connector

Abstract

To achieve the miniaturization.SOLUTION: A connector includes a housing 10 having a terminal accommodating chamber 15, a terminal fitting 30 inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 15 from the rear of the housing 10, a lance 16 formed in a peripheral wall portion 11 forming the terminal accommodating chamber 15 and configured to retain the terminal fitting 30, and an excessive deflection restricting portion 27 that limits the amount of deflection of the lance 16 within a certain range when the lance 16 is elastically deformed in a direction away from the terminal fitting 30. The lance 16 is arranged in a state of being exposed to the inner peripheral surface 11B and the outer peripheral surface 11A of the peripheral wall portion 11, and the excessive deflection restricting portion 27 is arranged within the thickness range of the peripheral wall portion 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to connectors. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a connector including a housing fitted with a seal ring and a terminal fitting inserted into a cavity of the housing. An elastically deformable lance is formed on the peripheral wall that defines the cavity. The terminal fitting inserted into the cavity is prevented from being removed by the locking action of the lance. When the terminal fitting is removed from the cavity, the lance is bent using a jig to release the lock of the lance on the terminal fitting. The housing is formed with a support plate that faces the lance with a space to allow for lance deflection. When the lance is bent using the jig, the lance hits the support plate, preventing excessive deflection of the lance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-115345 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above connector, the support plate for restricting excessive deflection of the lance is disposed opposite the lance with a deflection allowance space therebetween and covering the peripheral wall portion, which results in a problem of an increase in the overall size of the connector.

[0005] The connector of the present disclosure was completed based on the above circumstances, and aims to achieve miniaturization. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The connector of the present disclosure comprises: a housing having a terminal receiving chamber; a terminal fitting inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber from the rear of the housing; a lance formed on a peripheral wall portion of the terminal accommodating chamber for preventing the terminal fitting from coming out; an excessive deflection restricting portion that restricts the amount of deflection of the lance within a certain range when the lance elastically deforms in a direction away from the terminal fitting, The lance is disposed in a state where it is exposed to the inner circumferential surface and the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion, The excessive deflection restricting portion is disposed within the range of the thickness of the peripheral wall portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, miniaturization can be achieved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the housing cut horizontally. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the housing. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged front view of the housing. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged front view showing a state in which the lance abuts against the excessive deflection restricting portion. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a rear view of the housing. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion taken along line XX in FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to line YY in FIG. 3, showing a state in which the lance abuts on the excessive deflection restricting portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The connector of the present disclosure comprises: (1) A terminal accommodating device comprising: a housing having a terminal chamber; a terminal fitting inserted into the terminal chamber from the rear of the housing; a lance formed on a peripheral wall portion constituting the terminal chamber and preventing the terminal fitting from being pulled out; and an excessive deflection restricting portion that restricts the amount of deflection of the lance within a certain range when the lance elastically deforms in a direction away from the terminal fitting, wherein the lance is disposed in a state where it is exposed on the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the peripheral wall portion, and the excessive deflection restricting portion is disposed within a thickness range of the peripheral wall portion. According to the present disclosure, since the excessive deflection restricting portion is disposed within the thickness range of the peripheral wall portion, it is possible to achieve a smaller size than a device in which the excessive deflection restricting portion is disposed so as to cover the peripheral wall portion.

[0010] (2) Preferably, the lance has a shape in which a narrow portion and a wide portion, the width of which is greater than that of the narrow portion, are connected in the direction of deflection of the lance, and the portion of the wide portion that protrudes in the width direction from the narrow portion abuts against the excessive deflection restricting portion, thereby functioning as an abutment portion that restricts excessive deflection of the lance. With this configuration, the region of the lance where the wide portion and the narrow portion are aligned has a large thickness and high rigidity, and therefore is more reliable in its function of retaining the terminal fitting than a thin-walled lance composed only of the wide portion.

[0011] (3) In (2), it is preferable that the wide portion functions as a locking protrusion that locks the terminal fitting in a non-detachable state. With this configuration, the shape of the lance can be simplified compared to when the locking protrusion and the abutment portion are formed as separate parts.

[0012] (4) In (2) or (3), the lance is preferably tilted about its rear end as a fulcrum when it elastically deforms away from the terminal, and the distance between the front end of the abutment portion and the excessive deflection restricting portion is set larger than the distance between the rear end of the abutment portion and the excessive deflection restricting portion when the lance is in a free state without elastic deformation. This configuration ensures a large amount of elastic deformation of the lance in the direction away from the terminal, thereby increasing the engagement allowance of the lance with the terminal and increasing the holding force of the lance.

[0013] (5) In (2) to (4), it is preferable that the peripheral wall portion is cylindrical in front view of the lance, the wide portion is arc-shaped in front view, and a linear jig contact portion is formed in the narrow portion. With this configuration, when a jig is hooked on the jig contact portion, the orientation and position of the jig are stable, making it easier to perform the operation of elastically deforming the lance.

[0014] (6) It is preferable that a seal ring is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion at a position spaced rearward from the rear end of the lance. With this configuration, it is possible to achieve a smaller size compared to a configuration in which the seal ring is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of a wall portion formed on the outer peripheral side of the peripheral wall portion.

[0015] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] [Example 1] A connector according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 9. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included. In this first embodiment, the forward and backward directions are defined as the positive direction of the X axis in Figures 1, 2, and 7 to 9. The up and down directions are defined as the positive direction of the Z axis in Figures 1, 2, and 7 to 9.

[0016] The connector of the first embodiment is used for high-speed communication and has shielding and waterproofing functions. The connector is configured by assembling a housing 10, a terminal fitting 30, and a seal ring 33.

[0017] The terminal fitting 30 functions as a shield terminal and includes an inner conductor (not shown), a dielectric (not shown) surrounding the inner conductor, and an outer conductor (not shown) surrounding the dielectric. The outer conductor is cylindrical overall. In a front view of the connector from the front, the outer shape of the terminal fitting 30, i.e., the outer peripheral shape of the outer conductor, is circular. A locking hole 31 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer conductor. The rear end of the terminal fitting 30 is connected to the front end of the coaxial cable 32.

[0018] 2, 3, and 7, the housing 10 has a cylindrical peripheral wall 11, a tubular fitting portion 12 surrounding the peripheral wall 11, and a support portion 13. A portion of the outer peripheral surface 11A of the peripheral wall 11 near its rear end is connected to a portion of the inner peripheral surface of the tubular fitting portion 12 near its rear end via the support portion 13.

[0019] The outer peripheral surface 11A of the peripheral wall portion 11 has a circular shape when viewed from the front. A region of the outer peripheral surface 11A of the peripheral wall portion 11 that is forward of and adjacent to the support portion 13 functions as a seal surface 14. A seal ring 33 is attached to the seal surface 14. A hood portion (not shown) of a mating connector (not shown) is fitted into the cylindrical space between the peripheral wall portion 11 and the cylindrical fitting portion 12. When the hood portion is fitted, the seal ring 33 comes into close contact with the seal surface 14 and the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion, thereby creating a liquid-tight seal between the housing 10 and the mating connector.

[0020] The internal space of the peripheral wall 11 functions as a terminal accommodating chamber 15 for accommodating a terminal fitting 30. The terminal fitting 30 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 15 from the rear of the housing 10. A lance 16 is formed in the peripheral wall 11 to prevent the terminal fitting 30 from being removed from the terminal accommodating chamber 15. The lance 16 constitutes a portion of the peripheral wall 11 and is located only in the area forward of the sealing surface 14. The area of ​​the peripheral wall 11 forward of the lance 16 is cut out to form a demolding space 17 created when the lance 16 is molded. A jig J for removing the lance 16 from the terminal fitting 30 is inserted into the demolding space 17 from the front of the housing 10.

[0021] The lance 16 extends forward in a cantilevered manner. The lance 16 is capable of elastically deforming radially outward with the rear end of the lance 16 as a fulcrum. When the lance 16 elastically deforms radially outward, the lance 16 assumes an oblique position such that the front end of the lance 16 moves away from the terminal accommodating chamber 15, as viewed in the circumferential direction.

[0022] The front view of the lance 16 is symmetrical with respect to an imaginary axis of symmetry (not shown) passing through the width direction of the lance 16 (the circumferential direction concentric with the peripheral wall portion 11). The lance 16 has a narrow portion 18 and a wide portion 19. The narrow portion 18 is elongated in the front-to-rear direction and extends over the entire length of the lance 16. The rear end of the narrow portion 18 is connected to the peripheral wall portion 11. The outer surface of the narrow portion 18 opposite the terminal accommodating chamber 15 is exposed at the outer peripheral surface 11A of the peripheral wall portion 11.

[0023] A jig contact portion 20 having a stepped shape is formed on the front end surface of the narrow width portion 18 when viewed in the circumferential direction of the lance 16. The jig contact portion 20 has a shape that protrudes forward from a radially outer position on the front end surface of the narrow width portion 18. The outer surface of the jig contact portion 20 is flush with the outer surface of the narrow width portion 18 (the outer surface of the lance 16). The inner surface of the jig contact portion 20 functions as a jig contact surface 21. When an imaginary radial line (not shown) passing through the center of the width of the jig contact portion 20 is set in a front view, the jig contact surface 21 is a plane that is perpendicular to this imaginary line.

[0024] The formation range of the wide portion 19 in the front-to-rear direction is the region of the entire length of the lance 16 excluding only the front end portion (jig contact portion 20). The rear end of the wide portion 19 is continuous with the peripheral wall portion 11. The width dimension (circumferential dimension) of the wide portion 19 is set larger than the width dimension (circumferential dimension) of the narrow portion 18. The entire narrow portion 18 and the widthwise central portion of the wide portion 19 are continuous in the radial direction. The wide portion 19 is located radially inward of the narrow portion 18.

[0025] The front end of the wide portion 19 is formed with one locking protrusion 22 and a pair of abutment portions 23. The locking protrusion 22 protrudes radially inward from the inner surface of the wide portion 19, i.e., into the interior of the terminal accommodating chamber 15. The locking protrusion 22 is formed across the entire width of the wide portion 19. The shape of the inner surface of the locking protrusion 22 in a front view is an arc shape that is concentric with the peripheral wall portion 11 and the outer peripheral surface 11A and has a smaller radius of curvature than the outer peripheral surface 11A of the peripheral wall portion 11. Of the inner surface of the wide portion 19 (the surface facing the terminal accommodating chamber 15), the area behind the locking protrusion 22 is exposed to the inner peripheral surface 11B of the peripheral wall portion 11 and faces the inside of the terminal accommodating chamber 15.

[0026] The pair of abutment portions 23 protrude outward in the width direction (circumferential direction) beyond the widthwise outer surface of the narrow width portion 18. The pair of abutment portions 23 and both widthwise end portions of the locking projection 22 are connected in the radial direction. The abutment portions 23 are located radially outward from the locking projection 22 and radially inward from the outer peripheral surface 11A of the peripheral wall portion 11. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, when the lance 16 is viewed in the circumferential direction, the outer surfaces of the abutment portions 23 have a curved shape. As shown in Figure 8, the front ends 23F of the abutment portions 23 are located radially inward from the rear ends 23R of the abutment portions 23 (upper side in Figure 8).

[0027] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the peripheral wall 11 has a storage space 24 for storing the lance 16. The storage space 24 includes slit-shaped spaces 25 arranged to sandwich the lance 16 from both sides in the width direction (circumferential direction). The storage space 24 opens to the outer peripheral surface 11A and the inner peripheral surface 11B of the peripheral wall 11. The front end of the storage space 24 communicates with the punching space 17. The peripheral wall 11 faces the storage space 24 and has a pair of opposing surfaces 26 that face the outer width direction surfaces of the lance 16.

[0028] A pair of excessive deflection restricting portions 27 are formed on the peripheral wall portion 11, spaced apart in the width direction (circumferential direction). The pair of excessive deflection restricting portions 27 protrude from a pair of opposing surfaces 26 so as to approach both outer surfaces of the lance 16 in the circumferential direction. The excessive deflection restricting portions 27 extend elongatedly in the front-to-rear direction (the direction in which the lance 16 extends from the peripheral wall portion 11) and advance into the slit-shaped space 25. They protrude in a rib-like manner. The pair of excessive deflection restricting portions 27 are located radially outward of the pair of abutting portions 23. The excessive deflection restricting portions 27 and the abutting portions 23 are arranged so as to be aligned radially.

[0029] In a front view, the excessive deflection restricting portion 27 extends radially from the outer peripheral surface 11A of the peripheral wall 11 to a position outside the inner peripheral surface 11B of the peripheral wall 11. That is, the excessive deflection restricting portion 27 is formed only within the radial thickness of the peripheral wall 11. When the lance 16 is not elastically deformed, the abutting portion 23 is positioned radially inward of the excessive deflection restricting portion 27. As shown in FIG. 8 , when the lance 16 is not elastically deformed, the radial distance between the front end 23F of the abutting portion 23 and the excessive deflection restricting portion 27 is defined as a front-end distance LF, and the radial distance between the rear end 23R of the abutting portion 23 and the excessive deflection restricting portion 27 is defined as a rear-end distance LR. The front-end distance LF is set larger than the rear-end distance LR.

[0030] As shown in Figure 9, when the lance 16 elastically deforms in a direction away from the terminal fitting 30, the abutment portion 23 approaches the excessive deflection restricting portion 27. When the abutment portion 23 abuts against the excessive deflection restricting portion 27, further elastic deformation of the lance 16 is restricted. At this time, the front end 23F and the rear end 23R of the abutment portion 23 abut against the excessive deflection restricting portion 27. The pair of abutment portions 23 and the pair of excessive deflection restricting portions 27 function to keep the amount of elastic deformation of the lance 16 within the elastic limit when the lance 16 elastically deforms radially outward.

[0031] During the process of inserting the terminal fitting 30 into the terminal accommodating chamber 15, the terminal fitting 30 interferes with the locking projection 22, causing the lance 16 to elastically deform radially outward. The amount of elastic deformation of the lance 16 at this time is such that the abutment portion 23 does not abut against the excessive deflection restricting portion 27. When the terminal fitting 30 reaches the correct insertion position within the terminal accommodating chamber 15, the lance 16 elastically returns to its original position, and the locking projection 22 locks into the locking hole 31 of the terminal fitting 30. This locking action prevents the terminal fitting 30 from being removed.

[0032] To remove the terminal fitting 30 retained by the lance 16 toward the rear of the housing 10, a jig J, such as a flathead screwdriver, is inserted into the removal space 17 from the front of the housing 10, and the tip of the jig J is brought into contact with the jig contact surface 21. Then, as shown in FIG. 9 , the tip of the jig J elastically deforms the lance 16 radially outward (in the release direction). The elastic deformation of the lance 16 disengages the locking projection 22 from the locking hole 31, thereby releasing the retaining action of the lance 16. Thereafter, the terminal fitting 30 can be removed from the terminal accommodating chamber 15 by pulling the coaxial cable 32.

[0033] When the jig J elastically deforms the lance 16 in the release direction, if the amount of elastic deformation of the lance 16 becomes greater than necessary, the pair of abutment portions 23 will abut against the pair of excessive deflection restricting portions 27. When the abutment portions 23 abut against the excessive deflection restricting portions 27, further elastic deformation of the lance 16 is restricted. At this time, the amount of elastic deformation of the lance 16 is within the elastic limit of the lance 16, so the lance 16 does not undergo plastic deformation. Therefore, when the jig J is released from the lance 16, the lance 16 will elastically return to a position where it can prevent the terminal fitting 30 from coming out.

[0034] The connector of the first embodiment has a housing 10 having a terminal accommodating chamber 15, a terminal fitting 30, a lance 16, and an excessive deflection restricting portion 27. The terminal fitting 30 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 15 from the rear of the housing 10. The lance 16 is formed on the peripheral wall portion 11 that constitutes the terminal accommodating chamber 15, and has the function of preventing the terminal fitting 30 from coming out. The excessive deflection restricting portion 27 has the function of restricting the amount of deflection of the lance 16 within a certain range when the lance 16 elastically deforms in a direction away from the terminal fitting 30.

[0035] The lance 16 is arranged in a state where it is exposed to the inner peripheral surface 11B and the outer peripheral surface 11A of the peripheral wall portion 11. The excessive deflection restricting portion 27 is arranged only within the range of the thickness of the peripheral wall portion 11. The connector of the present embodiment 1 can be made smaller than one in which the excessive deflection restricting portion 27 is arranged to cover the peripheral wall portion 11.

[0036] The lance 16 has a narrow portion 18 and a wide portion 19 that is wider than the narrow portion 18. The lance 16 has a shape in which the narrow portion 18 and the wide portion 19 are connected in the deflection direction (radial direction) of the lance 16. The portion of the wide portion 19 that protrudes in the width direction (circumferential direction) from the narrow portion 18 functions as an abutment portion 23. The abutment portion 23 has the function of restricting excessive deflection of the lance 16 by abutting against the excessive deflection restricting portion 27. The region of the lance 16 where the wide portion 19 and the narrow portion 18 are aligned has a larger thickness, thereby increasing the rigidity of the lance 16. Therefore, compared to a thin-walled lance composed only of a wide portion, the lance 16 of this embodiment 1 has a more reliable function of retaining the terminal fitting 30.

[0037] The wide portion 19 functions as a locking protrusion 22 that locks the terminal fitting 30 in a non-detachable state. Compared to a case in which the locking protrusion 22 and the abutment portion 23 are formed as different parts, the connector of this embodiment 1 can simplify the shape of the lance 16.

[0038] When the lance 16 elastically deforms in a direction away from the terminal fitting 30, it tilts with its rear end as a fulcrum. When the lance 16 is in a free state without elastic deformation, the distance between the front end 23F of the abutment portion 23 and the excessive deflection restricting portion 27 (front end distance LF) is set larger than the distance between the rear end 23R of the abutment portion 23 and the excessive deflection restricting portion 27 (rear end distance LR). This configuration ensures a large amount of elastic deformation of the lance 16 when the lance 16 elastically deforms in a direction away from the terminal fitting 30. This increases the engagement allowance of the lance 16 with the terminal fitting 30, thereby increasing the holding force of the lance 16.

[0039] In a front view of the lance 16 seen from the front, the peripheral wall portion 11 has a cylindrical shape. The front view shape of the wide portion 19 (locking projection 22) is an arc shape. In the narrow portion 18, a jig contact portion 20 for hooking a jig J for detaching the lance 16 from the terminal fitting 30 is formed. On the jig contact portion 20, a planar jig contact surface 21 that is linear in the front view is formed. According to this configuration, when the jig J is hooked on the jig contact portion 20, the orientation and position of the jig J are stabilized, so that it is easy to perform an operation of elastically deforming the lance 16.

[0040] A seal ring 33 is disposed at a position on the outer peripheral surface 11A of the peripheral wall portion 11 that is separated rearward from the rear end of the lance 16. According to this configuration, the seal ring 33 can be miniaturized as compared with a case where it is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of a wall portion formed on the outer peripheral side of the peripheral wall portion 11.

[0041] [Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, but is defined by the claims. The present invention includes meanings equivalent to the claims and all modifications within the scope of the claims, and the following embodiments are also intended to be included. The lance may have a flat shape without a narrow portion. The locking projection locked to the terminal fitting may be disposed at a part different from the wide portion. The locking projection and the contact portion may be disposed at different positions in the front-rear direction. The jig contact portion may have a curved shape. The terminal fitting may be a non-shielded type terminal fitting instead of a shield terminal having an inner conductor, a dielectric, and an outer conductor. The cross-sectional shapes of the terminal housing chamber and the terminal fitting are not limited to circular, and may be square. The seal ring may be disposed on the outer peripheral surface of a wall portion formed on the outer peripheral side of the peripheral wall portion.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0042] 10... Housing 11... Peripheral wall portion 11A…外周 surface of the peripheral wall part 11B…内周 surface of the peripheral wall part 12…cylindrical fitting part 13…support part 14…sealing surface 15…terminal accommodation chamber 16…lance 17…mold release space 18…narrow part 19…wide part 20…fixture contact part 21…fixture contact surface 22…locking projection 23…contact part 23F…front end of the contact part 23R…rear end of the contact part 24…accommodation space 25…slit-shaped space 26…opposing surface 27…excessive deflection restricting part 30…terminal fitting 31…locking hole 32…coaxial cable 33…sealing ring J…fixture LF…front end side interval (interval between the excessive deflection restricting part at the front end of the contact part) LR…rear end side interval (interval between the excessive deflection restricting part at the rear end of the contact part)

Claims

1. a housing having a terminal receiving chamber; a terminal fitting inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber from the rear of the housing; a lance formed on a peripheral wall portion of the terminal accommodating chamber for preventing the terminal fitting from coming out; an excessive deflection restricting portion that restricts the amount of deflection of the lance within a certain range when the lance elastically deforms in a direction away from the terminal fitting, The lance has a shape that extends forward in a cantilevered manner and is disposed in a state where it is exposed to the inner circumferential surface and the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion, the excessive deflection restricting portion is disposed within a range of the thickness of the peripheral wall portion, The lance has a shape in which a narrow portion and a wide portion having a width dimension larger than that of the narrow portion are connected in a deflection direction of the lance, The formation range of the wide portion in the front-rear direction is a region of the entire length of the lance excluding only the front end portion, the narrow portion is located so as to be continuous with the wide portion only on a side of the lance in a direction of elastic deformation when the lance is separated from the terminal fitting, a portion of the wide portion that protrudes in the width direction from the narrow portion functions as a contact portion that contacts the excessive deflection restricting portion to restrict excessive deflection of the lance, The narrow portion protrudes further forward than the wide portion, The narrow portion has a jig contact portion formed therein, the jig contact portion having a width smaller than that of the wide portion.

2. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the wide portion functions as a locking projection that locks the terminal fitting in a non-detachable state.

3. When the lance elastically deforms in a direction away from the terminal fitting, the lance tilts with the rear end of the lance as a fulcrum, A connector as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein when the lance is in a free state without elastic deformation, the distance between the front end of the abutment portion and the excessive deflection control portion is set larger than the distance between the rear end of the abutment portion and the excessive deflection control portion.

4. When the lance is viewed from the front, the peripheral wall portion has a cylindrical shape, The wide portion has an arc shape in a front view, 4. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the jig contact portion is linear.

5. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a seal ring is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion at a position spaced rearward from the rear end of the lance.

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