JP2005251569A - Connector and method for connecting the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector which can ensure perfect connection with a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: A female connector 3 of the connector 1 is temporarily fastened to a component 2 to be attached and unfastened only after it is completely connected to a connector 4. The female connector 3 is inserted deeply into the component 2 to fasten the male connector 4 to the component 2 and joint parts of the connectors 3 and 4 are securely sealed by making sealing lips 5a of a grommet 5 in close contact with the component 2. Thus connection of the connectors 3 and 4, fixation of the male connector 4 to the component 2 to be attached, and sealing of the grommet 5 are performed by a single operation of inserting the male connector 4 into the the female connector 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector that is fixed to a mounting target component such as a panel.

Conventionally, a pair of male and female connectors is generally used when an opening is provided in a part to be attached such as a panel and electrical wiring is connected across the opening. This connector has a female connector that is temporarily fixed to a part to be attached and waits for a connection with the other connector, and a male connector that is connected to the female connector. Then, in parallel with the progress of the connection between the connectors, the female connector is pushed into the back of the part to be attached, and the male connector is fixed to the part to be attached (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In addition, a grommet-integrated connector is used for connection parts that require reliable connection and ensure waterproofness, such as when wiring from the outside of a car to the inside of the car (for example, patents) Reference 2 and Patent Reference 3).

JP-A-2002-151214 ([0017] to [0025], FIGS. 1 to 11) Registered Utility Model No. 2519206 ([0008] to [0012], FIGS. 1 to 4) JP 2003-173837 A ([0013] to [0024], FIGS. 1 to 4)

However, the conventional connector has the following problems. First, the waterproofness of the connecting portion of the connector is not considered in the case where the female connector is pushed into the back of the attachment target part simultaneously with the progress of the fitting of the connectors, and the male connector is fixed to the attachment target part. Therefore, when a grommet is attached to such a conventional connector to ensure waterproofness, the progress of the coupling between the connectors is covered by the grommet and cannot be confirmed, and the coupling between the female connector and the male connector remains insufficient. It becomes easy to produce the connection defect that a connector will be fixed to components to be attached.
On the other hand, a conventional grommet integrated connector has a structure in which a pin for checking the connection state is extended from the female connector so as to penetrate the male connector, and the connector is checked for connection with the pin, Since it has a special mechanism for the purpose of ensuring the connection only, such as those provided with a coupling lever that promotes the structure, the structure is complicated, the number of parts and the cost of parts are increased, and the size of the connector is increased. Inconvenience was pointed out.

The above-mentioned problems are not limited to connectors equipped with grommets for ensuring waterproofness, and electrical wiring is necessary, and parts that cannot be seen visually at the connection between the connectors when the connection is completed, For example, it has also been pointed out in the same manner with respect to a connector of an operation switch fitted from the surface to the instrument panel.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can reliably guarantee complete coupling with a simpler structure at a low cost. . Another object is to enable complete connector coupling with simpler work.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a connector according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a female connector that is temporarily fixed to a mounting target part and waits for a connection with a male connector, and is coupled to the female connector and the female connector A male connector that is pushed into the interior of the part to be attached and is fixed to the part to be attached by itself. The female connector assists the structural part of the male connector until the connection between the connectors is completed. The provisional fixing portion to the mounting target part, whose apparent rigidity is increased and the temporary fixing is prevented from being released, is provided to the male connector after the completion of the connection between the connectors. The rigidity control part of the temporary fixing part for removing the temporary fixing part from the attachment target part is provided.
According to the present invention, the temporary fixing portion of the female connector to the attachment object is assisted by the structural portion of the male connector and the apparent rigidity is increased until the connection between the connectors is completed. As long as the connection of the female connector is not completed, the temporary fixing of the female connector to the attachment target component is not released. On the other hand, after the completion of the connection between the connectors, the rigidity of the temporary fixing part, which has been apparently increased without the assistance of the temporary fixing part, is restored to the original rigidity by the male connector's rigidity control part. Since it is removed from the connector, the connectors can be reliably connected to each other. In addition, the connection between the connectors and the fixing of the male connector to the mounting target part can be completed by a single operation of inserting the male connector into the female connector.

The connector according to claim 2 of the present invention is the connector according to claim 1, wherein the temporary fixing portion is provided on an outer protrusion for engaging with an opening edge end portion of a part to be attached, and a housing of the male connector. A claw portion comprising an inner projection portion that is in sliding contact, and the rigidity control portion of the temporary fixing portion is located on the base end side of the housing and the housing, and the claw portion is in a state where the connection between the connectors is completed And a push-in portion for deforming the claw portion and pushing it into the opening edge of the attachment target part.
According to the present invention, temporary fixing of the female connector is performed by the outer protrusion for meshing with the opening edge end portion of the part to be attached of the claw portion, and until the coupling between the connectors is completed, By sliding the inner projection of the claw portion into the housing of the male connector, the deformation of the claw portion of the male connector housing is restricted, and the apparent rigidity of the claw portion is enhanced. Therefore, the temporary fixing force until the connection between the connectors is completed can be increased. On the other hand, after the connectors are connected to each other, the male connector push-in portion pushes the female connector claw portion into the inner edge of the opening edge of the part to be attached, retracts the claw portion into the neck portion, and temporarily closes the female connector. It can be released.

The connector according to claim 3 of the present invention is the connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the male connector includes a grommet that secures a sealing function at the time when the fixing to the component to be attached is completed. is there.
According to the present invention, after the connection between the connectors is completed, by temporarily applying a force exceeding the force required to complete the connection from the male connector to the female connector, the temporary fixing of the female connector to the attachment target component is released for the first time. . Then, the female connector is pushed into the part to be attached and the male connector is fixed to the part to be attached, so that the connecting portion between the connectors by the grommet can be reliably sealed. In addition to the connection between the connectors and the fixing of the male connector to the part to be attached, the grommet seal can be completed by a single operation of inserting the male connector into the female connector.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the connector according to the first or second aspect, wherein the male connector is a part exposed to the surface of the mounting target part when the fixing to the mounting target part is completed. Part of it.
According to the present invention, even after the connection between the connectors is completed, by temporarily applying a force exceeding the force required to complete the connection from the male connector to the female connector, the temporary fixing of the female connector to the attachment target component is released for the first time. . Then, the female connector is pushed into the back of the part to be attached, and the part having the male connector can be fixed to the part to be attached in a state where the part is exposed on the surface of the part to be attached. In addition, it is possible to complete the connection between the connectors and the fixing of the component exposed on the surface of the mounting target component to the mounting target component by a single operation of inserting the male connector into the female connector.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a connector coupling method according to claim 5 of the present invention is such that a female connector is temporarily fixed to a component to be attached, a male connector having a grommet is coupled to the female connector, and the connectors are connected to each other. After completing the coupling, the male connector is further pushed into the mounting target part to release the coupling between the female connector and the mounting target part, and the female connector is pushed into the back of the mounting target part. The mounting target part is fixed, and the seal lip portion of the grommet is brought into close contact with the mounting target part.
According to the present invention, after completing the connection between the connectors, the male connector is further pushed into the attachment target part to release the connection between the female connector and the attachment target part, and the female connector is connected to the back of the attachment target part. By pushing in, a complete coupling state between the connectors can be guaranteed. In addition, by fixing the male connector and the mounting target part and bringing the seal lip portion of the grommet into close contact with the mounting target part, it is possible to reliably seal the coupling portion between the connectors. In addition, it is possible to complete the connection between the connectors, the fixing of the male connector to the attachment target part, and the sealing with the grommet by a single operation of inserting the male connector into the female connector.

  Since this invention was comprised in this way, it becomes possible to provide the connector which can ensure complete coupling | bonding reliably with a simpler structure at low cost. In addition, a complete connector can be coupled with a simpler operation.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts as those of the prior art are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a female connector 3 that is temporarily fixed to an attachment target component 2 and a male connector 4 that is coupled to the female connector 3. Yes. Further, the male connector 4 includes a grommet 5. The attachment target component 2 is a metal body panel of an automobile in the illustrated example. On the other hand, both the female connector 3 and the male connector 4 are plastic molded products. Further, the grommet 5 is a rubber product. An electrical wiring 6 is connected to the female connector 3, and an electrical wiring 7 is connected to the male connector 4, and electrical connection terminals are provided inside the housing 3 a of the female connector 3 and the housing 4 a of the male connector 4. ing.

A female connector 3 is inserted into the opening 2a formed in the attachment target component 2 from the inside of the vehicle body (the left side in the figure). And the female connector 3 waits for the coupling | bonding with the male connector 4 in the state temporarily fixed to the component 2 to be attached. In the illustrated example, the housing 3a of the female connector 3 has a claw portion 3b constituting a temporary fixing portion to the attachment target component for meshing with the edge portion of the opening 2a of the attachment target component 2, and a vehicle body outer side (see FIG. And the flange portion 3c for preventing the drop-off to the right side) are integrally formed. The claw portion 3b includes an outer protrusion for engaging with the edge of the opening 2a and an inner protrusion that is in sliding contact with the housing 4a of the male connector 4 in order to prevent the temporary fixing of the female connector 3 from being released. It consists of
On the other hand, the male connector 4 includes a housing 4 a that fits into the housing 3 a of the female connector 3, a neck portion 4 b that is positioned on the proximal end side of the housing 4 a and receives the claw portion 3 b of the female connector 3, and a claw of the female connector 3. A shoulder portion 4c, which is a pushing portion for deforming and pushing the portion 3b, a flange portion 4d fitted from the outside of the vehicle body to the opening 2a formed in the attachment target component 2, and a seal lip portion 5a of the grommet 5 are fitted. The neck portion 4e to be engaged and the flange portion 4f for fitting the retaining portion 5b of the grommet 5 are integrally formed. And the fixing | fixed part for fixing the male connector 4 to the attachment object component 2 is comprised by the collar part 4d, the neck part 4e, and the flange part 4f.
Further, the seal lip portion 5a, the retaining portion 5 and the hose portion 5c of the grommet 5 are integrally formed.

  The inner protrusion of the claw portion 3b, which is a temporarily fixed portion of the female connector 3, is in sliding contact with the housing 4a of the male connector 4 until the connection between the female connector 3 and the male connector 4 is completed. The deformation of 3b is restricted, the apparent rigidity of the claw portion 3b can be increased, and the temporary fixing force can be increased. On the other hand, after the connection between the connectors is completed, the neck portion 4b faces the claw portion 3b, so that the claw portion 3b is no longer supported, and the apparently enhanced rigidity of the claw portion 3b is originally claw portion 3b itself. The rigidity is restored. In this state, the claw portion 3b is urged to be deformed by the shoulder portion 4c and is easily pushed into the neck portion 4b. That is, the housing 4a, the neck portion 4b, and the shoulder portion 4c of the male connector 4 constitute a “rigidity control portion” that controls the apparent rigidity of the claw portion 3b of the female connector 3. In addition, the deformation | transformation aspect at the time of the nail | claw part 3b of the female connector 3 remove | deviating from the edge part of the opening 2a of the attachment target component 2 may be elastic deformation, or plastic deformation.

Here, the connecting procedure of the connector 1 will be described.
First step: First, as shown in FIG. 1A, the female connector 3 is temporarily fixed to the attachment target component 2.
Second step: Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, the male connector 4 provided with the grommet 5 is coupled to the female connector 3. Until the coupling between the female connector 3 and the male connector 4 is completed, the claw portion 3b of the female connector 3 is in sliding contact with the housing 4a of the male connector 4, so that the claw portion 3b has an edge portion of the opening 2a. The deformation to the inside is restricted, the apparent rigidity of the claw portion 3b is increased, and the temporary fixing force becomes large. That is, the male connector 4 is in a state in which the temporary fixing of the female connector 3 is prevented from being released.
Third step: Therefore, the claw portion 3b of the female connector 3 is inserted into the deep portion of the housing 3a of the female connector 3 until the coupling is completed. It does not come off the edge. However, in the coupling completion state shown in FIG. 2, the inner protrusion of the claw portion 3b of the female connector 3 faces the neck portion 4b of the male connector 4, thereby eliminating the assistance from the male connector 4 to the claw portion 3b. The apparent rigidity of the claw portion 3b is returned to the original rigidity. From this state, by further applying a force in a direction in which the male connector 4 is inserted into the female connector 3, the shoulder 4c of the male connector 4 comes into contact with the claw 3b of the female connector 3, and the claw 3b. 2 is deformed in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2, and is disengaged from the edge of the opening 2a of the attachment target component 2, and the claw portion 3b is received by the neck portion 4b.

Fourth Step: FIG. 3A shows a state in which the claw portion 3b is elastically deformed and passes through the opening 2a of the attachment target component 2 and is pushed into the vehicle body of the attachment target component 2. In this way, the claw portion 3b is pushed into the back of the attachment target component 2.
Fifth step: Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the male connector 4 fits into the opening 2a of the attachment target component 2, and the flange 4b of the male connector 4 passes through the edge of the opening 2a. And the collar part 4b of the male connector 4 fits in the vehicle body inner side of the attachment object part 2, and the seal lip part 5a of the grommet 5 is compressed between the attachment object part 2 and the flange part 4f of the male connector 4. Insert with.
When the state shown in FIG. 3B is reached, the male connector 4 is fixed to the attachment target component 2 and the seal lip portion 5a of the grommet 5 is in close contact with the attachment target component 2, so that the female connector 3 and the male connector 4 are connected. Airtightness of the housings 3a and 4a, which are connecting portions of the connector 4, is ensured.

The effects obtained by the embodiment of the present invention having the above-described configuration are as follows. First, in the connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, after the connection between the connectors 3 and 4 is completed (FIG. 2), the temporary fixing of the female connector 3 to the attachment target component 2 is released for the first time (FIG. 3 ( a)). That is, the temporary fixing of the female connector 3 is performed by the outer protruding portion for engaging with the edge of the opening 2a of the attachment target part of the claw portion 3b, and until the connection between the connectors is completed. 3 is brought into sliding contact with the housing 4a of the male connector 4 (FIG. 1B), the deformation of the claw portion 3b is regulated by the housing 4a of the male connector 4, and the claw portion 3b. As a result, the temporary fixing force can be increased. On the other hand, after the connectors are connected to each other, the inner protrusion of the claw portion 3b of the female connector 3 faces the neck portion 4b of the male connector 4, thereby eliminating the assistance of the male connector 4 to the claw portion 3b. The rigidity of the claw portion 3b that has been increased is returned to the original rigidity. From this state, the claw portion 3b of the female connector is pushed into the inner edge of the opening 2a of the attachment target component 2 by the shoulder portion 4c that is the push-in portion of the male connector 4 (FIG. 3 (a)), By engaging with the neck portion 4 b of the male connector 4, the temporary fixing of the claw portion 3 b of the female connector 3 is released.
Then, the female connector 3 is temporarily fixed to the attachment target component 2 (FIG. 3A), and the female connector 3 is pushed into the attachment target component 2 to fix the male connector 4 to the attachment target component 2. (FIG. 3B) can be performed.

Therefore, unless the connection between the female connector 3 and the male connector 4 is completed, the temporary fixing of the female connector 3 to the attachment target component 2 is not released. Therefore, unlike the conventional connector, the female connector 3 and the male connector 4 are not connected. A poor connection such that the female connector 3 is detached from the attachment target component 2 in a state where the connection is insufficient cannot occur, and a complete connection between the connectors 3 and 4 can be reliably ensured.
In addition, the connection between the connectors 3 and 4 and the fixing of the male connector 4 to the attachment target component 2 can be completed by a single operation of inserting the male connector 4 into the female connector 3.

The male connector 4 includes a grommet 5 that ensures a sealing function when the fixing to the attachment target component 2 is completed. That is, if the female connector is temporarily fixed to the attachment target part ((FIG. 3A)), the female connector 3 is pushed into the attachment target part 2, and the male connector 4 is fixed to the attachment target part 2. At the same time (FIG. 3 (b)), the seal lip portion 5a of the grommet 5 is in close contact with the component 2 to be mounted, so that the grommet 5 securely seals the connecting portion between the connectors 3 and 4 (housing 3a, 4a). Moreover, in addition to the connection between the connectors 3 and 4 and the fixing of the male connector 4 to the mounting target component 2, the grommet 5 is also sealed by simply inserting the male connector 4 into the female connector 3. It can be completed by one operation.
Therefore, according to the connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, unlike the conventional grommet-integrated connector, only the coupling is ensured, such as a pin for confirming the coupling state and a coupling lever for promoting the coupling between the connectors. It is not necessary to provide a special mechanism for the purpose, and it is possible to ensure complete coupling with a simpler structure.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the male connector 4 includes the grommet 5 to ensure the sealing property between the connectors 3 and 4, but as another example, as shown in FIG. Is a part of the part 8 exposed on the surface of the mounting target part 2 when the fixing to the mounting target part 2 is completed, specifically, the part 8 is placed on the instrument panel of the automobile. The present invention can also be applied to a case where a switch is attached.
Also in the case of this other example, by providing the connectors 3 and 4 with the same structure as the example of FIGS. 1 to 3, the connection between the connectors 3 and 4 and the part 8 exposed on the surface of the attachment target part 2 Fixing the mounting target component 2 in a predetermined position can be completed by a single operation of inserting the male connector 4 into the female connector 3, and the complete connection between the connectors 3 and 4 is ensured. Can be guaranteed.

The connector which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and its coupling | bonding procedure are shown, (a) is a figure which shows a 1st step and (b) shows a 2nd step. It is a figure which shows the connector which concerns on embodiment of this invention, its coupling | bonding procedure, and shows the 3rd step. The connector which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and its coupling | bonding procedure are shown, (a) is a 4th step, (b) is a figure which shows a 5th step. The other example of the connector which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and its coupling | bonding procedure are shown, (a) shows the temporarily fixed state of a female connector, (b) shows the completion state of the coupling | bonding of a female connector and a male connector. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1: Connector 2: Part to be installed 2a: Opening 3: Female connector 3b: Claw 4: Male connector 5: Grommet 5a: Seal lip

Claims (5)

A female connector that is temporarily fixed to a mounting target part and waits for a connection with a male connector; a male connector that is connected to the female connector and that pushes the female connector into the mounting target part and is fixed to the mounting target part by itself And
Until the coupling between the connectors is completed, the female connector is supported by the structural portion of the male connector to increase the apparent rigidity, and is temporarily attached to a part to be attached that is prevented from being temporarily fixed. Fixing part,
The male connector is provided with a rigidity control section of the temporary fixing section that removes the temporary fixing section from the attachment target component without assistance to the temporary fixing section after the connectors are connected to each other. connector. The temporary fixing portion includes a claw portion including an outer protrusion portion for meshing with an opening edge end portion of an attachment target component, and an inner protrusion portion that is in sliding contact with the housing of the male connector,
The rigidity control part of the temporary fixing part is located on the base end side of the housing, the neck part that receives the claw part in a state where the connectors are connected, and the claw part is deformed and attached. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a push-in portion for pushing into the opening edge end of the target part. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the male connector includes a grommet that secures a sealing function when the fixing to the attachment target component is completed. 3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the male connector constitutes a part of a part exposed on a surface of the attachment target part when the fixing to the attachment target part is completed. A female connector is temporarily fixed to a mounting target part, a male connector having a grommet is coupled to the female connector, and after the coupling between the connectors is completed, the male connector is further pushed into the mounting target part, and the female connector Is released from the mounting target part, the female connector is pushed into the mounting target part, the male connector and the mounting target part are fixed, and the seal lip portion of the grommet is brought into close contact with the mounting target part. And a connector coupling method.

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