connector

Abstract

To provide a connector capable of performing detection during assembly when an inner terminal is not inserted to a proper position.SOLUTION: An inner surface of a lid body 25 closing an opening 22 of an inner housing 20 is provided with a storage recess 25a which receives a protrusion of an inner terminal 30 when the inner terminal is inserted into a terminal accommodating chamber 24 to a normal position, thereby enabling the lid body to be closed, and an interference wall portion 25b which interferes with the protrusion of the inner terminal when the inner terminal is in a half-inserted position, thereby preventing the lid body from being closed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector capable of detecting improper insertion of a terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] If one connector is mated with a mating connector when the terminals of that connector are not properly inserted to the correct positions, poor contact may occur between the terminals of both connectors.

[0003] As a technology to prevent this, Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which a spring portion is provided on the terminal and an inclined wall portion is provided on the inner wall of the terminal accommodating chamber, and the spring portion of the terminal in a half-inserted position elastically contacts the inclined wall portion, thereby pushing the terminal to the appropriate position by the spring force. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-152833 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 requires the provision of a dedicated spring portion on the terminal, which tends to make the terminal larger, making it difficult to apply to small communication connectors.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a connector that can detect during assembly when the inner terminal is not inserted to the correct position into the inner housing. [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 connector housing and a cable assembly inserted into the connector housing, The cable assembly includes: The connector comprises an outer housing, an inner housing having a terminal accommodating chamber extending in the front-rear direction and accommodated in the outer housing, and an inner terminal that is inserted from rear to front into the terminal accommodating chamber of the inner housing while being connected to an end of an electric wire, The inner housing is provided with an opening that opens toward a side of an insertion path of the inner terminal and an openable / closable lid that closes the opening, and the inner terminal is provided with a protrusion that faces the opening when inserted into the inner housing, The inner surface of the cover of the inner housing is provided with: The terminal receiving portion is provided with a receiving recess which receives a protrusion of the inner terminal when the inner terminal is inserted to a normal position in the terminal receiving chamber, thereby enabling the lid body to be closed to a closed position, and an interference wall which interferes with the protrusion of the inner terminal when the inner terminal is in a half-inserted position before the normal position in the terminal receiving chamber, thereby preventing the lid body from being closed to a closed position. 、 When the lid body is in the closed position due to the accommodation recess receiving the protrusion of the inner terminal, the inner housing can be accommodated in the outer housing, and when the lid body is not in the closed position due to the interference wall portion interfering with the protrusion of the inner terminal, the inner housing cannot be accommodated in the outer housing due to the interference between the lid body and the outer housing. connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, partial insertion of the terminals can be detected by determining whether the inner housing cover is properly closed. Therefore, there is no need to provide an extra structure such as a spring portion on the terminals, and the present invention can be easily applied to small communication connectors.

[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 an external perspective view showing a state in which a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention is mated with a mating connector. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cable assembly used in the connector. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of an inner housing used in the cable assembly. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an electric wire with an inner terminal used in a cable assembly. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the inner terminal is about to be inserted into the inner housing. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the inner terminal is inserted to a normal position. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cover is closed from the state shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an external side view of the state shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the inner terminal is stopped from being inserted before reaching the normal position. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which an attempt to close the cover in the state of FIG. 10 fails to close it completely. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a female connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention mated with a mating male connector 2, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the female connector 1 according to the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a cable assembly 10 used in the female connector 1.

[0014] 4 is an external oblique view of the inner housing 20 used in the cable assembly 10, FIG. 5 is an external oblique view of an electric wire W with an inner terminal 30 used in the cable assembly 10, FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing the state in which the inner terminal 30 is about to be inserted into the inner housing 20, FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing the state when the inner terminal 30 has been inserted to the correct position, FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view showing the state in which the cover body 25 has been closed from the state in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is an external side view of the state in FIG. 8.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, a female connector 1 of this embodiment is adapted to be mated with a mating male connector. As shown in Fig. 2, the female connector 1 includes a connector housing 5 and a plurality of cable assemblies 10 inserted into the connector housing 5. As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the cable assembly 10 includes electric wires W, an outer housing 11, an inner housing 20 housed in the outer housing 11, and inner terminals 30 housed in the inner housing 20 while connected to the ends of the electric wires W.

[0016] 6 to 8, the main body 21 of the inner housing 20 is provided with a terminal accommodating chamber 24 extending in the front-to-rear direction, and the inner terminal 30 is inserted from rear to front into the terminal accommodating chamber 24 of the inner housing 20 in a state where it is connected to an end of the electric wire W. An insertion hole 24a for receiving a terminal of the mating male connector 2 is provided in the front end wall of the terminal accommodating chamber 24.

[0017] The main body 21 of the inner housing 20 has an opening 22 that opens upward (to the side) of the terminal accommodating chamber 24, which is the insertion path for the inner terminal 30, and the inner housing 20 is integrally provided with an openable and closable lid 25 that closes this opening 22.

[0018] The lid 25 is integrally connected to the main body 21 of the inner housing 20 by a hinge 26 disposed at the front end of the opening 22, and by utilizing the flexibility of the hinge 26, the lid 25 is rotatable between a position where it securely closes the opening 22 (closed position) and a position where it opens the opening 22. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, when the lid 25 is tilted to the position where it completely closes the opening 22, the top surface of the lid 25 and the top surface of the main body 21 of the inner housing 20 become flush with each other. In this way, because the lid 25 is integrally connected to the front edge of the opening 22 of the main body 21 of the inner housing 20 via the hinge 26, the main body 21 of the inner housing 20 and the lid 25 can be easily manufactured by integral molding of resin.

[0019] 6 to 8, the inner terminal 30 is provided with a protrusion 31 that faces the opening 22 when inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 24 of the inner housing 20. Also, on the inner surface of the lid 25 of the inner housing 20, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a storage recess 25a is provided that receives the protrusion 31 of the inner terminal 30, thereby enabling the lid 25 to be closed to the closed position when the inner terminal 30 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 24 to the correct position.

[0020] Figure 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing the state when the inner terminal 30 is stopped from being inserted just before the normal position, and Figure 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing the state when an attempt to close the lid body 25 in the state of Figure 10 is made but it cannot be closed completely.

[0021] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, an interference wall portion 25b is provided on the inner surface of the lid body 25 of the inner housing 20 adjacent to the storage recess 25a of the protrusion 31 of the inner terminal 30, which interferes with the protrusion 31 of the inner terminal 30 when the inner terminal 30 remains in a half-inserted position just before the normal position of the terminal accommodating chamber 24, thereby preventing the lid body 25 from being closed to the closed position.

[0022] Next, the operation will be described. When assembling this connector 1, first, the inner terminal 30 connected to the end of the electric wire W is inserted from rear to front into the terminal accommodating chamber 24 of the inner housing 20. When the inner terminal 30 is inserted to the correct position in the terminal accommodating chamber 24 of the inner housing 20, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the lid 25 of the inner housing 20 can be closed to the closed position that completely blocks the opening 22. That is, the protrusion 31 of the inner terminal 30 inserted to the correct position is located forward in the insertion direction and does not interfere with the interference wall portion 25b on the inner surface of the lid 25, but is received in the storage recess 25a on the inner surface of the lid 25, allowing the lid 25 to be closed to the correct closed position. Therefore, the upper surface of the closed lid 25 is flush with the upper surface of the main body 21 of the inner housing 20, allowing the user to know that the inner terminal 30 is inserted to the correct position. Furthermore, because the lid 25 does not protrude outward from the inner housing 20, the inner housing 20 can be smoothly accommodated in the outer housing 11.

[0023] On the other hand, when the inner terminal 30 is not inserted to the correct position in the terminal accommodating chamber 24 of the inner housing 20, as shown in FIG. 10, the position of the protrusion 31 of the inner terminal 30 is shifted rearward from the correct position (compare with FIG. 7). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the protrusion 31 interferes with the interference wall portion 25b of the lid body 25 of the inner housing 20, preventing the lid body 25 from closing to the closed position. In other words, when the lid body 25 does not close, the lid body 25 protrudes outward from the inner housing 20, and this deformation in appearance can be used to detect that the inner terminal 30 is in a partially inserted state. Even if the deformation in appearance is not noticeable, the protruding lid body 25 will get in the way and prevent the inner housing 20 from being accommodated in the outer housing 11. This also makes it possible to detect that the inner terminal 30 is in a partially inserted state.

[0024] Therefore, it is possible to prevent poor contact between the terminals when the inner terminals 30 are left partially inserted and connected to the mating male connector 2. In this way, it is possible to detect whether the inner terminals 30 are not properly inserted based on the position of the cover 25 of the inner housing 20 that interferes with the protrusions 31 of the inner terminals 30, so that assembly defects can be prevented with a simple configuration and poor contact between the terminals when the connectors are mated can be avoided. Therefore, it can be easily applied to small communication connectors.

[0025] Here, the features of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] and [2]. [1] A connector (1) comprising a connector housing (5) and a cable assembly (10) inserted into the connector housing, The cable assembly includes: The device comprises an outer housing (11), an inner housing (20) having a terminal accommodating chamber (24) extending in the front-rear direction and accommodated in the outer housing, and an inner terminal (30) connected to an end of an electric wire (W) and inserted from rear to front into the terminal accommodating chamber of the inner housing, The inner housing is provided with an opening (22) that opens toward a side of the insertion path of the inner terminal and an openable / closable lid (25) that closes the opening, and the inner terminal is provided with a protrusion (31) that faces the opening when inserted into the inner housing, The inner surface of the cover of the inner housing is provided with: The terminal receiving chamber is provided with a receiving recess (25a) that receives a protrusion of the inner terminal when the inner terminal is inserted to a normal position in the terminal receiving chamber, thereby enabling the lid body to be closed to the closed position, and an interference wall (25b) that interferes with the protrusion of the inner terminal when the inner terminal is in a half-inserted position just before the normal position in the terminal receiving chamber, thereby preventing the lid body from being closed to the closed position. A connector characterized by:

[0026] According to the connector (1) having the configuration [1] above, when the inner terminals (30) are inserted to the correct positions in the terminal receiving chambers (24) of the inner housing (20), the lid (25) of the inner housing closes to the closed position, completely blocking the openings (22). On the other hand, when the inner terminals are not inserted to the correct positions, the protrusions (31) of the inner terminals interfere with the lid (25) of the inner housing, preventing the lid from closing to the closed position. In other words, when the lid does not close, the lid protrudes outward from the inner housing. This deformation of the lid, or the fact that the lid interferes with the insertion of the inner housing into the outer housing, detects that the inner terminals are partially inserted. This prevents poor contact between the terminals when the connector is connected to a mating connector, which would otherwise occur if the inner terminals were left partially inserted.

[0027] [2] The cover is integrally connected to the front edge of the opening of the main body of the inner housing via a hinge (26) so as to be rotatable. The connector according to [1] above.

[0028] According to the connector having the configuration [2] above, the cover is integrally connected to the front edge of the opening of the main body of the inner housing via a hinge (26), so that the main body of the inner housing and the cover can be easily manufactured by integral molding of resin.

[0029] 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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1 connector 5 Connector housing 10 Cable assembly 11 Outer housing 20 Inner housing 21 Inner housing body 22 Opening 24 Terminal housing 25 Lid 26 Hinge 30 Inner terminal 31 Protrusion W electric wire

Claims

1. A connector comprising a connector housing and a cable assembly inserted into the connector housing, The cable assembly includes: The connector comprises an outer housing, an inner housing having a terminal accommodating chamber extending in the front-rear direction and accommodated in the outer housing, and an inner terminal that is inserted from rear to front into the terminal accommodating chamber of the inner housing while being connected to an end of an electric wire, The inner housing is provided with an opening that opens toward a side of an insertion path of the inner terminal and an openable / closable lid that closes the opening, and the inner terminal is provided with a protrusion that faces the opening when inserted into the inner housing, The inner surface of the cover of the inner housing is provided with: a receiving recess that receives a protrusion of the inner terminal when the inner terminal is inserted to a normal position in the terminal accommodating chamber, thereby enabling the lid body to be closed to a closed position; and an interference wall that interferes with the protrusion of the inner terminal when the inner terminal is in a half-inserted position short of the normal position in the terminal accommodating chamber, thereby preventing the lid body from being closed to a closed position. When the lid body is in the closed position due to the accommodation recess receiving the protrusion of the inner terminal, the inner housing can be accommodated in the outer housing, and when the lid body is not in the closed position due to the interference wall portion interfering with the protrusion of the inner terminal, the inner housing cannot be accommodated in the outer housing due to the interference between the lid body and the outer housing. connector.

2. The cover is integrally and rotatably connected to a front edge of the opening of the main body of the inner housing via a hinge. The connector according to claim 1 .

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