electrical connectors

Abstract

To surely and stably obtain a holding force of a retainer for a connector housing by suppressing an increase in force to be required for inserting and removing the retainer.SOLUTION: A retainer 30 includes a rod-shaped retainer body 32 including an engaging portion with a terminal 14, a first projecting portion 36 projecting from the retainer body 32 toward one side in an insertion direction A, an elastic piece 40 which extends from the retainer body 32 and faces the retainer body 32 from the one side at a distance at a position behind the first projecting portion 36 in the insertion direction A, and a second projecting portion 42 projecting from the elastic piece 40 toward the retainer body 32. The connector housing 10 has a locking piece 20 to ride on the first projecting portion 36 during a process of inserting the retainer 30 into a receiving hole 16. In a state where the retainer 30 has been inserted, the rear end of the first projecting portion 36 engages the front end of the locking piece 20 in the insertion direction A, and the second projecting portion 42 is caused to ride on the locking piece 20 from a side which is apart from the engaging side between the locking piece 20 and the first projecting portion 36.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector including a retainer that prevents terminals arranged in a connector housing from slipping out. [Background technology]

[0002] A known electrical connector has a connector housing that accommodates at least one terminal extending in a predetermined direction, and a retainer that is inserted into a receiving hole provided in the connector housing in a direction transverse to the extension direction of the terminal to engage the terminal with the connector housing (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The retainer has an engaging claw with a retainer side protrusion at its free end, and when inserted into the receiving hole of the connector housing, the retainer side protrusion overcomes the housing side protrusion formed on the connector housing, and the rear end of the retainer side protrusion engages with the front end of the housing side protrusion, thereby holding (locking) it to the connector housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-181470 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In conventional electrical connectors, when the retainer is repeatedly inserted and removed, the retainer protrusion and the housing protrusion are deformed by the pressing force acting on them when they come into contact with and overcome the housing protrusion, which can reduce the engagement between the retainer protrusion and the housing protrusion, making it difficult to stably maintain the retainer's holding force on the connector housing.

[0006] It is conceivable to increase the retention force of the retainer relative to the connector housing by increasing the protrusion height of the retainer-side protrusion and the housing-side protrusion, thereby increasing the initial engagement allowance between the retainer-side protrusion and the housing-side protrusion. However, a large engagement allowance increases the force required to insert and remove the retainer, and makes the retainer-side protrusion and the housing-side protrusion more susceptible to crushing. For this reason, even if the initial engagement allowance is set large, it is difficult to obtain a stable retention force of the retainer relative to the connector housing over a long period of time.

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to suppress an increase in the force required to insert or remove the retainer, thereby ensuring a stable holding force of the retainer against the connector housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention is an electrical connector having a connector housing (10) that accommodates at least one terminal (14) extending in a predetermined direction (X9), and a retainer (30) that is inserted into a receiving hole (16) provided in the connector housing in a direction transverse to the extension direction of the terminal to lock the terminal to the connector housing, wherein the retainer has a rod-shaped retainer body (32) including an engagement portion with the terminal, a first protrusion (36) protruding from one side of the retainer body, and a rear of the first protrusion in the insertion direction of the retainer. At this position, the connector housing has a resilient piece (40) extending from the retainer body and facing the retainer body at a distance from one side, and a second protrusion (42) protruding from the first resilient piece toward the retainer body, and the connector housing has a locking piece (20) that will ride up on the first protrusion during the process of inserting the retainer into the receiving hole, and when the insertion of the retainer is complete, the rear end of the first protrusion in the insertion direction engages with the front end of the locking piece, and the second protrusion rides up on the locking piece from the side away from the engagement side between the locking piece and the first protrusion.

[0009] According to this aspect, the force required to insert and remove the retainer is suppressed, and the force of holding the retainer to the connector housing can be reliably and stably obtained.

[0010] In the above aspect, when the insertion of the retainer is completed, the locking piece is sandwiched between the retainer body and the second protrusion from a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction.

[0011] According to this aspect, it is possible to prevent a gap from being generated between the locking piece and the retainer in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, which would cause rattle.

[0012] In the above aspect, the retainer has a flange portion extending from the retainer body in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, and the flange portion has an opening that receives the locking piece when the retainer is in a fully inserted state, and the part of the flange portion that defines the opening may form the resilient piece in the shape of a double-supported beam.

[0013] According to this aspect, the elastically deformable first resilient piece can be provided appropriately without complicating the structure of the retainer.

[0014] In the above aspect, the flange portion may include a portion that is to come into contact with the connector housing in the insertion direction, and the completed insertion state of the retainer may be determined by the contact with the connector housing.

[0015] According to this aspect, the insertion completion state of the retainer is defined without complicating the structure of the retainer.

[0016] In the above aspect, the locking piece may be configured as a cantilever piece extending rearward in the insertion direction from a wall surface of the connector housing.

[0017] According to this aspect, the elastically deformable locking piece can be provided accurately without complicating the structure of the connector housing.

[0018] In the above aspect, a rear end surface of the first protrusion in the insertion direction may be an inclined surface.

[0019] According to this aspect, the locking piece moves up onto the first protrusion gradually without requiring a large force.

[0020] In the above aspect, at least one of a front end surface of the second protrusion in the insertion direction and a rear end surface of the locking piece in the insertion direction that faces the front end surface may be an inclined surface.

[0021] According to this aspect, the locking piece moves up onto the second protrusion gradually without requiring a large force. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the above-described embodiment, the force required to insert and remove the retainer is suppressed, and the force of holding the retainer to the connector housing is reliably and stably obtained. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a right side view of the electrical connector according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a left side view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion showing a retainer insertion process 1 of the electrical connector according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of the electrical connector according to the present embodiment, showing a retainer insertion process 2. [Figure 7] 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of the electrical connector according to the present embodiment, showing a retainer insertion process 3. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of the electrical connector according to the present embodiment, showing a state in which the retainer has been completely inserted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the electrical connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the front-rear direction X, the left-right direction Y, and the up-down direction Z are defined as shown by the arrows in the drawings. However, these direction definitions are for the convenience of explanation and are not limited to these.

[0025] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the electrical connector of this embodiment has a connector housing 10 molded from synthetic resin. The connector housing 10 includes a plurality of terminal chambers 12 extending in a predetermined direction, which in this embodiment is the front-to-rear direction X. The terminal chambers 12 are partitioned by partition walls 10C into ten chambers in a lattice pattern in the left-to-right direction Y, with each chamber being divided into two upper and lower stages. Each terminal chamber 12 accommodates a female terminal 14 (see Figure 3) extending in the front-to-rear direction X.

[0026] The connector housing 10 is formed with a retainer receiving hole 16 that penetrates the connector housing 10 in the left-right direction. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, the retainer receiving hole 16 is formed so as to penetrate the right side wall 10A, the left side wall 10B, and the partition wall 10C of each terminal chamber 12 of the connector housing 10. A retainer 30 is inserted into the retainer receiving hole 16 from an opening end 16A of the right side wall 10A in an insertion direction A. The opening end 16A opens to the bottom of a flange receiving recess 18 (described below) that is formed in the right side wall 10A.

[0027] The connector housing 10 is formed with a retainer guide rail portion 19 (see FIG. 2) that extends linearly in front of the retainer receiving hole 16 continuously in the left-right direction Y.

[0028] Here, the insertion direction A of the retainer 30 into the retainer receiving hole 16 is the left-right direction Y. The insertion direction A and the left-right direction Y are the same direction, and in the following description, the insertion direction A and the left-right direction Y may be used interchangeably for convenience.

[0029] The retainer 30 is a resin molded product and integrally includes a rod-shaped retainer body 32 with a substantially rectangular cross section and a flat flange portion 34 extending from one end (base end) 32A of the retainer body 32 in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction A.

[0030] The retainer body 32 is received in the retainer receiving hole 16 and extends in the left-right direction Y between the upper and lower two rows of female terminals 14, spanning these rows, and engages with each female terminal 14. In this way, the retainer 30 collectively locks all of the female terminals 14 into the connector housing 10. For a more detailed explanation of how the retainer 30 locks the female terminals 14, please refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-181470.

[0031] A flange receiving recess 18 that receives a flange portion 34 is formed in the right side wall 10A of the connector housing 10. The flange portion 34 abuts against the bottom wall 18A of the flange receiving recess 18, thereby determining the fully inserted state of the retainer 30 into the retainer receiving hole 16. In the fully inserted state, the free end 32B of the retainer body 32 is aligned with the open end 16B of the left side wall 10B of the retainer receiving hole 16, and the retainer 30 is removed from the retainer receiving hole 16 by pushing the free end of the retainer body 32 to the right from the open end 16B.

[0032] 5 to 8, the connector housing 10 has a cantilevered housing locking piece (locking piece) 20 extending rearward from the bottom wall 18A of the flange receiving recess 18 in the insertion direction A of the retainer 30. The housing locking piece 20 includes a flat main portion 20A and a protrusion 20B protruding rearward from the rear surface of the free end of the main portion 20A.

[0033] A slit-shaped opening 17 is formed in the bottom wall 18A of the flange-receiving recess 18, expanding the retainer-receiving hole 16 rearward. The base of the housing-side locking piece 20 has a front surface 20E, which is exposed forward in the insertion direction A, at a portion aligned with the opening 17.

[0034] The front corner of the free end of the main portion 20A and the rear corner of the protrusion 20B, in other words, the front and rear corners of the rear end face in the insertion direction A of the housing side locking piece 20, are chamfered inclined surfaces 20C and 20D inclined toward the insertion direction A.

[0035] A rail engagement groove 33 is formed on the front surface of the retainer body 32, extending linearly in the left-right direction Y (insertion direction A) to slidably engage with the retainer guide rail portion 19 in the left-right direction Y. Due to the slidable engagement between the rail engagement groove 33 and the retainer guide rail portion 19, the insertion of the retainer 30 into the retainer receiving hole 16 is guided linearly in the left-right direction Y. This allows the retainer 30 to be inserted smoothly into the retainer receiving hole 16.

[0036] The retainer body 32 is formed with a first protrusion 36 that protrudes rearward, perpendicular to the insertion direction A, from the rear surface near the base end 32A. The first protrusion 36 has a flat top surface 36A that extends over a predetermined length in the insertion direction A. The front and rear end surfaces of the first protrusion 36 with respect to the insertion direction A are inclined surfaces 36B and 36C that are inclined toward the insertion direction A. This gives the first protrusion 36 a trapezoidal shape in a side view.

[0037] The flange portion 34 has an opening 38 that receives the housing-side locking piece 20 during insertion of the retainer 30 and when insertion is complete. The opening 38 is a rectangular opening that is long in the up-down direction Z near the rear edge of the flange portion 34. The flange portion 34 defines a retainer-side resilient piece (resilient piece) 40 that is supported at both ends between the rear edge and the opening 38. The retainer-side resilient piece 40 extends from the retainer main body 32 at a position rearward of the first protrusion 36 in the insertion direction A, faces the retainer main body 32 from behind and spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction X, and is a supported piece that is more easily elastically deformed in the front-to-rear direction X than in the left-to-right direction Y.

[0038] The flange portion 34 has a second protrusion 42 that protrudes from the retainer-side resilient piece 40 toward the retainer body 32, in other words, toward the opening 38. The second protrusion 42 has a flat top surface 42A that extends over a predetermined length in the insertion direction A, and its entirety in the insertion direction A is located further rearward than the first protrusion 36. The front end surface of the second protrusion 42 in the insertion direction A forms an inclined surface 42B that is inclined toward the insertion direction A.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, the flange portion 34 is formed with a protrusion 35 that fits into the recess 21 formed in the protrusion 20B of the housing side locking piece 20.

[0040] Next, the dimensions of each part of the housing side locking piece 20 and the retainer 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. The dimension a in the front-rear direction X of the opening end 16A of the retainer receiving hole 16 is the same as the dimension b in the front-rear direction X including the first protrusion 36. The dimension c in the front-rear direction X of the housing side locking piece 20 including the protrusion 20B is the same as the dimension d in the front-rear direction X of the inner surface 38A of the opening 38 and the top surface 36A of the first protrusion 36, which face each other in the front-rear direction X. Dimensions c and d may be approximately 0.50 to 0.70 mm. The dimension e in the front-rear direction X of the first protrusion 36 and the dimension f in the front-rear direction X of the second protrusion 42 may be the same or different. Dimensions e and f may be approximately 0.08 to 0.14 mm.

[0041] Next, the process of inserting the retainer 30 into the retainer receiving hole 16 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0042] First, as shown in Fig. 5, the retainer body 32 of the retainer 30 is inserted into the retainer receiving hole 16 from the right-side open end 16A, with the free end 32B (see Fig. 1) leading. As the insertion of the retainer 30 into the retainer receiving hole 16 progresses, as shown in Fig. 6, the main portion 20A of the housing-side locking piece 20 resiliently climbs onto the top surface 36A of the first protrusion 36, and the housing-side locking piece 20 enters the opening 38. In other words, during the insertion of the retainer 30 into the retainer receiving hole 16, the main portion 20A of the housing-side locking piece 20 resiliently climbs onto the top surface 36A of the first protrusion 36, and the housing-side locking piece 20 enters the opening 38. Since the dimensions a and b are the same and the dimensions c and d are the same, the insertion force required at this time is low enough to overcome the frictional resistance between the retainer 30 and the connector housing 10 .

[0043] As the insertion of the retainer 30 into the retainer receiving hole 16 progresses, the inclined surface 42B of the second protrusion 42 slides upward relative to the inclined surface 20D of the housing-side locking piece 20. As a result, as shown in Figure 7, the retainer-side resilient piece 40 is elastically deformed into a bow shape in the front-to-rear direction X, and with the main portion 20A of the housing-side locking piece 20 riding on the top surface 36A of the first protrusion 36, the protrusion 20B of the housing-side locking piece 20 resiliently rides on the top surface 42A of the second protrusion 42.

[0044] The main part 20A of the housing side locking piece 20 climbs up onto the top surface 42A of the second protrusion 42 gradually and smoothly, without requiring a large force, as the inclined surface 42B of the second protrusion 42 slides against the inclined surface 20D of the housing side locking piece 20.

[0045] As the insertion of the retainer 30 into the retainer receiving hole 16 progresses further, and the flange portion 34 abuts against the bottom wall 18A of the flange receiving recess 18 as shown in Figure 8, the insertion of the retainer 30 is completed, and the protrusion 20B of the housing side locking piece 20 moves up onto the top surface 42A of the second protrusion 42, and the main portion 20A of the housing side locking piece 20 moves up onto the top surface 36A of the first protrusion 36, and the housing side locking piece 20 moves up onto the first protrusion 36, and the rear end (inclined surface 36C) of the first protrusion 36 in the insertion direction A engages with the front end (front surface 20E extending in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction A) of the housing side locking piece 20 in the insertion direction A.

[0046] When the retainer 30 is fully inserted, the first protrusion 36 enters the opening 17 with the second protrusion 42 resiliently abutting against the housing-side locking piece 20 from the side away from the engagement side between the housing-side locking piece 20 and the first protrusion 36, and the inclined surface 36C of the first protrusion 36 faces the front surface 20E of the housing-side locking piece 20 in the insertion direction A. This facing state is an engagement state between the inclined surface 36C of the first protrusion 36 of the retainer 30 and the front surface 20E of the housing-side locking piece 20 that prevents the retainer 30 from slipping out of the retainer receiving hole 16.

[0047] The dimension g (see FIG. 5) in the front-to-rear direction of the opening 38 in the portion including the second protrusion 42 is dimension c-f+e, and if dimension f=e, then dimension g=c, and no gap occurs in the front-to-rear direction X between the housing-side locking piece 20 and the retainer 30 when the insertion of the retainer 30 is complete. Note that if dimension c=d does not hold, dimension g=c can hold even if dimension f=e does not hold.

[0048] In other words, when the insertion of the retainer 30 is complete, the elastic deformation of the retainer-side resilient piece 40 in the front-rear direction X is released, and the retainer body 32 and the second protrusion 42 sandwich the housing-side locking piece 20 between their opposing flat surfaces in the front-rear direction X, which is perpendicular to the insertion direction A of the retainer 30, and no substantial rattle occurs in the direction of the engagement margin (front-rear direction X) between the first protrusion 36 and the housing-side locking piece 20. As a result, even if the engagement margin between the inclined surface 36C of the first protrusion 36 and the front surface 20E of the housing-side locking piece 20 is small, the engagement between the inclined surface 36C of the first protrusion 36 and the front surface 20E of the housing-side locking piece 20 is reliably achieved.

[0049] As a result, no large force is required to engage the inclined surface 36C of the first protrusion 36 with the front surface 20E of the housing side locking piece 20, deformation, crushing, and wear of the first protrusion 36 and the second protrusion 42 are suppressed, and the retainer 30 is reliably locked to the connector housing 10.

[0050] The retainer 30 can be removed (extracted) from the connector housing 10 by pushing the free end 32B of the retainer body 32 to the right from the left opening end 16B of the retainer receiving hole 16, in the reverse order of the insertion process of the retainer 30 described above.

[0051] Thus, the force required to insert and remove the retainer 30 is suppressed, and the force of holding the retainer 30 to the connector housing 10 can be stably obtained over a long period of time.

[0052] The insertion force required to insert the retainer 30 is determined by the force required for the housing-side locking pieces 20 to climb onto the second protrusions 42, and the removal force required to remove the retainer 30 is determined by the force required for the housing-side locking pieces 20 to climb onto the first protrusions 36. This allows the insertion force and removal force of the retainer 30 to be individually set. The setting of the insertion force and removal force of the retainer 30 is achieved by selecting the heights (dimensions e, f) of the first protrusions 36 and the second protrusions 42 and / or the inclination angles of the inclined surfaces 20D, 36C, 42B.

[0053] If it is desired to make a difference between the insertion force required when inserting the retainer 30 and the removal force required when removing the retainer 30, it is sufficient to make a difference between the dimension e of the first protrusion 36 and the dimension f of the second protrusion 42, and / or to make a difference between the inclined surface 36C of the first protrusion 36 and the inclined surface 20D of the housing side locking piece 20 and the inclined surface 42B of the second protrusion 42.

[0054] While the present invention has been described above in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to such embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the height of the first protrusion 36 is preferably as large as possible while still achieving the objectives of the present invention, and may be greater or smaller than the height of the second protrusion 42. The first protrusion 36 may extend to the free end 32B of the retainer body 32 or its vicinity, and the inclined surface 36B is not essential. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10: Connector housing 10A: Right side wall 10B: Left side wall 10C: Compartment wall 12:Terminal room 14:Female terminal 16: Retainer receiving hole 16A: Open end 16B: Open end 17:Aperture 18: Flange receiving recess 18A:Bottom wall 19: Retainer guide rail 20: Housing side locking piece (locking piece) 20A: Main part 20B: Projection 20C: Inclined surface 20D: Inclined surface 20E: Front 21: Recess 30: Retainer 32: Retainer body 32A: Proximal end 32B: Free end 33: Rail engagement groove 34: Flange part 35: Protrusion 36: First protrusion 36A:Top surface 36B: Inclined surface 36C: Inclined surface 38:Aperture 38A: Inner surface 40: Retainer side bullet piece (bullet piece) 42: Second protrusion 42A:Top surface 42B: Inclined surface A: Insertion direction

Claims

1. An electrical connector having a connector housing that accommodates at least one terminal extending in a predetermined direction, and a retainer that is inserted into a receiving hole provided in the connector housing in a direction transverse to the extension direction of the terminal to lock the terminal in the connector housing, The retainer is a rod-shaped retainer body including an engaging portion for engaging with the terminal; a first protrusion protruding from the retainer body; a resilient piece facing the retainer body at a distance; a second protrusion protruding from the elastic piece toward the retainer body, the elastic piece is located behind the first protrusion in the insertion direction of the retainer, The connector housing includes a locking piece, The locking piece is a locking piece main portion having a front end surface on the front side as viewed in the insertion direction of the retainer into the receiving hole; a locking piece protrusion protruding from the locking piece main portion in the same direction as the first protrusion, The first protrusion is a first top surface that abuts against a surface of the locking piece main portion opposite to the protruding side of the locking piece protrusion during the process of inserting the retainer into the receiving hole; a rear end surface that engages with the front end surface of the locking piece when the retainer is in a fully inserted state; The second protrusion is a second top surface that abuts against the locking piece protrusion due to elastic deformation of the resilient piece when the first top surface abuts against the opposite surface of the locking piece main portion during the process of inserting the retainer into the receiving hole; The second top surface is configured to maintain a state of abutment against the locking piece protrusion when the retainer is fully inserted and the rear end surface is engaged with the front end surface of the locking piece.

2. 2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein, when the retainer is fully inserted, the locking piece is sandwiched between the retainer body and the second protrusion in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction.

3. 3. An electrical connector as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the retainer has a flange portion extending from the retainer body in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, the flange portion has an opening that receives the locking piece when the retainer is fully inserted, and the portion of the flange portion that defines the opening forms the resilient piece in the shape of a double-supported beam.

4. 4. The electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein the flange portion includes a portion that comes into contact with the connector housing in the insertion direction, and the contact with the connector housing determines the completed insertion state of the retainer.

5. 5. The electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein the locking piece is configured as a cantilever piece that extends rearward in the insertion direction from a wall surface of the connector housing and can enter the opening.

6. 6. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first protrusion has a rear end surface in the insertion direction that includes an inclined surface.

7. An electrical connector as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein at least one of the front end surface of the second protrusion in the insertion direction and the rear end surface of the locking piece in the insertion direction opposite the front end surface includes an inclined surface.

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