connector

Abstract

To provide a connector that prevents wrong insertion of fitting connectors into a fitted connector, and is excellent in productivity.SOLUTION: A connector 1 comprises: a plurality of fitting connectors 20 to which a plurality of electric wire bundles 30 are connected, respectively; and a fitted connector 10 that has a storage part 12 into which the plurality of fitting connectors 20 are inserted and stored. The fitting connectors 20 are arranged adjacent in an intersection direction intersecting a fitting direction to the fitted connector 10, and are formed of a plurality of sub connectors 21-23 to which electric wires 31 of the electric wire bundles 30 are connected, respectively. The storage part 12 is provided therein with a plurality of projections 14 defining storage chambers 13 storing the plurality of sub connectors 21-23, respectively. At least one sub connector of the plurality of sub connectors 21-23 is different in outer surface shape from the other sub connectors. At least one fitting connector of the plurality of fitting connectors 20 is different in outer surface shape from the other fitting connectors.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Connectors have been proposed in the past that include a multi-pole male connector and a plurality of low-pole female connectors that mate with the male connector. One conventional connector allows a user to select a desired female connector that corresponds to the intended use of the connector from a group of female connectors, each with a different number of poles, and mate it with the male connector (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This conventional connector is configured so that a detachable partition plate can freely define a housing section into which the desired female connector can be mated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-147960 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Although the conventional connectors described above can freely define a receiving section into which a desired female connector can be mated using a partition plate, the number of parts increases, and the installation of the partition plate requires an increased amount of work. Furthermore, conventional connectors require the preparation of multiple female connectors with different numbers of poles so that the desired female connector can be selected from multiple female connectors, which has led to a tendency for the number of female connector types to increase. As such, conventional connectors have room for improvement from the perspective of productivity.

[0005] In general, connectors (including conventional connectors) that have a multi-pole male connector and a plurality of low-pole female connectors are desired to be configured to prevent erroneous insertion of the female connector into the male connector.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a connector that prevents erroneous insertion of a mating connector into a mating connector and that is highly productive. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the connector according to the present invention has the following features.

[0008] A connector comprising: a plurality of mating connectors to which a plurality of electric wire bundles are respectively connected; and a mated connector having a housing portion into which the plurality of mating connectors are inserted and housed, The mating connector includes: the sub-connectors are arranged adjacent to each other in a direction intersecting the mating direction with the mated connector, and the sub-connectors are connected to the electric wires of the electric wire bundle, A plurality of protrusions are provided in the accommodating portion to define accommodating chambers in which the plurality of sub-connectors are respectively accommodated. At the same time , a plurality of engaging portions capable of engaging with the plurality of mating connectors inserted and accommodated in the accommodation portion are provided, the number of which is the same as the number of the mating connectors; At least one of the plurality of sub-connectors has an outer surface shape different from the other sub-connectors, At least one of the plurality of mating connectors has an outer surface shape different from the other mating connectors. It is a connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The connector according to the present invention will be described below. According to the connector of this configuration, a plurality of protrusions provided in the receiving connector's receiving portion define a receiving chamber in which a sub-connector constituting the mating connector is received. This allows the mating connector to be mated with the receiving connector without using any additional components. Furthermore, in the connector of this configuration, at least one of the sub-connectors has a different outer surface shape from the other sub-connectors, making it easy to manufacture at least one mating connector with a different outer surface shape from the other mating connectors. Thus, the connector of this configuration is more productive than conventional connectors. Furthermore, because at least one mating connector has a different outer surface shape from the other mating connectors, incorrect insertion of the mating connector into the receiving connector can be prevented. In other words, the connector of this configuration prevents erroneous insertion of the mating connector into the mating connector and is excellent in productivity.

[0010] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the following detailed description of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a top view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is an exploded top view of a main part of the connector shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of FIG. 2 (however, the wire bundle is not shown). [Figure 4] 4 is a front view of the male connector shown in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a front view of the female connectors shown in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the first sub-connector. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the second sub-connector. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the third sub-connector. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a combination of sub-connectors (a modified example of a female connector), and corresponds to FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, a connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 1 to 3 will be described with reference to the drawings. Connector 1 is typically a connector mounted on a vehicle. Note that the "mating connector" of the present invention corresponds to male connector 10, and the "mating connector" of the present invention corresponds to female connector 20.

[0013] For the sake of convenience, the following definitions are used for the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," and "lower" as shown in Figs. 1 to 9. The "front-rear direction," "left-right direction," and "up-down direction" are perpendicular to one another. The front-rear direction corresponds to the "fitting direction" of the present invention. The left-right direction corresponds to the "crossing direction" of the present invention.

[0014] 1 to 3, connector 1 is configured to include a plurality of (in this example, three) female connectors 20 (female connectors 20a to 20c) to which a plurality of (in this example, three) electric wire bundles 30 (30a to 30c) are respectively connected, and a male connector 10 to which the plurality of female connectors are fitted. Below, the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 that configure connector 1 will be described in order.

[0015] Each electric wire bundle 30 is made up of a plurality of electric wires 31. One end of the electric wire 31 is connected to a female terminal (not shown), and the other end is connected to, for example, an instrument panel or an engine floor. However, the connection destination of the other end of the electric wire 31 differs for each electric wire bundle 30. In other words, each electric wire bundle 30 is made up of a group of electric wires 31 having the same connection destination. Also, the electric wire bundle 30 refers to a physical bundle of a plurality of electric wires 31, or a group of electric wires 31 of the same color when the coating or the like of each connection destination is color-coded.

[0016] First, we will explain the male connector 10. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the male connector 10 is composed of male terminals (not shown) and a housing 11 that holds the male terminals. The housing 11 has a generally rectangular tubular shape that is long in the left-right direction and has an opening on the front side, and the tubular hole of this housing 11 forms a storage section 12 into which a plurality of female connectors 20 are inserted and stored.

[0017] Within the accommodating portion 12, a plurality of (seven in this example) protrusions 14 are arranged side by side at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction, protruding slightly downward from the upper wall of the housing 11. As a result, within the accommodating portion 12, a plurality of (eight in this example) accommodating chambers 13 are defined between the left wall and the protrusions 14, between adjacent protrusions 14, and between the protrusions 14 and the right wall, each of which accommodates a corresponding sub-connector 21-23. Note that each accommodating chamber 13 has two poles, and therefore the male connector 10 has 16 poles.

[0018] In a predetermined one of the plurality of storage chambers 13, one or two guide grooves 15 extending in the front-rear direction are provided in the bottom wall of the housing 11. When there is one guide groove 15, it is provided in the central region in the left-right direction of the storage chamber 13, and when there are two guide grooves 15, they are provided at both ends in the left-right direction. In this example, the second, fourth, seventh, and eighth storage chambers 13 from the left are provided with one guide groove 15, and the first and fifth storage chambers 13 from the left are provided with two guide grooves 15.

[0019] In this way, the shape of accommodating chamber 13 is determined by guide groove 15. That is, guide groove 15, together with guide rib 27, serves to guide the insertion of female connector 20 (i.e., sub-connectors 21-23) into male connector 10 (i.e., accommodating chamber 13), and also serves to prevent erroneous insertion of female connector 20 into male connector 10.

[0020] An elastically deformable flexible piece 16 is provided on the upper wall of housing 11. Flexible piece 16 elastically deforms in the vertical direction when female connector 20 is inserted into or removed from male connector 10. A short, downwardly protruding latched portion 17 is provided on the lower end surface of the rear end of flexible piece 16 so as to be positioned within accommodating portion 12. Locking portions 28 of sub-connectors 21 to 23, which will be described later, latch onto latched portion 17, thereby preventing female connector 20 from being detached from male connector 10.

[0021] Next, the female connector 20 will be described. As shown in Figures 2 to 3 and 5, the female connector 20 is made up of female terminals (not shown) and sub-connectors 21 to 23 that hold the female terminals. Specifically, the female connector 20 is made up of a plurality of sub-connectors 21 to 23 that are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction and to which the electric wires 31 of the electric wire bundle 30 are respectively connected.

[0022] In this example, female connector 20a has sub-connectors 21 and 22 arranged adjacent to each other from the left, and electric wires 31 of electric wire bundle 30a are connected to sub-connectors 21 and 22, respectively. Similarly, female connector 20b has sub-connectors 23, 22, and 21 arranged adjacent to each other from the left, and electric wires 31 of electric wire bundle 30b are connected to sub-connectors 23, 22, and 21, respectively. Similarly, female connector 20c has sub-connectors 23, 22, and 22 arranged adjacent to each other from the left, and electric wires 31 of electric wire bundle 30c are connected to sub-connectors 23, 22, and 22, respectively.

[0023] The following describes the sub-connectors 21 to 23 that make up the female connector 20. The only difference between the sub-connectors 21 to 23 is the configuration of the guide rib 27. In other respects, they are configured similarly.

[0024] 6, the sub-connector 21 has a housing 24 in the shape of a generally rectangular pillar that is long in the front-rear direction, and terminal accommodating chambers 25 that penetrate the housing 24 in the front-rear direction are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the up-down direction. In other words, the number of poles in the sub-connector 21 is two.

[0025] A pair of ribs 26 protruding upward is provided on the upper wall of the housing 24. The pair of ribs 26 is provided on both left and right ends of the upper wall of the housing 24, and extends across the entire area of ​​the housing 24 in the front-to-rear direction. The rear ends of the pair of ribs 26 are connected by a locking portion 28 extending in the left-to-right direction (see Figures 3 and 5). The locking portion 28 is locked to the locked portion 17 of the male connector 10, and functions to prevent the female connector 20 from coming off the male connector 10.

[0026] A pair of downwardly protruding guide ribs 27 are provided on the lower wall of the housing 24. The guide ribs 27 are provided on both left and right ends of the lower wall of the housing 24, and extend over the entire area of ​​the housing 24 in the front-rear direction.

[0027] In sub-connector 22, guide ribs 27 are provided in the left-right central region of the lower wall portion of housing 24 (see FIG. 7), while in sub-connector 23, guide ribs 27 are not provided on housing 24 (see FIG. 8). In this way, the outer surface shapes of sub-connectors 21 to 23 are determined by guide ribs 27. In other words, the outer surface shapes of sub-connectors 21 to 23 differ depending on the number and positions of guide ribs 27.

[0028] Therefore, the sub-connectors 21 to 23 are accommodated only in the accommodation chambers 13 of the corresponding shape. In other words, the guide ribs 27, together with the guide grooves 15, function to guide the insertion of the female connector 20 (i.e., the sub-connector 21) into the male connector 10 (i.e., the accommodation chamber 13), and also function to prevent the female connector 20 from being erroneously inserted into the male connector 10.

[0029] However, since the sub-connector 23 does not have a guide rib 27, it can be accommodated in any of the accommodating chambers 13, but from the standpoint of preventing erroneous insertion of the female connector 20 into the male connector 10, it is not preferable for it to be accommodated in an accommodating chamber 13 provided with a guide groove 15.

[0030] In this way, female connector 20 is constructed by appropriately selecting corresponding sub-connectors from a plurality of types (three types in this example) of sub-connectors 21 to 23 having different outer surface shapes, and combining them.

[0031] When selecting the sub-connectors 21 to 23 (i.e., when manufacturing the female connector 20), various conditions are required for the sub-connectors 21 to 23. In this example, the conditions are that they correspond to the number of wires 31 (i.e., the number of poles) of the wire bundle 30 connected to the female connector 20 and the shape of the accommodating chamber 13 of the male connector 10.

[0032] The above has described the male connector 10 and female connector 20 that make up connector 1. To obtain connector 1 consisting of male connector 10 and female connector 20, it is necessary to manufacture female connector 20, and then insert and accommodate multiple female connectors 20 (i.e., each of sub-connectors 21-23) into accommodating portion 12 (i.e., each of accommodating chambers 13) of male connector 10, thereby fitting female connector 20 to male connector 10. When female connector 20 is fitted to male connector 10, the male terminal and female terminal are electrically connected. A method for manufacturing connector 1 will now be described.

[0033] First, a plurality of female connectors 20 are manufactured to correspond to the number of wire bundles 30 (the connection destinations). In the manufacturing method of each female connector 20, a required number of sub-connectors corresponding to the number of wires 31 (i.e., the number of poles) of each wire bundle 30 and the shape of each accommodating chamber 13 are selected from the plurality of sub-connectors 21 to 23.

[0034] Next, the selected sub-connectors 21-23 are each made to hold a female terminal connected to an electric wire 31, and the sub-connectors 21-23 selected to correspond to the shape of each accommodating chamber 13 are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. At this time, the sub-connectors 21-23 constituting each female connector 20 may simply be arranged adjacent to each other, or may be locked by a desired locking means. In this way, each female connector 20 is completed.

[0035] Next, the female connector 20 is inserted into the accommodating section 12 of the male connector 10 to a predetermined position. Specifically, the sub-connectors 21 to 23 are inserted into the respective accommodating chambers 13 to a predetermined position. When the sub-connectors 21 to 23 are inserted into the accommodating chambers 13 provided with the flexible pieces 16, the locking portions 28 come into contact with the locked portions 17 of the flexible pieces 16 during the insertion, causing the flexible pieces 16 to elastically deform upward. Then, when the sub-connectors 21 to 23 are inserted to a predetermined position, the flexible pieces 16 undergo restoration deformation, and the locking portions 28 are locked into the locked portions 17. This prevents the female connector 20 from coming off the male connector 10.

[0036] When the sub-connectors 21-23 are inserted to a predetermined position in the accommodating chamber 13, the female connector 20 (i.e., each of the sub-connectors 21-23) is accommodated in the accommodating section 12 (i.e., each of the accommodating chambers 13), and the female connector 20 is fitted to the male connector 10. In this way, the connector 1 is completed. The method for manufacturing the connector 1 has been described above.

[0037] If the total number of poles of the male connector 10 is greater than the total number of poles required (that is, the total number of electric wires 31), so-called dummy sub-connectors 21 to 23 are inserted into the vacant receiving chambers 13.

[0038] <Actions and Effects> According to the connector 1 of this embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 14 provided on the accommodating portion 12 of the male connector 10 define the accommodation chamber 13 in which the sub-connectors 21-23 constituting the female connector 20 are accommodated. This allows the accommodation chamber 13 to be defined without using any additional components, and the female connector 20 can be easily mated with the male connector 10. Furthermore, since at least one of the plurality of sub-connectors 21-23 has a different outer surface shape from the other sub-connectors, it is easy to manufacture at least one female connector having a different outer surface shape from the other female connectors. Thus, the connector 1 has superior productivity compared to conventional connectors. Furthermore, the different outer surface shapes of the female connectors 20 can prevent erroneous insertion of the female connector 20 into the male connector 10. In other words, the connector 1 not only prevents erroneous insertion of the female connector 20 into the male connector 10 but also has excellent productivity.

[0039] Furthermore, according to the connector 1 of this embodiment, the female connectors 20 each have the same sub-connectors 21-23 as the other female connectors 20, but have different outer surface shapes (see FIG. 5). In other words, the connector 1 allows for standardization of the sub-connectors 21-23.

[0040] Furthermore, according to the connector 1 of this embodiment, one female connector 20 can be easily configured to have a different outer surface shape from other female connectors 20 by using the guide rib 27 provided on the sub-connector. Also, the guide groove 15 and the guide rib 27 can guide the insertion of the female connector 20 into the male connector 10.

[0041] Furthermore, according to the connector 1 of this embodiment, the sub-connectors 21 to 23 have the same length in the left-right direction, which allows the sub-connectors 21 to 23 to be standardized.

[0042] Furthermore, according to the connector 1 of this embodiment, even if there is a change in the number of wire bundles 30 or a change in the shape of the accommodating section 12 (i.e., the accommodating chamber 13), the female connector 20 can be manufactured by appropriately selecting corresponding sub-connectors from the sub-connectors 21 to 23 and combining them (see, for example, Figure 9).

[0043] <Other forms> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. Furthermore, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0044] Here, the features of the above-described embodiments of the connector according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [4]. [1] A connector (1) comprising a plurality of mating connectors (female connectors 20) to which a plurality of wire bundles (30) are respectively connected, and a mated connector (male connector 10) having a housing portion into which the plurality of mating connectors are inserted and housed, The mating connector (female connector 20) is the sub-connectors (21-23) are arranged adjacent to each other in a direction intersecting the mating direction with the mated connector, and the electric wires of the electric wire bundle are connected to each other; The housing portion (12) is provided therein with a plurality of protrusions (14) that define housing chambers (13) in which the plurality of sub-connectors are respectively housed, At least one of the plurality of sub-connectors (21 to 23) has an outer surface shape different from that of the other sub-connectors, At least one of the plurality of fitting connectors (female connectors 20a to 20c) has an outer surface shape different from that of the other fitting connectors. Connector(1). [2] In the connector (1) described in [1] above, The one mating connector and the other mating connector are The sub-connectors have the same outer surface shape. Connector(1). [3] In the connector (1) described in [1] or [2] above, A guide groove (15) extending in the fitting direction is provided in one of the sub-connector and the accommodating chamber (13) that constitute the one fitting connector, The other of the sub-connectors (21, 22) constituting the one of the mating connectors and the accommodating chamber is provided with a guide rib (27) to be inserted into the guide groove. Connector(1). [4] In the connector (1) according to any one of the above [1] to [3], The plurality of sub-connectors (21 to 23) have the same length in the crossing direction. Connector(1).

[0045] According to the connector of [1] above, a plurality of protrusions provided in the accommodating portion of the mating connector define a receiving chamber in which a sub-connector constituting the mating connector is received. This allows the mating connector to be mated with the mating connector without using any other components. Furthermore, in this connector, at least one of the multiple sub-connectors has an outer surface shape different from the other sub-connectors, making it easy to manufacture at least one mating connector with an outer surface shape different from the other mating connectors. Thus, the connector of this configuration has superior productivity compared to conventional connectors. Furthermore, because at least one mating connector has an outer surface shape different from the other mating connectors, incorrect insertion of the mating connector into the mating connector can be prevented. In other words, the connector of this configuration prevents erroneous insertion of the mating connector into the mating connector and is excellent in productivity.

[0046] According to the connector of [2] above, each mating connector is composed of the same sub-connector as the other mating connectors, but has a different outer surface shape. In other words, this connector configuration allows for standardization of sub-connectors.

[0047] According to the connector of [3] above, one mating connector can be easily configured to have a different outer surface shape from other mating connectors by using the guide grooves or guide ribs provided on the sub-connector. In addition, the guide grooves and guide ribs can guide the insertion of the mating connector into the mating connector.

[0048] According to the connector of [4] above, the lengths of a plurality of sub-connectors in the crossing direction (ie, the adjacent direction) are made equal to each other, thereby making it possible to standardize the sub-connectors. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 connector 10 male connector 11. Housing 12 Storage section 13 Containment Room 14 protrusions 15 Guide groove 16 Flexible piece 17 Locked part 20, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e female connector 21, 22, 23 Sub-connectors 24 Housing 25 Terminal housing 26 Ribs 27 Guide rib 28 Locking part 30,30a,30b,30c wire bundle 31 Electric wire

Claims

1. A connector comprising: a plurality of mating connectors to which a plurality of electric wire bundles are respectively connected; and a mated connector having a housing portion into which the plurality of mating connectors are inserted and housed, The mating connector includes: the sub-connectors are arranged adjacent to each other in a direction intersecting the mating direction with the mated connector, and the sub-connectors are connected to the electric wires of the electric wire bundle, The inside of the accommodating portion is provided with a plurality of protrusions that define accommodating chambers in which the plurality of sub-connectors are respectively accommodated, and a plurality of engaging portions that can be engaged with the plurality of mating connectors inserted and accommodated in the accommodating portion are provided in the same number as the plurality of mating connectors, At least one of the plurality of sub-connectors has an outer surface shape different from the other sub-connectors, At least one of the plurality of mating connectors has an outer surface shape different from the other mating connectors. connector.

2. 2. The connector according to claim 1, The one mating connector and the other mating connector are The sub-connectors have the same outer surface shape. connector.

3. 2. The connector according to claim 1, a guide groove extending in the mating direction is provided in one of the sub-connector and the accommodating chamber that constitute the one mating connector; a guide rib to be inserted into the guide groove is provided on the other of the sub-connector and the accommodating chamber that constitute the one of the mating connectors; connector.

4. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The plurality of sub-connectors have equal lengths in the crossing direction. connector.

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