces of the first rear groove 11G and the second rear groove 11H are flush.

[0022] A pair of symmetrical receiving grooves 11C are formed on the upper wall constituting the hood portion 11B. The pair of receiving grooves 11C are recessed upward from the inner surface (upper surface) of the upper wall portion and are arranged to extend in the front-rear direction. Each receiving groove 11C is open to the front. A first through hole 11L is formed at the rear end of each receiving groove 11C, penetrating in the vertical direction. A second through hole 11J is formed behind each receiving groove 11C, penetrating in the vertical direction. A locking projection 11D is provided projecting downward from the left-right center of the inner surface (upper surface) of the upper wall constituting the hood portion 11B. Furthermore, a guide wall 11K is provided projecting downward from the inner surface (upper surface) of the upper wall constituting the hood portion 11B, extending in the front-rear direction so as to sandwich the locking projection 11D from the left and right directions.

[0023] The male terminal fitting 12 is formed by bending a long, slender metal rod. As shown in Figure 1, the male terminal fitting 12 has a terminal connection portion 12A extending in the front-rear direction, an intermediate portion 12B bent downward from the rear end of the terminal connection portion 12A, and a circuit board connection portion 12C extending backward from the rear end of the intermediate portion 12B. The terminal connection portion 12A is press-fitted into the terminal insertion hole 11E of the terminal holding portion 11A (see Figure 6). The tab 12D at the tip of the terminal connection portion 12A is positioned to protrude forward within the hood portion 11B (see Figure 6). The circuit board connection portion 12C is connected to a circuit board (not shown) outside the male housing 11.

[0024] The moving plate 13 is made of synthetic resin. The moving plate 13 is positioned inside the hood portion 11B of the male housing 11 and is mounted to move between an initial position (see Figure 6) and a mating position further rearward than the initial position (see Figure 8). As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the moving plate 13 has a plate body 13A having thickness in the front-rear direction, a front wall 13B (see Figure 3) protruding forward from the front surface of the plate body 13A, and a rear wall 13C (see Figure 4) protruding rearward from the rear surface of the plate body 13A.

[0025] Multiple through holes 13D are formed in the plate body 13A. Each through hole 13D is formed to penetrate the plate body 13A in the thickness direction so as to correspond to the terminal insertion hole 11E of the male housing 11.

[0026] Each insertion hole 13D has a rectangular opening shape when viewed from the front. The tab 12D of each male terminal fitting 12 is inserted into each insertion hole 13D from the rear in a positioned state (see Figure 6). The center of the upper edge of the plate body 13A in the left-right direction is recessed downwards in a rectangular shape to form a recess 13E.

[0027] At both ends of the upper edge of the plate body 13A, there is a single convex portion 13F that protrudes upward. The rear side of each convex portion 13F is formed with a downward slope toward the rear (see Figure 4).

[0028] As shown in Figure 3, the front wall 13B has a flat first front wall 13G oriented in the left-right direction along the thickness direction, and a flat second front wall 13H oriented in the up-down direction along the thickness direction. The first front wall 13G is positioned between adjacent through holes 13D in the left-right direction. The upper and lower edges of the first front wall 13G are flush with the upper and lower edges of the plate body 13A, respectively. The second front wall 13H is positioned between adjacent through holes 13D in the up-down direction. The left and right edges of the second front wall 13H are flush with the left and right edges of the plate body 13A, respectively. The front end surface of the first front wall 13G and the front end surface of the second front wall 13H are flush.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, the rear wall 13C has a flat first rear wall 13J with the thickness direction oriented in the left-right direction, and a flat second rear wall 13K with the thickness direction oriented in the up-down direction. The first rear wall 13J is positioned between adjacent insertion holes 13D in the left-right direction. The upper and lower edges of the first rear wall 13J are flush with the upper and lower edges of the plate body 13A, respectively. The first rear wall 13J is positioned directly behind the first front wall 13G. The second rear wall 13K is positioned between adjacent insertion holes 13D in the up-down direction. The left and right edges of the second rear wall 13K are flush with the left and right edges of the plate body 13A, respectively. The second rear wall 13K is positioned directly behind the second front wall 13H. The rear end surface of the first rear wall 13J and the rear end surface of the second rear wall 13K are flush. The front-to-rear dimension of the rear wall 13C is set to be shorter than the front-to-rear dimension of the front wall 13B (see Figure 6).

[0030] The female housing 14 is made of synthetic resin. As shown in Figure 5, the female housing 14 has a rectangular block shape. Multiple cavities 14A are formed in the female housing 14, penetrating in the front-to-back direction. A lock arm 14B is provided in the left-to-right center of the upper surface of the female housing 14. The lock arm 14B has an elastically deformable arm portion 14F that rises from the rear end of the upper surface of the female housing 14 and extends forward in a cantilevered manner, and a lock projection 14G that protrudes upward from the front-to-back center of the arm portion 14F. The lock projection 14G engages with the locking projection 11D of the male housing 11 when the female housing 14 and the male housing 11 are fitted together (see Figure 8).

[0031] A front groove 14C is formed in the female housing 14. The front groove 14C is formed as a recess in the rear end surface of the female housing 14, facing forward in the fitting direction. The front groove 14C is positioned to partition the space between adjacent cavities 14A. Specifically, the front groove 14C has a first front groove 14D extending in the vertical direction and a second front groove 14E extending in the horizontal direction. The first front groove 14D is positioned between cavities 14A aligned in the horizontal direction. The second front groove 14E is positioned between cavities 14A aligned in the vertical direction. The first front groove 14D and the second front groove 14E are perpendicular to each other. The back surfaces of the first front groove 14D and the second front groove 14E are flush.

[0032] The female terminal fitting 15 is made of conductive metal. As shown in Figure 1, the female terminal fitting 15 has a shape that extends in the front-to-back direction. The female terminal fitting 15 has a rectangular tubular connecting portion 15A and an open barrel-shaped barrel portion 15B connected to the front end of the connecting portion 15A. The tab 12D of the male terminal fitting 12 is inserted into the connecting portion 15A (see Figure 8). The barrel portion 15B is connected to the end of the electric wire W. The female terminal fitting 15 is inserted into the cavity 14A from the front (see Figure 6). The female terminal fitting 15 is positioned in the cavity 14A in a way that prevents it from coming loose, by locking the connecting portion 15A into the lance 14H provided in the cavity 14A (see Figure 6).

[0033] [An example of the procedure for fitting the male and female housings together] As shown in Figure 6, a moving plate 13 is housed in the hood portion 11B of the male housing 11. Tabs 12D pass through the plate body 13A of the moving plate 13. The moving plate 13 is housed in the hood portion 11B with its front wall 13B positioned in front of the plate body 13A and its rear wall 13C positioned behind the plate body 13A. The rear wall 13C protrudes rearward from the plate body 13A so as to separate adjacent tabs 12D.

[0034] The protrusion 13F of the moving plate 13 is fitted into the first through hole 11L formed at the rear end of the receiving groove 11C. At this time, the position of the moving plate 13 in the hood portion 11B is the initial position. When the moving plate 13 is in the initial position, the front end of the front wall 13B is located forward of the front end of the tab 12D. When the moving plate 13 is housed in the hood portion 11B, the front wall 13B and rear wall 13C of the moving plate 13 are in slidable contact with the inner circumferential surface of the hood portion 11B. Specifically, the upper and lower edges of the first front wall 13G and the first rear wall 13J are in slidable contact with the inner surfaces of the upper and lower walls of the hood portion 11B. The left and right edges of the second front wall 13H and the second rear wall 13K are in slidable contact with the inner surfaces of the left and right walls of the hood portion 11B.

[0035] Then, the female housing 14 is positioned opposite the front of the hood portion 11B. Specifically, the front groove 14C of the female housing 14 is positioned opposite the front end of the hood portion 11B from the front, and the lock arm 14B is positioned opposite the front of the locking projection 11D. In this state, the connector 10 inserts the female housing 14 into the hood portion 11B from the front.

[0036] As the insertion of the female housing 14 into the hood portion 11B progresses further, the front wall 13B is inserted into the front groove 14C, and the rear end surface of the female housing 14 comes into contact with the front surface of the plate body 13A of the moving plate 13 (see Figure 7). In other words, the front wall 13B fits into the front groove 14C.

[0037] As the insertion of the female housing 14 into the hood portion 11B progresses further, the moving plate 13 is pressed backward by the female housing 14 and moves backward together with the female housing 14 (see Figure 7). At this time, the tab 12D of the male terminal fitting 12 is inserted into the connection portion 15A of the female terminal fitting 15 (see Figure 7). The locking projection 14G of the lock arm 14B comes into contact with the locking projection 11D and is pressed downward, causing the arm portion 14F to elastically deform downward (see Figure 7).

[0038] Then, the rear wall 13C is inserted into the rear groove 11F formed in the terminal holding portion 11A of the male housing 11, and the rear surface of the plate body 13A of the moving plate 13 comes into contact with the front surface of the terminal holding portion 11A (see Figure 8). In other words, the rear wall 13C fits into the rear groove 11F. At this time, the protrusion 13F of the moving plate 13 fits into the second through hole 11J of the hood portion 11B (see Figure 8). Then, the lock projection 14G of the lock arm 14B passes the locking projection 11D backward, and the arm portion 14F elastically returns to its original position. As a result, the lock projection 14G and the locking projection 11D are locked together (see Figure 8). Thus, the fitting of the male housing 11 and the female housing 14 is completed. At this time, the position of the moving plate 13 in the hood portion 11B is the fitting position (see Figure 8). When the male housing 11 and the female housing 14 are fitted together, the front end of the front wall 13B is located behind the front end of the tab 12D (see Figure 8).

[0039] As shown in Figure 8, once the male housing 11 and the female housing 14 are fitted together, the creepage distance L1 (the path shown by the thick dotted line) between adjacent male terminal fittings 12 in the vertical direction on the front side of the plate body 13A is set to follow the second front wall 13H of the front wall 13B, so it can be set to a longer distance than when the second front wall 13H is absent. Similarly, the creepage distance L2 (the path shown by the thick dotted line) between adjacent male terminal fittings 12 in the vertical direction on the rear side of the plate body 13A is set to follow the second rear wall 13K of the rear wall 13C, so it can be set to a longer distance than when the second rear wall 13K is absent.

[0040] As shown in Figure 9, once the male housing 11 and the female housing 14 are mated, the creepage distance L3 (the path shown by the thick dotted line) between adjacent male terminal fittings 12 in the left-right direction on the front side of the plate body 13A is set to follow the first front wall 13G of the front wall 13B, so it can be set to a longer distance than when the first front wall 13G is absent. Also, the creepage distance L4 (the path shown by the thick dotted line) between adjacent male terminal fittings 12 in the left-right direction on the rear side of the plate body 13A is set to follow the first rear wall 13J of the rear wall 13C, so it can be set to a longer distance than when the first rear wall 13J is absent.

[0041] As described above, the connector 10 of Embodiment 1 comprises a male housing 11 having a hood portion 11B, a male terminal fitting 12 having a tab 12D that protrudes forward within the hood portion 11B, and a moving plate 13 disposed within the hood portion 11B and movable from an initial position within the hood portion 11B to a mating position further back than the initial position. The moving plate 13 has a plate body 13A through which the tab 12D passes, and a front wall 13B that protrudes forward from the plate body 13A. When the moving plate 13 is in the initial position, the front end of the front wall 13B is located in front of the front end of the tab 12D.

[0042] With this configuration, when the moving plate 13 is in its initial position, the front end of the front wall 13B is in front of the front end of the tab 12D, so that foreign objects do not come into contact with the tab 12D before it is fitted with the female housing 14. Since the initial position is closer to the front end of the tab 12D than the fitted position, the protrusion dimension of the front wall can be reduced compared to when the front wall protrudes from the rear end surface of the hood.

[0043] The front wall 13B has a flat first front wall 13G whose thickness direction is oriented in the left-right direction. The upper and lower edges of the first front wall 13G are in slidable contact with the inner surface of the hood portion 11B. With this configuration, the first front wall 13G makes it difficult for the plate body 13A to tilt upward or downward relative to the hood portion 11B.

[0044] The front wall 13B has a flat second front wall 13H with its thickness direction oriented vertically. The left and right edges of the second front wall 13H are slidably in contact with the inner surface of the hood portion 11B. With this configuration, the second front wall 13H makes it difficult for the plate body 13A to tilt to the left or right relative to the hood portion 11B.

[0045] The female housing 14 is fitted into the male housing 11. The female housing 14 has a front groove 14C that is recessed in the fitting direction and into which the front wall 13B fits. When the female housing 14 and the male housing 11 are fitted together, the front end of the front wall 13B is located behind the front end of the tab 12D. With this configuration, the length of the front wall 13B in the fitting direction can be kept from becoming too large, so the depth of the front groove 14C in the female housing 14 can be made shallower, thereby improving the strength of the female housing 14.

[0046] The moving plate 13 has a rear wall 13C that protrudes rearward from the plate body 13A so as to separate adjacent tabs 12D. With this configuration, creepage distances L2 and L4 between adjacent male terminal fittings 12 can be secured.

[0047] [Other embodiments of this disclosure] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. (1) Unlike the above embodiment, the dimensions of the front wall and the rear wall in the front-rear direction may be the same, and the dimensions of the rear wall may be longer than the dimensions of the front wall. (2) In contrast to the above embodiment, the male housing may be configured with a lever. In this case, the female housing and the moving plate may each be provided with a cam that fits into a cam groove provided on the lever, and the male housing and the female housing may be fitted and disengaged by rotating the lever. (3) In contrast to the above embodiment, the moving plate may be configured to have only a front wall and only a rear wall. Furthermore, the front wall may be configured to have only a first front wall and only a second front wall, and the rear wall may be configured to have only a first rear wall and only a second rear wall. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0048] 10: Connector 11: Male Housing 11A: Terminal holding part 11B: Food section 11C: Receiving groove 11D: Locking protrusion 11E: Terminal insertion hole 11F: Rear side ditch 11G: First rear side ditch 11H: Second rear side ditch 11J: 2nd through hole 11K: Guide wall 11L: 1st through hole 12: Male terminal fittings 12A: Terminal connection section 12B: Middle part 12C: PCB connection section 12D: Tab 13: Moving Plate 13A: Plate body 13B: Front wall 13C: Back wall 13D: Through hole 13E: Recess 13F: Convex part 13G: 1st front wall 13H: 2nd front wall 13J: 1st rear wall 13K:Second back wall 14: Female housing 14A: Cavity 14B: Lock Arm 14C: Front side groove 14D: First front side ditch 14E: Second front side ditch 14F: Arm section 14G: Locking protrusion 14H: Lance 15: Female terminal fittings 15A: Connection part 15B: Barrel section L1,L2,L3,L4: Creepage distance W: Electric wire

Claims

1. A male housing having a hood section, A male terminal fitting having a tab that protrudes forward within the hood portion, A moving plate disposed within the hood and movable from an initial position within the hood to a fitting position rearward from the initial position, Equipped with, The aforementioned moving plate is The plate body through which the aforementioned tab passes, A front wall protruding forward from the plate body, It has, With the moving plate positioned in the initial position, The front end of the front wall is located forward of the front end of the tab, and is a connector.

2. The aforementioned front wall has a flat, plate-shaped first front wall with its thickness direction oriented in the left-right direction, The connector according to claim 1, wherein the upper and lower edges of the first front wall are slidably in contact with the inner surface of the hood portion.

3. The aforementioned front wall has a second front wall which is flat and oriented in the vertical direction in the thickness direction, The connector according to claim 2, wherein the left and right edges of the second front wall are slidably in contact with the inner surface of the hood portion.

4. The male housing is fitted into a female housing, The female housing has a front groove formed therein, which is recessed in the fitting direction and into which the front wall fits. The connector according to claim 1, wherein, when the female housing and the male housing are fitted together, the front end of the front wall is located behind the front end of the tab.

5. The aforementioned moving plate is The connector according to claim 4, having a rear wall that protrudes rearward from the plate body so as to separate adjacent tabs.

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