JP2005203307A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector in which a spacer can move easily between a temporary locking position for allowing a terminal fitting to come out of the housing and a final locking position for restricting the terminal fitting to come out of it. <P>SOLUTION: The connector 1 comprises a cylindrical connector housing 4 for housing a male terminal 3 and a spacer 5 which is mounted on the connector housing in free movement between a temporary locking position for allowing the male terminal 3 to come out of the connector housing 4 and a final locking position for restricting the male terminal 3 to come out of the connector housing 4. A slide groove 17 is formed at the inner face 4a of the connector housing 4. An elastic deformation arm 27 is provided at the outer face 14b of the spacer 5. The elastic deformation arm 27 has an elastic restoring force of entering into the slide groove 17 and pushing the bottom 17a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector used for connecting electric wires and the like.

  A wide variety of electronic devices are mounted on a vehicle as a moving body. The automobile arranges a wire harness in order to transmit electric power, a control signal, and the like to the electronic device. The wire harness includes a plurality of electric wires and a connector (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The electric wire is a so-called covered electric wire including a conductive core wire and an insulating covering portion that covers the core wire.

  The connector described in Patent Document 1 described above includes a male terminal fitting (hereinafter referred to as a male terminal), a connector housing, and a spacer.

  The male terminal is made of a conductive sheet metal or the like, and includes an electric wire connecting portion and an electric contact portion. The electric wire is electrically and mechanically connected to the electric wire connecting portion. The electrical contact portion is formed in a plate shape and continues to the wire connection portion. The electrical contact portion enters the electrical contact portion of the female terminal fitting of the mating connector to be fitted into the connector, and is electrically connected to the electrical contact portion of the female terminal fitting.

  The connector housing is made of an insulating synthetic resin and is formed in a cylindrical shape. The connector housing includes a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers that accommodate male terminals. The terminal accommodating chambers are formed in a straight line and are arranged in parallel to each other. The terminal accommodating chamber accommodates the male terminal in a state where the electrical contact portion of the male terminal is opposed to one opening portion of the connector housing and the electric wire connecting portion of the male terminal is opposed to the other opening portion of the connector housing.

  The spacer is inserted into the connector housing through one opening of the connector housing. The spacer is locked to the inner surface of the connector housing and attached to the connector housing. When the spacer is attached to the connector housing, the spacer is movable between the temporary locking position and the final locking position.

  In the temporary locking position, the spacer allows the male terminal to enter the terminal accommodating chamber through the other opening, and allows the male terminal to escape from the terminal accommodating chamber through the other opening. In this locking position, the spacer restricts the male terminal in the terminal accommodating chamber from coming out of the terminal accommodating chamber through the other opening.

  Moreover, the connector mentioned above is provided with the guide groove and guide rail which guide the moving direction of the spacer which moves over the temporary latching position and this latching position mentioned above. The guide groove is recessed from the inner surface of the connector housing, and extends linearly along the longitudinal direction of the terminal accommodating chamber described above. The guide rail is formed convex from the spacer and engages with the guide groove, and is movable along the longitudinal direction of the guide groove.

In the connector described above, the guide rail engages with the guide groove, and the guide rail moves in the guide groove so that the spacer is attached to the connector housing. In the connector described above, the guide rail moves in the guide groove, and the spacer described above moves between the temporary locking position and the main locking position.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-116377

  In the conventional connector described above, the guide rail moves in the guide groove, and the spacer moves between the temporary locking position and the main locking position described above. For this reason, in order for the guide rail to move smoothly in the guide groove, a slight gap is provided between the inner surface of the guide groove and the guide rail. For this reason, when attaching to a connector housing and moving over a temporary locking position and a final locking position, a spacer will rattle with respect to a connector housing.

  For this reason, when the spacer is attached or moved, the posture of the spacer is slightly changed, and the guide rail is sometimes caught on the inner surface of the guide groove. For this reason, the conventional connector described in Patent Document 1 described above has difficulty in moving the spacer between the temporary locking position and the main locking position described above.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can be easily moved between a temporary locking position that allows a terminal fitting to come out of a spacer and a final locking position that restricts the terminal fitting from coming out. There is.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the connector of the present invention according to claim 1 is a cylindrical connector housing that accommodates a terminal fitting, and a temporary housing that allows the terminal fitting to come out of the connector housing. A spacer that is movably attached to the connector housing over a locking position and a main locking position that restricts the terminal fitting from coming out of the connector housing, and the spacer is one of the connector housings. In a connector that is inserted into the connector housing through the opening and is attached to the connector housing, the connector is provided on one of the inner surface of the connector housing and the outer surface of the spacer, and in the direction in which the spacer is inserted into the connector housing. A recessed groove extending along the inner surface of the connector housing One end of the spacer is connected to the other outer surface of the spacer, and the other end is elastically deformable so as to be displaced along a direction intersecting the direction in which the spacer is inserted into the connector housing. And an elastically deformable arm that guides the spacer over the temporary locking position and the final locking position, and the elastic deformation arm is configured so that the spacer has the temporary locking position and the main locking position. And an elastic restoring force that presses the bottom of the groove is produced.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the connector according to the first aspect, wherein the concave groove is provided on each of a pair of inner surfaces facing each other of the connector housing, and the elastic deformation arm is formed on the spacer. It is characterized in that it is provided on each of the pair of outer surfaces of the spacers located on opposite sides along the direction intersecting the direction of insertion into the connector housing.

  The connector according to a third aspect of the present invention is the connector according to the second aspect, wherein the elastically deformable arm includes an arm body having one end connected to the outer surface of the spacer, and a convex shape protruding from the arm body toward the outside of the spacer. The distance between the tops of the protrusions of the pair of elastically deformable arms is longer than the distance between the bottoms of the pair of concave grooves.

  The connector according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the connector according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the elastically deformable arm is configured so that the spacer is attached to the connector housing when the spacer is attached to the connector housing. It is characterized by producing an elastic restoring force that presses the bottom of the groove.

  According to the connector of the present invention described in claim 1, the elastically deformable arm that enters the groove and guides the spacer between the temporary locking position and the main locking position presses the bottom of the groove. Elastic restoring force is generated. For this reason, when moving over the temporary locking position and the final locking position, it is possible to prevent the spacer from rattling against the connector housing.

  According to the connector of the present invention described in claim 2, the concave groove is provided on each of the pair of inner surfaces facing each other of the connector housing, and the elastic deformation arm is provided on each of the pair of outer surfaces positioned on the opposite sides of the spacer. ing. For this reason, when moving over the temporary locking position and the final locking position, it is possible to more reliably prevent the spacer from rattling against the connector housing.

  According to the connector of the present invention described in claim 3, the distance between the tops of the protrusions of the elastically deformable arm is longer than the distance between the bottoms of the concave grooves. For this reason, when the elastic deformation arm enters the concave groove, an elastic restoring force that presses the bottom of the concave groove more reliably is generated. Therefore, when moving between the temporary locking position and the main locking position, it is possible to more reliably prevent the spacer from rattling against the connector housing.

  According to the connector of the present invention as set forth in claim 4, when the spacer is attached to the connector housing, the elastic deformation arm generates an elastic restoring force that presses the bottom of the concave groove. For this reason, when attaching to a connector housing, it can prevent that a spacer rattles with respect to a connector housing.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the elastically deformable arm generates an elastic restoring force that presses the bottom of the groove, it moves between the temporary locking position and the main locking position. In doing so, it is possible to prevent the spacer from rattling against the connector housing. For this reason, when the spacer moves, the posture of the spacer can be prevented from changing, and the elastic deformation arm can be prevented from being caught on the inner surface of the concave groove. Therefore, the spacer can be easily moved between the temporary locking position and the final locking position.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the concave groove is provided on each of the pair of inner surfaces of the connector housing, and the elastically deformable arm is provided on each of the pair of outer surfaces of the spacer. It is possible to more reliably prevent rattling. For this reason, when a spacer moves, it can prevent more reliably that the attitude | position of a spacer changes, and it can prevent more reliably that an elastic deformation arm is caught on the inner surface of a ditch | groove. Therefore, the spacer can be moved more easily between the temporary locking position and the main locking position.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the distance between the tops of the protrusions of the elastic deformation arm is longer than the distance between the bottoms of the concave grooves, the elastic recovery arm more reliably presses the bottom of the concave grooves. Produce power. For this reason, when moving, it can prevent still more reliably that a spacer rattles with respect to a connector housing. For this reason, when the spacer moves, it is possible to more reliably prevent the posture of the spacer from changing, and it is possible to more reliably prevent the elastic deformation arm from being caught on the inner surface of the concave groove. Therefore, the spacer can be moved more easily between the temporary locking position and the main locking position.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the spacer is attached to the connector housing, the elastic deformation arm generates an elastic restoring force that presses the bottom of the groove. For this reason, when attaching to a connector housing, it can prevent that a spacer rattles with respect to a connector housing. For this reason, when attaching a spacer, it can prevent reliably that the attitude | position of a spacer changes, and it can prevent reliably that an elastic deformation arm is caught in the inner surface of a ditch | groove. Therefore, the spacer can be easily attached to the connector housing.

  A connector according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. A connector 1 shown in FIG. 1 and the like constitutes a wire harness routed in an automobile or the like. The wire harness includes a plurality of electric wires 2 (shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) and a connector 1 shown in FIGS. The electric wire 2 includes a conductive core wire and an insulating covering portion that covers the core wire.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the connector 1 includes a male terminal fitting 3 as a terminal fitting, a connector housing 4, and a spacer 5.

  The male terminal 3 is made of a conductive sheet metal or the like, and includes a wire connection portion 6 and an electrical contact portion 7. The wire 2 is electrically and mechanically connected to the wire connection portion 6. The electrical contact portion 7 is formed in a plate shape and continues to the wire connection portion 6. The electrical contact portion 7 penetrates into the electrical contact portion of the female terminal fitting (hereinafter referred to as a female terminal) of the mating connector to be fitted to the connector 1 and is electrically connected to the electrical contact portion of the female terminal. To do.

  The connector housing 4 is made of an insulating synthetic resin and includes a cylindrical main body 8, an operation hole 9, and a pair of protective walls 10 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. . As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the main body 8 includes a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 11 for accommodating the male terminals 3. The terminal accommodating chambers 11 are formed in a straight line and are arranged in parallel to each other. The terminal accommodating chamber 11 is provided with a locking claw 12. The locking claw 12 is formed integrally with the inner surface of the terminal accommodating chamber 11 and extends from the inner surface toward the inner side of the terminal accommodating chamber 11. The locking claw 12 is locked to the edge of the electrical contact portion 7 of the male terminal 3 near the wire connection portion 6.

  In the terminal accommodating chamber 11, the electrical contact portion 7 of the male terminal 3 is opposed to one opening 8 a (shown in FIG. 1 or the like) of the main body portion 8 of the connector housing 4, and the wire connecting portion 6 of the male terminal 3 is the connector. The male terminal 3 is accommodated in a state facing the other opening 8b (shown in FIG. 1 and the like) of the main body 8 of the housing 4. The one and other openings 8a and 8b form one and the other openings of the connector housing 4 described in this specification.

  Since the main body portion 8 is formed in a cylindrical shape and accommodates the male terminal 3, the connector housing 4 is formed in a cylindrical shape and accommodates the male terminal 3. Moreover, the male terminal 3 is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 11 through the other opening 8b along the arrow X1 in FIG. 1 along the longitudinal direction. An arrow X1 indicates a direction in which the male terminal 3 is inserted into the connector housing 4.

  The operation hole 9 passes through the outer wall 13 of the main body 8 of the connector housing 4. The outer wall 13 forms the outer wall of the connector housing 4. The planar shape of the operation hole 9 is rectangular. The operation hole 9 positions an outer surface 14 a of a main body portion 14 described later of the spacer 5 attached to the connector housing 4 on the inner side. In this specification, the fact that the outer surface 14a of the main body portion 14 of the spacer 5 is located inside the operation hole 9 is referred to as the operation hole 9 and the outer surface 14a of the spacer 5 facing each other.

  The longitudinal direction of the operation hole 9 is parallel to the arrow X1. In addition, an operation unit 15 described later is positioned inside the operation hole 9. The operation unit 15 can be pressed along the arrows X2 and X1 from the outside of the connector housing 4 using the jig 16 shown in FIGS. The arrow X2 is in the direction in which the spacer 5 described in this specification is inserted into the connector housing 4, and is parallel to and opposite to the arrow X1 described above.

  When the spacer 5 is positioned at a temporary locking position which will be described later, the operation portion 15 is positioned at an end portion of the operation hole 9 near the one opening portion 8a. When the spacer 5 is positioned at a later-described main locking position, the operation portion 15 is positioned at an end portion of the operation hole 9 near the other opening portion 8b.

  The operation hole 9 passes through the outer wall 13 of the main body 8 of the connector housing 4 and faces the outer surface 14 a of the spacer 5. The operation hole 9 positions the operation portion 15 and the outer surface 14a on the inside, enables the spacer 5 to be pressed along the arrows X1 and X2 from the outside of the connector housing 4, and temporarily holds the spacer 5 along the arrow X. It is possible to move between the position and the final locking position. The arrow X is parallel to the arrows X1 and X2 and forms the direction in which the spacer 5 moves, and is along the longitudinal direction of the male terminal 3.

  The protective wall 10 is erected from the outer wall 13 of the main body 8 of the connector housing 4. The protective wall 10 is provided on the inner edge of the operation hole 9. As shown in FIG. 7, the pair of protective walls 10 positions the operation unit 15 between them. Therefore, the pair of protective walls 10 are erected from the inner edge of the operation hole 9 and the operation unit 15 is positioned between them. As shown in FIG. 7, the pair of protective walls 10 are orthogonal (intersect) with the arrows X, X1, and X2 described above, and the arrows Y along the width direction of the connector housing 4, the spacer 5, the male terminal 3, and the like. Are spaced apart from each other.

  Further, the protective wall 10 protrudes from the outer wall 13 of the main body 8 of the connector housing 4 from the operation portion 15 along the arrows X and X2. Further, the protective wall 10 is connected to the connector housing 4 from the operation portion 15 along the arrow Z along the thickness direction such as the connector housing 4, the spacer 5, and the male terminal 3 that are orthogonal to (intersect) both the arrows X and Y. It protrudes from the outer wall 13 of the main body portion 8.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 11 and the like, the connector housing 4 is provided with a pair of slide grooves 17 (only one is shown in FIG. 11) as concave grooves. As shown in FIG. 6, the slide groove 17 is provided on each of the pair of inner surfaces 4 a facing each other along the arrow Y that forms the above-described one opening 8 a of the main body 8 of the connector housing 4. The slide groove 17 is recessed from the inner surface 4a and extends linearly along the arrows X, X1, and X2.

  The slide groove 17 positions both edges of the spacer 5 in the arrow Y direction on the inner side, thereby supporting the spacer 5 slidably along the longitudinal direction of the slide groove 17 (arrows X, X1, X2). In the connector housing 4, both edges of the spacer 5 in the arrow Y direction are positioned on the inner side of the slide groove 17, so that the spacer 5 can be freely moved between the temporary locking position and the final locking position described above. Install.

  As shown in FIG. 11, a stopper projection 18 and a second switching projection 19 are provided at the center of the slide groove 17 in the longitudinal direction. The stopper protrusion 18 and the second switching protrusion 19 protrude from the inner surface of the slide groove 17. The stopper projection 18 is disposed closer to the one opening 8 a than the second switching projection 19, and the stopper projection 18 extends along the arrow X with the later-described drop-off prevention projection 20 of the spacer 5 positioned in the slide groove 17. Relative.

  The second switching protrusion 19 is arranged closer to the other opening 8b than the stopper protrusion 18. The second switching protrusion 19 faces a switching protrusion 21 (described later) of the spacer 5 positioned in the slide groove 17 along the arrow X.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 7, and 8, the spacer 5 integrally includes a box-shaped main body portion 14, an operation portion 15, and a pair of elastic deformation arms 27. The main body portion 14 is attached to the main body portion 8 of the connector housing 4 when both edges in the arrow Y direction and an elastic deformation arm 27 described later enter the slide groove 17. The spacer 5 has both the edges in the arrow Y direction of the main body 14 and an elastically deformable arm 27 described later intruded into the slide groove 17, so that the connector housing 4 is moved to the temporary locking position and the main locking position described above. It is attached so as to be movable along the arrow X.

  Moreover, the main-body part 14 of the spacer 5 is spaced apart from the latching claw 12 along the arrow X, as shown in FIGS. That is, at the temporary locking position, the flexible space (elastic deformation space) of the locking claw 12 formed between the locking claw 12 and the outer wall of the connector housing 4 is spaced from the main body portion 14. . In short, the main body 14 does not enter the flexible space.

  The main body portion 14 of the spacer 5 allows the locking claw 12 to be elastically deformed at the temporary locking position. For this reason, the spacer 5 allows the locking claw 12 to be elastically deformed in the temporary locking position, and allows the male terminal 3 to enter the terminal accommodating chamber 11 through the other opening 8b. The male terminal 3 in the terminal accommodating chamber 11 is allowed to escape from the main body 8 of the connector housing 4 through the other opening 8b.

  Furthermore, the main body portion 14 of the spacer 5 overlaps with the locking claw 12 along the arrow Z as shown in FIGS. That is, in the main locking position, the main body portion 14 has entered the flexible space described above. The main body portion 14 of the spacer 5 restricts the locking claw 12 from being elastically deformed in the final locking position. For this reason, the spacer 5 restricts the locking claw 12 from being elastically deformed in the main locking position, and the male terminal 3 in the terminal accommodating chamber 11 passes through the other opening 8b in the main body 8 of the connector housing 4. Regulate getting out of.

  Further, when the main body 14 of the spacer 5 is attached to the connector housing 4, it can move between the temporary locking position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 and the final locking position shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. is there. Therefore, the spacer 5 is movable between the temporary locking position and the final locking position along the direction X2 (arrow X) in which the spacer 5 is inserted into the connector housing 4 through the one opening 8a.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a plurality of positioning holes 22 pass through the main body portion 14 of the spacer 5. The positioning hole 22 allows the electrical contact portion 7 of the male terminal 3 to pass inside, particularly at the final locking position. In the main locking position, the electrical contact portion 7 of the male terminal 3 protrudes from the main body portion 14 of the spacer 5 toward the one opening portion 8 a through the positioning hole 22. The spacer 5 has the body portion 14 attached to the connector housing 4 and passes the electrical contact portion 7 of the male terminal 3 through the positioning hole 22, thereby positioning the electrical contact portion 7 of the male terminal 3 with respect to the connector housing 4. To do.

  The operation portion 15 protrudes from the outer surface 14 a of the main body portion 14 toward the outside of the connector housing 4. The operation portion 15 is positioned in the operation hole 9 described above when the main body portion 14 is attached to the main body portion 8 of the connector housing 4. Further, when the main body portion 14 is attached to the main body portion 8 of the connector housing 4 and positioned in the operation hole 9, the operation portion 15 is positioned outside the main body portion 8 of the connector housing 4 from the outer surface of the main body portion 8 of the connector housing 4. Protruding. The operation portion 15 protrudes from the outer surface of the main body portion 8 of the connector housing 4 to the outside of the main body portion 8 of the connector housing 4 so that it can be operated from the outer side of the connector housing 4.

  When the main body 14 is positioned at the temporary locking position, the operation section 15 is positioned within the end portion of the operation hole 9 near the one opening 8a, and when the main body 14 is positioned at the main locking position, the operation section 15 is operated. It is located in the end of the hole 9 near the other opening 8b.

  Each of the elastically deformable arms 27 is integrally provided with an arm main body 28, a drop-off preventing protrusion 20, and a switching protrusion 21. One elastic deformation arm 27 is provided on each edge of the main body 14 in the arrow Y direction. That is, the elastically deformable arms 27 are respectively provided on the outer surface 14b of the main body portion 14 located on the opposite sides along the arrow Y in a direction orthogonal (crossing) to the arrows X, X1, and X2 of the main body portion 14. .

  The arm body 28 is formed in a band plate shape, and its longitudinal direction is arranged in parallel with the arrow X described above. One end 28 a of the arm body 28 is continuous with the outer surface 14 b of the main body 14, and the other end 28 b is not continuous with the outer surface 14 b of the main body 14. For this reason, the arm main body 28 of the elastically deformable arm 27 is a cantilever with the other end 28b being free. Further, when the main body 14 is opposed to the one opening 8a, the other end 28b of the arm main body 28 is opposed to the one opening 8a. Note that one end 28a of the arm body 28 constitutes one end of the elastically deformable arm 27 described in this specification. The other end 28b of the arm body 28 forms the other end of the elastically deformable arm 27 described in this specification.

  Since one end 28a of the arm main body 28 is connected to the outer surface 14b of the main body 14, and the other end 28b is opposed to the one opening 8a, the arm main body 28, that is, the elastically deformable arm 27 has the other end 28b with arrows X, X1. , X2 is elastically deformable so as to be displaced along an arrow Y orthogonal (crossing) to X2.

  The drop-off prevention protrusion 20 and the switching protrusion 21 are formed so as to protrude from the arm main body 28 toward the outside of the spacer 5, that is, the connector housing 4. The drop-off prevention protrusion 20 and the switching protrusion 21 are arranged along the arrow Z. The drop-off prevention protrusion 20 and the switching protrusion 21 are protrusions described in this specification.

  When the main body portion 14 of the spacer 5 is attached to the main body portion 8 of the connector housing 4, the end face 23 (shown in FIG. 11) near the one opening portion 8 a of the drop-off preventing projection 20 is orthogonal (crossed) to the arrow X described above. ) And is flat along the arrows Y and Z. An end surface 24 (shown in FIG. 11) near the other opening 8b of the drop-off preventing projection 20 intersects the arrows X, Y, and Z described above, and gradually moves toward the other opening 8b. 5 is inclined in a direction toward the inside of the main body 14.

  An end face 25 (shown in FIG. 11) near the one opening 8a of the switching projection 21 intersects the arrows X, Y, Z, and gradually moves toward the other opening 8b. It is inclined in a direction toward the outside of the main body 14. An end face 26 (shown in FIG. 11) near the other opening 8b of the switching projection 21 intersects the arrows X, Y, Z, and gradually moves toward the other opening 8b. Inclined in the direction toward the inside of the main body 14.

  The elastic deformation arm 27 having the above-described configuration enters the slide groove 17 when the spacer 5 is attached to the connector housing 4 and moves between the temporary locking position and the main locking position described above. Then, the elastic deformation arm 27 enters the slide groove 17 and moves in the slide groove 17, thereby guiding the spacer 5 over the temporary locking position and the final locking position described above.

  In the initial state in which the elastic deformation arm 27 is not elastically deformed, the distance L1 (shown in FIGS. 7 and 8) between the tops of the protrusions 20 and 21 of the elastic deformation arm 27 along the arrow Y described above is as described above. The distance L2 between the bottoms 17a of the slide grooves 17 (shown in FIG. 6) is longer. For this reason, the elastically deformable arm 27 slides when it enters the slide groove 17, that is, when the spacer 5 moves between the temporary locking position and the main locking position and when the spacer 5 is attached to the connector housing 4. An elastic restoring force is generated that presses the bottom 17a of the groove 17 toward the outside of the spacer 5, that is, the connector housing 4.

  Therefore, when the spacer 5 is attached to the connector housing 4 and when the spacer 5 is moved between the temporary locking position and the final locking position, the elastic deformation arm 27 moves the bottom 17a of the slide groove 17 to the spacer 5 or connector. Continue pressing toward the outside of the housing 4. The initial state indicates a state in which no elastic deformation or the like is performed.

  In the connector 1 described above, the male terminal 3 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 11 through the other opening 8b along the arrow X1. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the locking claw 12 is locked to the male terminal 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, one opening 8 a and the other end 28 b of the elastically deformable arm 27 of the spacer 5 are made to face each other along the arrow X. And the spacer 5 is inserted in the main-body part 8 of the connector housing 4 along the arrow X2 through one opening part 8a. Then, the drop-off prevention protrusion 20 and the switching protrusion 21, that is, the elastic deformation arm 27 of the spacer 5 enter the slide groove 17 of the connector housing 4. That is, the protrusions 20 and 21 abut against the bottom 17 a of the slide groove 17.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 10, since the distance L1 is longer than the distance L2 in the initial state described above, the other end 28b is displaced along the arrow Y to the inside of the spacer 5, that is, the connector housing 4. Then, the elastic deformation arm 27 generates an elastic restoring force that presses the bottom 17 a of the slide groove 17.

  Further, when the spacer 5 is inserted into the connector housing 4, the end face 24 of the drop-off prevention protrusion 20 comes into contact with the stopper protrusion 18. Thereafter, the main body 8 of the connector housing 4 is elastically deformed in the expanding direction, and the end face 23 of the drop-off prevention protrusion 20 comes into close contact with the stopper protrusion 18 as shown in FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b). . In this way, the spacer 5 is locked to the inner surface of the connector housing 4 by the drop-off preventing protrusion 20 being locked to the stopper protrusion 18. Thus, the spacer 5 is attached to the connector housing 4.

  The elastic deformation arm 27 generates an elastic restoring force that presses the bottom 17 a of the slide groove 17 until the drop-off prevention protrusion 20 is locked to the stopper protrusion 18, that is, when the spacer 5 is attached to the connector housing 4. .

  Further, the operation portion 15 is positioned in the end portion of the operation hole 9 near the one opening portion 8a. Thus, the spacer 5 is positioned at the temporary locking position shown in FIGS.

  Further, since the end face 23 of the drop-off prevention protrusion 20 of the spacer 5 is formed flat along the arrows Y and Z described above, the drop-off prevention protrusion 20 prevents the spacer 5 from dropping from the connector housing 4. Thus, the drop-off preventing protrusion 20 is locked to the inner surface of the connector housing 4 to prevent the spacer 5 from dropping from the connector housing 4.

  Furthermore, in the above-described temporary locking position, the end face 26 of the switching protrusion 21 and the second switching protrusion 19 are opposed to each other along the arrow X as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the operation portion 15 positioned in the end portion near the one opening portion 8 a of the operation hole 9 is pressed along the arrow X <b> 2 with a jig 16 or the like. Then, since the end faces 25 and 26 described above intersect with the arrows X, Y and Z described above and are inclined in the direction described above, the spacer 5 is elastically deformed in a direction in which the connector housing 4 is contracted and the connector housing 4 is expanded. 5 moves along the arrow X.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the operation portion 15 is positioned in the end portion of the operation hole 9 near the other opening 8 b, and the spacer 5 is positioned in the final locking position. In the main locking position, the main body portion 14 of the spacer 5 restricts the locking claw 12 from being elastically deformed, thereby preventing the male terminal 3 from coming out of the connector housing 4. 11C and 11D, the end face 25 of the switching projection 21 and the second switching projection 19 are opposed to each other along the arrow X, as shown in FIG. Thus, the electrical contact portion 7 of the male terminal 3 protrudes toward the one opening portion 8a through the positioning hole 22.

  Thus, the spacer 5 slides between the temporary locking position and the final locking position. Further, the switching projection 21 is such that the end faces 25, 26 described above are inclined in the above-described direction, so that the spacer 5 is held at the temporary locking position at the temporary locking position, and at the final locking position at the final locking position. Keep the spacer 5.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation portion 15 positioned in the end portion near the other opening 8 b of the operation hole 9 is pressed with a jig 16 or the like along the arrow X <b> 1. Then, since the end faces 25 and 26 described above intersect with the arrows X, Y and Z described above and are inclined in the direction described above, the spacer 5 is elastically deformed in a direction in which the connector housing 4 is contracted and the connector housing 4 is expanded. 5 moves along the arrow X.

  Thus, the spacer 5 slides between the final locking position and the temporary locking position. Thus, the switching protrusion 21 is engaged with the inner surface of the connector housing 4 to position the spacer 5 at one of the temporary engagement position and the final engagement position, and the temporary engagement position and the final engagement position. Allow displacement over position.

  Further, the elastic deformation arm 27 of the spacer 5 generates the elastic restoring force described above over the temporary locking position and the final locking position described above, and the bottom 17 a of the slide groove 17 is placed outside the connector housing 4. Press and hold toward.

  According to this embodiment, the elastic deformation arm 27 that enters the slide groove 17 and guides the spacer 5 across the temporary locking position and the final locking position presses the bottom 17 a of the slide groove 17. It is producing power. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the spacer 5 from rattling with respect to the connector housing 4 when the spacer 5 is attached to the connector housing 4 and moved between the temporary locking position and the final locking position.

  Further, the slide grooves 17 are provided on each of the pair of inner surfaces 4 a facing each other of the connector housing 4, and the elastic deformation arms 27 are provided on each of the pair of outer surfaces 14 b positioned on the opposite sides of the spacer 5. For this reason, it is possible to more reliably prevent the spacer 5 from rattling against the connector housing 4 when moving between the temporary locking position and the final locking position and when being attached to the connector housing 4.

  Further, the distance L1 between the tops of the protrusions 20 and 21 of the elastic deformation arm 27 is longer than the distance L2 between the bottoms 17a of the slide grooves 17. For this reason, when the elastic deformation arm 27 enters the slide groove 17, an elastic restoring force that presses the bottom 17 a of the slide groove 17 more reliably is generated. Therefore, the spacer 5 can be more reliably prevented from rattling with respect to the connector housing 4 when moving between the temporary locking position and the main locking position and when being attached to the connector housing 4.

  For this reason, when the spacer 5 moves in the connector housing 4, that is, when the spacer 5 moves between the temporary locking position and the final locking position and when the spacer 5 is attached to the connector housing 4, the attitude of the spacer 5 changes. It is possible to prevent the elastic deformation arm 27 from being caught on the inner surface (the bottom 17a, etc.) of the slide groove 17. Therefore, the spacer 5 can be easily attached to the connector housing 4 and can be moved between the temporary locking position and the final locking position.

  Further, by pressing the spacer 5 through the operation hole 9 penetrating the outer wall 13 of the connector housing 4, the spacer 5 can be moved between the temporary locking position and the main locking position. A jig 16 or the like that contacts the spacer 5 when moving between the temporary locking position and the final locking position is inserted into the connector housing 4 through the operation hole 9, and the operation hole 9 is inserted into the outer surface 14 a of the spacer 5. It is relative to. For this reason, it can prevent that the jig | tool 16 mentioned above contacts the electric contact part 7 of the male terminal 3 unexpectedly. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the electric contact portion 7 of the male terminal 3 from being bent or damaged, and the male terminal 3 can be reliably connected to the female terminal as the mating terminal fitting.

  Since the operation part 15 is positioned in the operation hole 9, this operation part 15 can be operated reliably. For this reason, the spacer 5 can be reliably moved over the temporary locking position and the main locking position.

  The operation part 15 protrudes from the main body part 14 of the spacer 5. For this reason, the operation part 15 can be pressed reliably, and by pressing this operation part 15, the spacer 5 can be reliably moved over a temporary locking position and a final locking position.

  The pair of protective walls 10 are spaced apart from each other along an arrow Y as a direction intersecting the arrow X as a direction in which the spacer 5 moves, and the operation unit 15 is positioned between them. For this reason, the protective wall 10 does not hinder the movement of the operation unit 15. In addition, an operation unit 15 is disposed between the pair of protection walls 10, and the protection wall 10 protrudes from the outer wall 13 of the connector housing 4 from the operation unit 15. For this reason, it can prevent that an external article etc. contact the operation part 15 suddenly, and presses this operation part 15 along the arrow X as a direction where the spacer 5 moves. Therefore, in particular, the spacer 5 can be prevented from unexpectedly moving to the temporary locking position, and the male terminal 3 from falling off the connector housing 4 unexpectedly.

  An arrow Y as a direction in which the drop-off prevention projection 20 and the switching projection 21 of the spacer 5 intersect the arrow Y as a direction in which the pair of protective walls 10 are spaced from each other and the arrow X as a direction in which the spacer 5 moves. Lined up along Z. For this reason, the structure of a mold or the like used when forming the spacer 5 can be simplified. Therefore, an increase in the cost of the spacer 5, that is, the connector 1 can be prevented.

  In the above-described embodiment, the slide groove 17 is provided on the inner surface 4 a of the connector housing 4, and the elastic deformation arm 27 is provided on the outer surface 14 b of the main body 14 of the spacer 5. However, in the present invention, the elastic deformation arm 27 may be provided on the inner surface 4 a of the connector housing 4, and the slide groove 17 may be provided on the outer surface 14 b of the main body 14 of the spacer 5. In short, in the present invention, the slide groove 17 is provided on one of the inner surface 4a of the connector housing 4 and the outer surface 14b of the main body portion 14 of the spacer 5, and the inner surface 4a of the connector housing 4 and the outer surface 14b of the main body portion 14 of the spacer 5 One of them may be provided with the elastic deformation arm 27.

  In addition, embodiment mentioned above only showed the typical form of this invention, and this invention is not limited to embodiment. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the connector concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the connector housing and spacer of the connector shown by FIG. 1 in a cross section. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which the spacer shown by FIG. 2 was located in this locking position in a cross section. It is sectional drawing of the state in which the spacer of the connector shown by FIG. 1 was located in the temporary latching position. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the spacer of the connector shown in FIG. 4 is positioned at the final locking position. It is a front view of the connector housing of the connector shown by FIG. It is a perspective view of the spacer of the connector shown by FIG. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the spacer shown in FIG. 7. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which made the elastic deformation arm of the spacer shown by FIG. 1 and the one opening part of a connector housing face each other in a cross section. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which inserted the spacer in the connector housing from the state shown by FIG. 9 in a partial cross section. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the relative position of the drop-off prevention protrusion and slide groove | channel in a temporary latching position. (B) is sectional drawing which shows the relative position of the switching protrusion and 2nd switching protrusion in a temporary latching position. (C) is sectional drawing which shows the relative position of drop-off prevention protrusion and a slide groove | channel in this latching position. (D) is sectional drawing which shows the relative position of the switching protrusion and 2nd switching protrusion in this latching position.

Explanation of symbols

1 Connector 3 Male terminal (terminal fitting)
4 Connector housing 4a Inner surface 5 Spacer 8a One opening 14b Outer surface 17 Slide groove (concave groove)
17a Bottom 20 Drop-off prevention protrusion (protrusion)
21 Switching protrusion (protrusion)
27 Elastic deformation arm 28 Arm body 28a One end 28b The other end X2 Direction in which the spacer is inserted into the connector housing Y Direction that intersects the direction in which the spacer is inserted into the connector housing L1 Distance between the tops of the protrusions L2 Distance between the bottoms

Claims (4)

A cylindrical connector housing that houses the terminal fitting;
A spacer attached to the connector housing so as to be movable over a temporary locking position that allows the terminal fitting to come out of the connector housing and a final locking position that restricts the terminal fitting from coming out of the connector housing; With
The spacer is a connector that is inserted into the connector housing through one opening of the connector housing and attached to the connector housing.
A concave groove provided on one of the inner surface of the connector housing and the outer surface of the spacer and extending along a direction in which the spacer is inserted into the connector housing;
One end is connected to the other of the inner surface of the connector housing and the outer surface of the spacer, and the other end is elastically deformable so as to be displaced along a direction intersecting the direction in which the spacer is inserted into the connector housing. And an elastically deformable arm that penetrates into the concave groove and guides the spacer over the temporary locking position and the main locking position,
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the elastic deformation arm generates an elastic restoring force that presses a bottom of the concave groove when the spacer moves between the temporary locking position and the main locking position. The concave groove is provided on each of a pair of inner surfaces facing each other of the connector housing,
The elastic deformation arm is provided on each of a pair of outer surfaces of the spacer located on opposite sides along a direction intersecting a direction in which the spacer is inserted into the connector housing. The connector according to claim 1. The elastically deformable arm includes an arm main body having one end connected to the outer surface of the spacer, and a protrusion protruding from the arm main body toward the outer side of the spacer,
3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein a distance between the tops of the protrusions of the pair of elastically deformable arms is longer than a distance between the bottoms of the pair of concave grooves.   4. The elastic deformation arm according to claim 1, wherein the elastic deformation arm generates an elastic restoring force that presses a bottom of the concave groove when the spacer is attached to the connector housing. 5. The connector described.

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