Spacer

Abstract

To prevent both engagement arms of a plurality of spacers from being entangled at the time of assembling a connector with a machine and transporting a component.SOLUTION: A spacer 4 constructs a connector 1 so as to be mounted to a housing 2 housing a plurality of terminals 3 to lock a terminal 3. The spacer 4 comprises: a body part 41 to which a plurality of terminal insertion holes 42 to which the terminal 3 is inserted; a pair of engagement arms 45 that engages the housing 2; a coupling part 44 that connects the body part 41 with each engagement arm 45; and a pair of projection parts 46 that is projected from the coupling part 44. In the spacer 4, the body part 41 is arranged to one side of each engagement 45, and a projection part 46 is arranged to the other side of each engagement 45. Also, in the spacer 4, a long direction both end part (side surfaces 41a and 41b) of the body part 41 is arranged to the outside from the pair of engagement arms 45.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a spacer which is a component part of a connector. [Background technology]

[0002] A connector is known that double-locks terminals accommodated in a housing by a lance provided in the housing and a spacer attached to the housing, thereby preventing the terminals from coming loose (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] 8 is an exploded view of a connector 501 equipped with a conventional spacer 504. This connector 501 includes a housing 502 provided with a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 522, terminals 503 (only one shown) accommodated in each terminal accommodating chamber 522, and a spacer 504 attached to the housing 502 to prevent the terminals 503 from coming off.

[0004] Terminal 503 is connected to the end of electric wire 511, and includes a core wire crimping portion 531, a covering crimping portion 532, and a rectangular tubular connecting portion 533 to be connected to the terminal of a mating connector.

[0005] Each terminal accommodating chamber 522 of the housing 502 is provided with a lance that engages with the terminal 503. The housing 502 also has a recess into which the spacer 504 is inserted.

[0006] The spacer 504 includes a main body 541 having a plurality of terminal insertion holes 542 through which the terminals 503 are inserted, and a pair of locking arms 545 that lock onto the housing 502. The pair of locking arms 545 extend from both ends of the main body 541.

[0007] In connector 501, with spacer 504 inserted into and provisionally locked in the recess of housing 502, each terminal 503 is inserted into each terminal accommodating chamber 522, and each lance locks onto each terminal 503. At this time, each terminal 503 is passed through each terminal insertion hole 542 of spacer 504. Thereafter, spacer 504 is inserted further into the recess and fully locked onto housing 502, whereby spacer 504 locks onto each terminal 503.

[0008] In this way, the connector 501 double-locks the terminals 503 with the lances of the housing 502 and the spacers 504 . [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-113505 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] In the conventional spacer 504 described above, the locking arms 545 are arranged on both sides of the main body 541 and are exposed, which causes a problem that the locking arms 545 of multiple spacers 504 tend to become entangled with each other, as shown in Fig. 9. Specifically, when assembling the connector 501 by machine, the locking arms 545 of multiple spacers 504 can become entangled with each other in a parts feeder, or when transporting parts before assembly.

[0011] If the locking arms 545 become entangled as described above, the locking arms 545 may be damaged or the machine may stop, reducing production efficiency, so improvement was necessary.

[0012] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a spacer that can prevent a plurality of spacers from becoming entangled with each other when assembling connectors using a machine or transporting components. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The present invention provides a spacer that is attached to a housing that accommodates a plurality of terminals to prevent the terminals from slipping out, the spacer comprising: a main body portion having a plurality of terminal insertion holes through which the terminals are inserted; a locking arm that locks onto the housing; a connecting portion that connects the main body portion and the locking arm; and a protruding portion that protrudes from the connecting portion. a terminal insertion direction is a direction in which the terminal is passed through the terminal insertion hole, the main body portion is arranged on one side of the locking arm in the terminal insertion direction, and the protrusion portion is arranged on the other side of the locking arm in the terminal insertion direction, the main body portion is formed in a plate shape having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, the terminal insertion direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, a pair of the locking arms is provided, the pair of locking arms are arranged with a gap in the longitudinal direction, and the pair of locking arms are arranged closer to the center than both longitudinal end ends of the main body portion, and the pair of locking arms each include an arm portion extending in the lateral direction of the main body portion from both longitudinal end ends of the connecting portion, and a claw portion protruding from the tip of the arm portion toward the longitudinal center of the main body portion. It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the locking arms of a plurality of spacers from becoming entangled with each other when assembling a connector by machine or transporting parts. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a connector equipped with a spacer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the connector of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the spacer of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the spacer of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a side view of the spacer of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which two spacers of the present invention are in contact with each other. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a side view of the two spacers of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a connector equipped with a conventional spacer. [Figure 9] 9A and 9B are diagrams for explaining problems with the spacer in FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] A "spacer" according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0017] 1 and 2, the spacer 4 is attached to the housing 2 that accommodates a plurality of terminals 3 to form the connector 1 and prevents the terminals 3 from coming loose. That is, the connector 1 includes the housing 2, a plurality of terminals 3 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 2) accommodated in the housing 2, a lever 6 (shown only in FIG. 1), and the spacer 4.

[0018] The terminal 3 is connected to the end of the electric wire 11, and includes a core wire crimping portion 31 that crimps the exposed core wire of the electric wire 11, a coating crimping portion 32 that crimps the coating portion of the electric wire 11, and a rectangular tubular connecting portion 33 that is connected to a male terminal of a mating connector (not shown). Such a terminal 3 is generally called a female terminal.

[0019] The housing 2 is made of insulating synthetic resin and includes a rectangular parallelepiped housing main body 21, a boss 23 to which the lever 6 is rotatably attached, and an auxiliary guide boss 24.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the housing main body 21 has a front surface 21f, a rear surface 21e, a top surface 21c, a bottom surface 21d, and a pair of side surfaces 21a and 21b. The front surface 21f is the surface facing the mating direction with the mating connector. The rear surface 21e is the surface opposite the front surface 21f. The top surface 21c is a surface on which the boss 23 is provided. The top surface 21c is a surface that includes the long sides of the front surface 21f and the rear surface 21e. The bottom surface 21d is a surface opposite the top surface 21c and is a surface on which the auxiliary guide boss 24 is provided. The bottom surface 21d is a surface that includes the long sides of the front surface 21f and the rear surface 21e. The side surfaces 21a and 21b are surfaces that include the short sides of the front surface 21f and the rear surface 21e.

[0021] The names of the top surface 21c and bottom surface 21d of the housing main body 21 are given for convenience based on the paper direction of Figure 2, and do not necessarily correspond to the up and down direction in an actual situation where the connector 1 is used.

[0022] The housing body 21 is provided with a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 22, lances that engage with the terminals 3 accommodated in each terminal accommodating chamber 22, and recesses 25 into which the spacers 4 are inserted. Each terminal accommodating chamber 22 is open to the front face 21f and the rear face 21e. The terminals 3 are inserted into the terminal accommodating chambers 22 from the rear face 21e side. A male terminal of the mating connector is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 22 from the front face 21f side and into the rectangular tubular connecting portion 33.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the recess 25 is recessed from the bottom surface 21d of the housing body 21 toward the top surface 21c.

[0024] The lever 6 is made of insulating synthetic resin and is rotatably attached to the housing 2. By rotating the lever 6 from the initial position to the mating completion position, the housing 2 and the mating connector are brought close to each other and mated.

[0025] 1 to 5 is made of insulating synthetic resin. The spacer 4 includes a main body 41 having a plurality of terminal insertion holes 42 through which the terminals 3 are inserted, a pair of locking arms 45 that lock onto the housing 2, connecting portions 44 that connect the main body 41 and each locking arm 45, and a pair of protrusions 46 that protrude from the connecting portions 44.

[0026] The main body 41 is formed in a plate shape having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction. The longitudinal direction of the main body 41 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the housing 2 when the spacer 4 is inserted in the recess 25. The lateral direction of the main body 41 coincides with the depth direction of the recess 25 (the direction from the bottom surface 21d toward the top surface 21c of the housing main body 21) when the spacer 4 is inserted in the recess 25. The multiple terminal insertion holes 42 penetrate the main body 41 in a thickness direction perpendicular to the longitudinal and lateral directions of the main body 41. In other words, the terminal insertion direction in which the terminals 3 are inserted into the terminal insertion holes 42 is perpendicular to the longitudinal and lateral directions of the main body 41.

[0027] The main body 41 has a front surface 41f, a rear surface 41e, a top surface 41c, a bottom surface 41d, and a pair of side surfaces 41a and 41b. The front surface 41f is a surface that is disposed on the front surface 21f side of the housing main body 21 when the spacer 4 is inserted in the recess 25. The rear surface 41e is a surface that is disposed on the rear surface 21e side of the housing main body 21 when the spacer 4 is inserted in the recess 25. The top surface 41c is a surface that is disposed on the top surface 21c side of the housing main body 21 when the spacer 4 is inserted in the recess 25. The bottom surface 41d is a surface that is disposed on the bottom surface 21d side of the housing main body 21 when the spacer 4 is inserted in the recess 25. The side surface 41a is a surface that is disposed on the side surface 21a side of the housing main body 21 when the spacer 4 is inserted in the recess 25. The side surface 41b is a surface that is disposed on the side surface 21b side of the housing main body 21 when the spacer 4 is inserted in the recess 25.

[0028] The names of the top surface 41c and bottom surface 41d of the main body 41 are names given for convenience to correspond to the top surface 21c and bottom surface 21d of the housing main body 21, and do not necessarily correspond to the up and down directions in an actual situation in which the connector 1 is used.

[0029] A plurality of recesses 43 are provided on the top surface 41c of the main body 41. These recesses 43 are arranged in the terminal accommodating chambers 22 in the uppermost stage (the stage on the top surface 21c side) of the housing main body 21. The inner surfaces of the recesses 43 engage with the terminals 3 in the terminal accommodating chambers 22. The terminal insertion holes 42 are arranged in the terminal accommodating chambers 22 other than the uppermost stage. The inner surfaces of the terminal insertion holes 42 engage with the terminals 3 in the terminal accommodating chambers 22.

[0030] With the spacer 4 inserted into the recess 25 of the housing 2 and provisionally locked, each terminal 3 is inserted into each terminal accommodating chamber 22, and each lance locks onto each terminal 3. At this time, each terminal 3 is passed through each terminal insertion hole 42 of the spacer 4. Thereafter, the spacer 4 is inserted further into the recess 25 and fully locked into the housing 2, whereby the inner surfaces of the recess 43 and the terminal insertion hole 42 lock onto each terminal 3. In this way, the connector 1 double-locks the terminals 3 with the lance of the housing 2 and the spacer 4.

[0031] The connecting portion 44 is formed in the shape of a long, narrow plate that is continuous with the end of the back surface 41e of the main body 41 on the bottom surface 41d side and extends in the longitudinal direction of the main body 41. The bottom surface of the connecting portion 44 is formed flush with the bottom surface 41d of the main body 41.

[0032] The pair of locking arms 45 are connected to both longitudinal ends of the connecting portion 44. Each locking arm 45 includes an arm portion 45a extending from the end of the connecting portion 44 toward the upper surface 41c of the main body portion 41, and a claw portion 45b protruding from the tip of the arm portion 45a away from the connecting portion 44. In this manner, the pair of locking arms 45 are arranged at a distance from each other in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 41. Furthermore, the pair of locking arms 45 are arranged closer to the center than both longitudinal ends (side surfaces 41a, 41b) of the main body portion 41.

[0033] The recess 25 into which the spacer 4 is inserted is provided with a temporary locking portion where the pair of locking arms 45 are temporarily locked, and a final locking portion where the pair of locking arms 45 are finally locked.

[0034] The pair of protrusions 46 protrude from the end face of the connecting portion 44 toward the opposite side to the main body portion 41. The bottom surfaces of the pair of protrusions 46 are formed flush with the bottom surface of the connecting portion 44. One of the protrusions 46 is disposed near one of the locking arms 45. The other protrusion 46 is disposed near the other locking arm 45.

[0035] In this way, the main body 41 is arranged on one side of the locking arm 45 in the terminal insertion direction (right side in Figure 5), and the protrusion 46 is arranged on the other side of the locking arm 45 in the terminal insertion direction (left side in Figure 5).

[0036] By providing the protrusion 46 in the spacer 4 configured as described above, when two spacers 4 come into contact with each other as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the protrusion 46 comes into contact with the other first, and a clearance C can be created between the locking arms 45 of the two spacers 4. This makes it possible to prevent the locking arms 45 from becoming entangled with each other. Furthermore, since both longitudinal ends (side surfaces 41a, 41b) of the main body 41 of the spacer 4 are positioned outside the pair of locking arms 45, it is possible to prevent the locking arms 45 of the multiple spacers 4 from becoming entangled with each other when multiple spacers 4 come into contact with each other.

[0037] This prevents damage to the locking arms 45 and reduces the occurrence of defective products. Furthermore, when assembling the connector 1 by machine, the locking arms 45 of multiple spacers 4 can be prevented from becoming entangled in the parts feeder, preventing machine stoppages and improving production efficiency. Furthermore, the spacer 4 is shaped so that it can only be assembled to the housing 2 in one orientation, providing a mistake-proofing feature to prevent reverse assembly when assembling it to the housing 2. Furthermore, in addition to the bottom surface 41d of the main body 41, the bottom surfaces of the connecting portion 44 and the protruding portion 46 of the spacer 4 can be used as a contact surface for a jig during component assembly. This wide contact surface for the jig ensures the strength of the jig and improves assembly accuracy.

[0038] The above-described embodiment merely shows a typical form of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In other words, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the gist of the present invention. As long as such modifications still include the configuration of the present invention, they are of course included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1 connector 2. Housing 3 terminals 4 spacers 41 Main body 42 Terminal insertion hole 44 Connecting part 45 Locking arm 46. ​​Protrusion

Claims

[Claim 1] A spacer that is attached to a housing that accommodates a plurality of terminals to prevent the terminals from coming out, a main body portion provided with a plurality of terminal insertion holes through which the terminals are passed; a locking arm that locks onto the housing; a connecting portion connecting the main body portion and the locking arm; a protrusion protruding from the connecting portion, a terminal insertion direction in which the terminal is inserted into the terminal insertion hole; the main body is disposed on one side of the locking arm in the terminal insertion direction, and the protrusion is disposed on the other side of the locking arm in the terminal insertion direction, the main body is formed in a plate shape having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, and the terminal insertion direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, a pair of locking arms are provided, the pair of locking arms are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, and the pair of locking arms are located closer to the center than both longitudinal end portions of the main body portion; Each of the pair of locking arms includes an arm portion extending from both longitudinal ends of the connecting portion in the short direction of the main body portion, and a claw portion protruding from a tip of the arm portion toward the longitudinal center of the main body portion. A spacer characterized by:

Images