connector

Abstract

To provide a connector which can be corresponded to each terminal metal fitting that have different housing posture each other without increasing a manufacturing cost of a housing.SOLUTION: A connector 10 comprises: a terminal metal fitting 40; and a housing 30 to which the terminal metal fitting 40 is penetrated and mounted. A penetration hole 27 includes: a first penetration hole 27a extended to a first direction crossed with a penetration direction in a cross sectional view from a penetration direction of the terminal metal fitting 40; and a second penetration hole 27b extended to a second direction crossed to both directions of the penetration direction and the first direction. Both of the first penetration hole 27a and the second penetration hole 27b are crossed each other, and become a form which can be engaged so as to penetrate the terminal metal fitting 40, respectively. The first penetration hole 27a includes a first engagement end surface 41a that is opposite to both ends of a first direction, and is an engagement surface against the terminal metal fitting 40, and the second penetration hole 27b includes a second engagement end surface 41b that is opposite to both ends of a second direction each other, and is an engagement surface against the terminal metal fitting 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a connector.

Background Art

[0002] The connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a connector for a substrate, and includes a connector housing and a plurality of terminal fittings attached to the connector housing. The connector housing has a hood portion into which a mating connector is fitted. A rectangular insertion hole (hereinafter referred to as a through hole) is formed in the back wall portion of the hood portion. The terminal fitting is a metal plate material and is locked to the connector housing in a state of passing through the through hole. The terminal fitting takes a horizontal accommodation posture with the plate surface along the left-right direction and passes through the through hole. This type of connector for a substrate is also disclosed in Patent Document 2.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The terminal fitting may take a vertical accommodation posture with the plate surface along the up-down direction and pass through the through hole. In contrast, the technologies of Patent Documents 1 and 2 can only cope with the case of attaching a terminal fitting in a horizontal posture to the connector housing. Usually, a plurality of terminal fittings with different accommodation postures are attached to a plurality of corresponding connector housings respectively. For this reason, it is necessary to manufacture a mold (a mold for molding the connector housing) for each connector housing, and there is a problem that the manufacturing cost becomes high.

[0005] This disclosure aims to provide a circuit board connector that can accommodate terminal fittings with different orientations without increasing manufacturing costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A connector comprising a terminal fitting and a housing on which the terminal fitting is mounted, wherein the housing has a through hole through which the terminal fitting passes, and the through hole has, in a cross-sectional view taken from the direction in which the terminal fitting passes, a first through hole extending in a first direction intersecting the through direction, and a second through hole extending in a second direction intersecting both the through direction and the first direction, the first through hole and the second through hole intersect each other and are shaped to pass through and lock the terminal fitting, the first through hole has first locking end faces which are locking surfaces for the terminal fitting and are facing each other at both ends in the first direction, and the second through hole has second locking end faces which are locking surfaces for the terminal fitting and are facing each other at both ends in the second direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This disclosure provides a connector that can accommodate terminal fittings with different housing orientations without increasing the manufacturing cost of the housing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a connector in a mating state with a mating connector in Embodiment 1 of this disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a rear view of the connector. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a front view of the connector. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a plan view of the connector cut at the position corresponding to the upper through-hole. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a plan view of the connector cut at the position corresponding to the lower through-hole. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a magnified view of a portion of Figure 3. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a magnified view of a portion of Figure 2. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a perspective view of the terminal fitting. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the connector, cut at the position where the terminal fittings lock onto the housing. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [Description of Embodiments in this Disclosure] First, the embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and described. (1) The connector of the present disclosure comprises a terminal fitting and a housing on which the terminal fitting is mounted, wherein the housing has a through hole through which the terminal fitting passes, and the through hole has, in a cross-sectional view taken from the direction in which the terminal fitting passes, a first through hole extending in a first direction intersecting the through direction and a second through hole extending in a second direction intersecting both the through direction and the first direction, the first through hole and the second through hole intersect each other and are shaped to pass through and lock the terminal fitting, the first through hole has first locking end faces which are locking surfaces for the terminal fitting and are facing each other at both ends in the first direction, and the second through hole has second locking end faces which are locking surfaces for the terminal fitting and are facing each other at both ends in the second direction.

[0010] The terminal fitting can, for example, assume a housing position with the plate surface aligned in a first direction (hereinafter referred to as the first position), pass through a first through-hole, and be locked to a first locking end face. Alternatively, the terminal fitting can assume a housing position with the plate surface aligned in a second direction (hereinafter referred to as the second position), pass through a second through-hole, and be locked to a second locking end face. Therefore, regardless of whether the terminal fitting assumes the first or second housing position, it can be locked with a single housing. This eliminates the need to prepare multiple housings to accommodate each terminal fitting in the first and second positions.

[0011] (2) In the connector according to (1) above, it is preferable that the first through hole and the second through hole have the same shape as each other. For this connector, only one type of terminal fitting needs to be prepared for terminal fittings having different accommodation postures.

[0012] (3) In the connector according to (1) or (2) above, it is preferable that the corner portion of the portion where the first through hole and the second through hole intersect has a cross-sectional shape in an R-curved surface shape. In the R-curved surface-shaped cross-sectional portion of the through hole, the portion in contact with the terminal fitting is small. Therefore, the insertion resistance of the terminal fitting can be reduced.

[0013] (4) In the connector according to any one of (1) to (3) above, a plurality of the through holes are provided in the housing, and a plurality of the terminal fittings are provided corresponding to the plurality of through holes. Among the plurality of terminal fittings, those locked to the first through hole and those locked to the second through hole are mixed.

[0014] According to the above configuration, terminal fittings having different accommodation postures can be grouped together in one housing. In particular, this connector can adjust the accommodation postures of the terminal fittings by combining them so that the terminal fittings maintain an insulating distance from each other.

[0015] [Details of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] Specific examples of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this exemplification, and is shown by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0016] [First Embodiment] Connector 10 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure exemplifies a connector for a substrate. Connector 10 includes a housing 30 installed on a circuit board 60 and a plurality of terminal fittings 40 attached to housing 30. Housing 30 is capable of mating with a mating connector 50. In the following description, regarding the front-back direction, the side where housing 30 mates with the mating connector 50 is defined as the front side. The left side of FIG. 1 is the front side. The up-down direction is based on the up-down direction in FIGS. 1-4. The left-right direction is based on the left-right direction in FIGS. 2 and 3. In each figure, the front side is represented by arrow F, the upper side is represented by arrow U, and the right side is represented by arrow R.

[0017] (Mating connector 50, housing 30, terminal fitting 40) The mating connector 50 is configured by housing a mating terminal 51 in a block-shaped housing portion. The mating terminal 51 is a female terminal fitting. The housing 30 is made of synthetic resin and has a cylindrical hood portion 20. The housing portion of the mating connector 50 is fitted into the inside of the hood portion 20 from the front. The hood portion 20 has a pair of opposing wall portions 21 facing each other vertically, a pair of side wall portions 23 facing each other horizontally, and a back wall portion 25 located at the rear end. The back wall portion 25 is connected to the rear ends of each opposing wall portion 21 and each side wall portion 23. The front end face 25a of the back wall portion 25 is arranged along the vertical direction and the horizontal direction except for the through hole 27 and the opening edge portion of the through hole 27, which will be described later. The rear end face 25b of the back wall portion 25 is also arranged along the vertical direction and the horizontal direction except for the through hole 27 and the opening edge portion of the through hole 27. As shown in FIG. 1, the back wall portion 25 has a thick portion at the lower part that is thick in the front-back direction. The housing 30 has a plurality of through holes 27 that penetrate the thick portion of the back wall portion 25 from the rear end face 25b to the front end face 25a. The through holes 27 are formed in two rows in the vertical direction and multiple columns in the horizontal direction, arranged in alignment. The terminal fitting 40 is inserted into the through hole 27 from the rear.

[0018] The through-hole 27 has a horizontally elongated rectangular first through-hole 27a extending in the left-right direction (first direction) and a vertically elongated rectangular second through-hole 27b extending in the up-down direction (second direction). The first through-hole 27a and the second through-hole 27b intersect at the center of the left-right direction of the first through-hole 27a and the center of the up-down direction of the second through-hole 27b. The through-hole 27 as a whole has a cross-shaped cross section formed by the first through-hole 27a and the second through-hole 27b. The through-hole 27 forms a cross shape when viewed from the rear, which is the insertion direction (through-direction) of the terminal fitting 40. In this embodiment 1, the left-right dimension of the first through-hole 27a and the up-down dimension of the second through-hole 27b are set to be the same.

[0019] As shown in Figure 5, the through-hole 27 has a front recess 35 formed at the front end of the back wall portion 25, a rear recess 28 formed at the rear end of the back wall portion 25, and a through-hole body 26 that is located between the front recess 35 and the rear recess 28 and extends long in the front-rear direction. As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the front recess 35 opens in a rectangular shape when viewed from the front on the front end surface 25a of the back wall portion 25. The front end of the through-hole body 26 opens in the center of the inner back surface (vertical surface facing forward) of the front recess 35. As shown in Figures 2 and 7, the rear recess 28 opens in a cross shape when viewed from the rear on the rear end surface 25b of the back wall portion 25. The through-hole body 26 is formed in a cross shape with a cross section that is slightly smaller than the rear recess 28 in the left-right and up-down directions. The through-hole body 26 opens at the center of the first stopper receiving portion 29a (described later) in the left-right direction and at the center of the second stopper receiving portion 29b (described later) in the up-down direction of the rear recess 28.

[0020] The inner back surface (vertical surface facing rear) of the rear recess 28 has a first stopper receiving portion 29a and a second stopper receiving portion 29b. The first stopper receiving portion 29a is provided in the first through hole 27a. The first stopper receiving portion 29a is formed on both the upper and lower sides of the rear end opening of the through hole body 26, along the vertical and horizontal directions. The second stopper receiving portion 29b is provided in the second through hole 27b. The second stopper receiving portion 29b is formed on both the left and right sides of the rear end opening of the through hole body 26, along the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0021] The rear recess 28 has tapered first guide surface 31a and second guide surface 31b at its rear edge, which widen toward the rear end surface 25b of the back wall portion 25. The first guide surface 31a is formed corresponding to the first through hole 27a of the rear recess 28. The second guide surface 31b is formed corresponding to the second through hole 27b of the rear recess 28. The first guide surface 31a has the function of guiding the terminal fitting 40 into the first through hole 27a. The second guide surface 31b has the function of guiding the terminal fitting 40 into the second through hole 27b.

[0022] As shown in Figures 5 and 9, the first through-hole 27a of the through-hole body 26 has a pair of opposing first locking end faces 41a on both end faces in the left-right direction. The pair of first locking end faces 41a are locking surfaces for a terminal fitting 40 that can be inserted into the first through-hole 27a, and are arranged along the vertical direction.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 9, the second through-hole 27b of the through-hole body 26 has a pair of opposing second locking end faces 41b on both end faces in the vertical direction. The pair of second locking end faces 41b are locking surfaces for the terminal fitting 40 that can be inserted into the second through-hole 27b, and are arranged along the left-right direction.

[0024] As shown in Figure 7, the through hole 27 has a corner 33 where the outer edge of the first through hole 27a and the outer edge of the second through hole 27b intersect in a cross-sectional view from the direction of penetration. The corner 33 has a front corner 33a in the through hole body 26 where the outer edge of the first through hole 27a and the outer edge of the second through hole 27b intersect, as shown in Figure 6, and a rear corner 33b in the rear recess 28 where the outer edge of the first through hole 27a and the outer edge of the second through hole 27b intersect, as shown in Figure 7.

[0025] The front corners 33a are formed in four locations in the central part of the cross-shaped through-hole body 26. The front corners 33a have a curved (R) cross-sectional shape that curves to widen the central part of the cross-shaped through-hole body 26. The rear ends of the front corners 33a are connected to the first stopper receiving portion 29a and the second stopper receiving portion 29b.

[0026] The rear corner portions 33b are similarly formed in four locations in the central part of the cross-shaped rear recess 28. The rear corner portions 33b have a curved (R) cross-sectional shape that curves to widen the central part of the cross-shaped rear recess 28. The rear end of the rear corner portion 33b is connected to the rear end surface 25b of the back wall portion 25.

[0027] The terminal fitting 40 is a conductive metal plate material, formed by punching out a plated metal plate. In this embodiment 1, the plate surface of the terminal fitting 40 is plated with gold plating or the like. The thickness surface of the terminal fitting 40 is a fracture surface that is not plated. The plate surface of the terminal fitting 40 becomes the connection surface that contacts the mating terminal 51 to form a contact point.

[0028] As shown in Figure 8, the terminal fitting 40 has a rectangular cross-section and is slender in shape in the front-to-back direction. The terminal fitting 40 has a pair of locking parts 41 in the middle of the front-to-back direction that protrude outward in the width direction of the plate. The dimensions of the middle of the terminal fitting 40 in the front-to-back direction, excluding the locking parts 41, in the width direction of the plate are the same as or smaller than the left-to-right dimensions of the first through hole 27a and the up-to-down dimensions of the second through hole 27b. The distance between the tips of the locking parts 41 on both sides in the width direction of the plate is greater than the left-to-right dimensions of the first through hole 27a and the up-to-down dimensions of the second through hole 27b. The locking parts 41 have an inclined surface that narrows towards the front. The terminal fitting 40 has a pair of stoppers 42 that protrude rectangularly in the width direction of the plate behind the locking parts 41. The front end surface 42S of the stopper 42 is arranged along a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 40 into the through hole 27.

[0029] The rear end of the terminal fitting 40 penetrates the circuit board 60, which is aligned vertically along the board surface, and is connected by soldering to a conductive part of the circuit board 60 (not shown).

[0030] (Structure and operation of connector 10) As shown in Figure 1, the terminal fitting 40 is inserted from the rear into each of the upper through holes 27 in a vertical housing position (hereinafter referred to as the second position) with the plate surface facing left and right and the plate thickness surface facing up and down. In the second position, the terminal fitting 40 stops the insertion operation by abutting the front end surface 42S of the stopper 42 against the second stopper receiving portion 29b of each of the upper through holes 27 from the rear. As shown in Figure 1, the terminal fitting 40 in the second position is fixed to the back wall portion 25 by locking each locking portion 41 into the second locking end surface 41b of the second through hole 27b in a press-fit state. As shown in Figure 9, in the second position, the terminal fitting 40, with its plate surface facing left and right, is facing inward into the first through hole 27a.

[0031] As shown in Figure 5, the terminal fitting 40 is inserted from the rear into each of the lower through holes 27 with its plate surface facing vertically and its plate thickness surface facing horizontally in a horizontal housing position (hereinafter referred to as the first position). In the first position, the terminal fitting 40 stops the insertion operation by abutting the front end surface 42S of the stopper 42 against the first stopper receiving portion 29a of each of the upper through holes 27 from the rear. As shown in Figure 5, the terminal fitting 40 in the first position is fixed to the back wall portion 25 by locking each locking portion 41 into the first locking end surface 41a of the first through hole 27a in a press-fit state. As shown in Figure 9, in the first position, the terminal fitting 40, with its plate surface facing vertically, is facing inward into the second through hole 27b.

[0032] As described above, regardless of whether the terminal fitting 40 is in the first or second position, the structure makes it difficult for the resin of the back wall portion 25 to adhere to the plate surface of the terminal fitting 40. Therefore, connection reliability can be improved when the plate surface of the terminal fitting 40 contacts the mating terminal 51. In addition, the insertion resistance of the terminal fitting 40 into the housing 30 is reduced, which improves the ease of insertion.

[0033] In the second orientation, the terminal fitting 40 is inserted into the rear recess 28 with the stopper 42 fitted into it. The second through hole 27b of the rear recess 28 has a second guide surface 31b. Therefore, the terminal fitting 40 in the second orientation is easily inserted into the second through hole 27b when positioned.

[0034] Similarly, the terminal fitting 40 in the first position is inserted into the rear recess 28 with the stopper 42 fitted. The first through hole 27a of the rear recess 28 has a first guide surface 31a. Therefore, the terminal fitting 40 in the first position is easily inserted into the first through hole 27a in the positioning state.

[0035] The rear recess 28 has a rear corner portion 33b in its center that has a curved (R) cross-sectional shape. Similarly, the through-hole body 26 has a front corner portion 33a in its center that has a curved (R) cross-sectional shape. As a result, the terminal fitting 40 can avoid excessive interference with the back wall portion 25 due to the front corner portion 33a and the rear corner portion 33b.

[0036] As described above, according to this embodiment 1, a single housing 30 can accommodate the terminal fitting 40 regardless of whether it is in the first or second housing position. This eliminates the need to prepare multiple housings to correspond to each terminal fitting 40 in the first and second positions. As a result, it eliminates the need to manufacture multiple molds corresponding to multiple housings, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0037] Furthermore, the terminal fittings 40 that take on the first and second positions are the same terminal fittings. Therefore, the connector 10 only needs to be equipped with one type of terminal fitting 40. Furthermore, in this embodiment 1, the terminal fittings 40 that can assume the first and second orientations are housed together in a single housing 30. Therefore, compared to the case where the terminal fittings 40 that can assume the first and second orientations are housed in separate housings 30, the area occupied by the connector 10 at the mounting location on a vehicle or the like can be kept small. If the terminal fitting 40 in the second position were to be inserted into both the upper second through-hole 27b and the lower second through-hole 27b, the stoppers 42 of the upper and lower terminal fittings 40 would be close to each other, making it difficult to secure the necessary insulation distance between the upper and lower terminal fittings 40. In this respect, the configuration of this embodiment 1 makes it possible to secure a sufficient insulation distance between the upper and lower terminal fittings 40. [Other embodiments of this disclosure] Embodiment 1 disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive.

[0038] (1) In Embodiment 1, in a cross-sectional view from the through direction, the first through hole extending in the left-right direction and the second through hole extending in the up-down direction intersected at a right angle, forming a cross shape. In contrast, in other embodiments, the first through hole and the second through hole may intersect at an obtuse or acute angle. Furthermore, the first through hole may extend in a direction inclined with respect to the left-right direction, and the second through hole may extend in a direction inclined with respect to the up-down direction. (2) When the terminal fitting is mounted on the housing, the portion that protrudes from the rear end surface of the back wall may be bent in any direction, up, down, left, or right. (3) The through-hole may have a third through-hole that intersects the first and second through-holes in a cross-sectional view taken from the direction of penetration of the terminal fitting. In this case, the terminal fitting can be accommodated in three different accommodation positions relative to the through-hole. (4) The corner only needs to have either a front corner or a rear corner. (5) In Embodiment 1, the terminal fitting in the first position was inserted into the lower first through-hole, and the terminal fitting in the second position was inserted into the upper second through-hole. In contrast, according to other embodiments, the terminal fitting in the first position may be inserted into the upper first through-hole, and the terminal fitting in the second position may be inserted into the lower second through-hole. The connector may also have a structure in which only the terminal fittings that can assume either the first or second position are inserted into the corresponding through-holes. Furthermore, the connector may have a structure in which the terminal fittings that can assume the second position are inserted into both the upper second through-hole and the lower second through-hole, as described at the end of Embodiment 1, and this disclosure does not negate this structure. In the case of this disclosure, the terminal fittings that can assume the first and second positions may be selectively inserted into the corresponding through-holes as appropriate, depending on the mode of use. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 10… Connectors 20…Food Department 21... Opposing wall section 23... Side wall section 25...Back wall part 25a...Front end surface of the back wall 25b...Rear end surface of the back wall 26... Through hole body 27…Through hole 27a...1st through hole 27b…Second through hole 28... Rear recess 29a...First stopper receiving section 29b...Second stopper receiving section 30… Housing 31a...1st guidance surface 31b…Second guidance surface 33... Corner 33a...front corner 33b…Rear corner 35…Front recess 40…Terminal fittings 41... Locking part 41a...first locking end surface 41b…Second locking end surface 42... Stopper 42S... Front end surface of the stopper 50...Mother connector 51...Mutual terminal 60... Circuit board

Claims

1. A connector comprising a terminal fitting and a housing on which the terminal fitting is attached, The housing has a cylindrical hood portion having a back wall portion at its rear end, and a through hole that penetrates the back wall portion from the front end surface to the rear end surface of the back wall portion. The terminal fitting is inserted into the through hole from the rear. The through hole has a rear recess formed at the rear end of the back wall portion and a through hole body that extends in the front-rear direction and opens to the inner back surface of the rear recess. The rear recess and the through-hole body, in a cross-sectional view from the rear, have a first through-hole extending in a left-right direction intersecting the front-rear direction, and a second through-hole extending in a vertical direction intersecting both the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The terminal fitting is plate-shaped and has a locking portion that protrudes outward in the width direction of the plate. The first through-hole of the through-hole body has first locking end faces at both ends in the left-right direction that face each other and into which the locking portion can be locked, The second through-hole of the through-hole body has a second locking end face at both ends in the vertical direction that are opposite to each other and into which the locking portion can be locked. A connector wherein the rear recess opens in a cross shape when viewed from the rear on the rear end surface of the back wall portion, and the through-hole body is formed in a cross shape with a cross section that is slightly smaller than the rear recess.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the first through hole and the second through hole are the same shape as each other.

3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the corner portion where the first through hole and the second through hole intersect has a curved cross-sectional shape.

4. Multiple through holes are provided in the housing. The terminal fittings are provided in multiple quantities corresponding to the multiple through holes, The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of terminal fittings include a mixture of those that engage with the first through hole and those that engage with the second through hole.

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