JP2013093226A - Joint connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a joint connector capable of improving terminal-holding force.SOLUTION: A joint terminal 10 having plural terminal parts 12 is held by a connector housing 20. The connector housing 20 is provided with: cavities 21 into which mating terminal fittings 40 capable of connecting to the joint terminal 10 is inserted; and lances 22 engaging with the mating terminal fittings 40 inserted into the cavities 21 to prevent the disconnection of the mating terminal fittings 40. Plural connector housings 20 can be laminated on one another. The connector housing 20 is provided with an engaging protrusion 25 capable of protruding to the cavities 21 of another connector housing 20 laminated on the connector housing. The other connector housing 20 has a through hole 26 formed therein so as to penetrate the engaging protrusion 25 through the cavities 21. When the connector housings 20 are laminated on each other, the engaging protrusion 25 protrudes from the through hole 26 to the cavities 21 and engages with the mating terminal fittings 40.

Description

  The present invention relates to a joint connector.

  Conventionally, a joint connector in which a joint terminal having a plurality of terminal portions is held in a connector housing is known (for example, described in Patent Document 1 below). The connector housing of this joint connector is locked to the cavity into which the mating terminal fitting that can be connected to the joint terminal is inserted, and the mating terminal fitting inserted into the cavity to prevent the terminal fitting from coming off. A lance is provided. The mating terminal fitting is fixed to the end of the electric wire drawn out from the wire harness, and this type of joint connector is generally fixed by being wound around the trunk of the wire harness with tape.

JP 2010-67483 A

  By the way, in the joint connector as described above, the terminal fitting is prevented from coming off only by the lance engaging with the mating terminal fitting. For this reason, there existed a problem that terminal retention strength was low compared with the connector of the type which a retainer etc. doubly latches to a terminal metal fitting in addition to a lance, for example.

  This invention is completed based on the above situations, Comprising: It aims at providing the joint connector which can raise terminal holding power.

In the joint connector of the present invention, a joint terminal having a plurality of terminal portions is held by a connector housing, and a cavity into which a mating terminal fitting connectable to the joint terminal is inserted into the connector housing, and the cavity terminal is inserted into the cavity. And a lance for locking the mating terminal fitting to prevent the mating terminal fitting from being detached, and a plurality of the connector housings can be stacked. A locking projection that can project into the cavity of the connector housing is provided, and the other connector housing is formed with a through hole that penetrates the locking projection into the cavity, and when the connector housing is laminated, The locking projection protrudes from the through hole into the cavity to the mating terminal fitting. Sealed, it is intended to retaining the mating terminal fittings.
According to such a configuration, since the mating terminal fitting is double-locked by the lance and the locking protrusion, the terminal holding force of the joint connector can be increased.

  The connector housing may include a cover that can be stacked, and the cover may include the locking protrusion and an attachment portion that can be attached to a component other than the wire harness. According to such a configuration, by stacking the cover on the connector housing, the mating terminal fitting can be double-locked, and the connector housing can be attached to components other than the wire harness. Therefore, stacking a plurality of connector housings increases the height of the connector housing, which is advantageous when winding around the wire harness is difficult.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the joint connector which can raise terminal holding force can be provided.

The perspective view which is the joint connector in this embodiment, Comprising: The state before laminating | stacking Front view of joint connector Top view of joint connector Bottom view of joint connector Cross section of joint connector The perspective view which shows the state in which the joint connector and the cover were laminated | stacked Front view showing a state where the joint connector and the cover are laminated. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the joint connector and the cover are laminated, and a cross-sectional view corresponding to a cross section at the position AA in FIG. The perspective view which shows the state by which the joint connector and cover in other embodiment (7) were laminated | stacked. The perspective view which shows the state by which the joint connector and dummy connector in other embodiment (8) were laminated | stacked.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The joint connector C in the present embodiment is such that a joint terminal 10 having a plurality of terminal portions 12 is held by a connector housing 20. The joint connector C is connected to an electric wire W drawn from a trunk line of a wire harness (not shown). In the following, each component will be described with the upper side in FIG. 1 as the upper side, the lower side as the lower side, the left front side as the front, and the right back side as the rear.

  The connector housing 20 is made of a synthetic resin and has a flat box shape as a whole. The connector housing 20 is provided with a plurality of cavities 21 (10 chambers in this embodiment) into which mating terminal fittings (hereinafter simply referred to as terminal fittings 40) connectable to the joint terminals 10 are inserted. The cavity 21 has a substantially rectangular cross section that is slightly larger than the connection portion 41 of the terminal fitting 40, has a shape elongated in the front-rear direction, as shown in FIG. 5, and the terminal fitting 40 can be inserted from the rear. The plurality of cavities 21 are arranged in a line in the width direction of the connector housing 20.

  The connector housing 20 is provided with a lance 22 that is locked to the terminal fitting 40 inserted into the cavity 21 to prevent the terminal fitting 40 from coming off. The lance 22 is formed by inserting a slit 23 in an upper wall portion 20 </ b> A disposed on the upper side of the cavity 21 in the outer wall of the connector housing 20. The same number of lances 22 as the cavities 21 are formed side by side in the width direction of the connector housing 20 (see FIG. 3).

  The lance 22 extends in a cantilevered manner toward the front, and can be elastically bent in the inner and outer directions (vertical direction) of the connector housing 20 (see FIG. 5). At the front end portion (free end portion) of each lance 22, a locking portion 22 </ b> A that protrudes into the cavity 21 and locks to the terminal fitting 40 is provided. When the lance 22 is in a natural state, the entire lance 22 is arranged without protruding upward from the upper wall portion 20A of the connector housing 20, and the outer surface of the lance 22 and the outer surface of the connector housing 20 form a flat surface.

  A terminal mounting portion 24 to which the joint terminal 10 is mounted is provided at the front end portion of the connector housing 20 (see FIG. 5). The terminal mounting portion 24 has a height dimension equivalent to the plate thickness dimension of the joint terminal 10 and is a space provided in front of the cavity 21 so that the joint terminal 10 can be mounted from the front. The terminal mounting portion 24 is provided with a retaining protrusion (not shown) that engages with the joint terminal 10 to prevent the joint terminal 10 from coming off.

  The terminal fitting 40 is formed of a conductive metal plate material and is a female type that has an elongated shape in the front-rear direction as a whole (see FIG. 8). A connection part 41 connected to the joint terminal 10 is provided on the front side of the terminal fitting 40, and a barrel part 42 for caulking the terminal part of the electric wire W constituting the wire harness is provided on the rear side.

  The connecting portion 41 has a rectangular tube shape opened in the front-rear direction, and the terminal portion 12 of the joint terminal 10 is inserted from the front to be electrically connected. The connecting portion 41 is provided with a locked portion 43 that can be locked with the locking portion 22 </ b> A of the lance 22. The locked portion 43 is provided at a position near the front end of the connecting portion 41, and the locking portion 22A is locked on the rear side.

  The joint terminal 10 is manufactured by pressing a conductive metal plate material. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of joint terminals 10 (the same number of cavities 21 as the number of the cavities 21) are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance. The terminal part 12 of the book) has a protruding shape.

  The strip-shaped base 11 of the joint terminal 10 is provided with feed holes 13 arranged at a predetermined pitch for feeding a metal plate material during pressing. The feed hole 13 is located between the terminal portions 12 in the strip-shaped base portion 11 and has a substantially square shape and penetrates the strip-shaped base portion 11 in the plate thickness direction. A retaining protrusion provided on the terminal mounting portion 24 of the connector housing 20 engages with the feed hole 13. In a state where the joint terminal 10 is mounted on the terminal mounting portion 24 of the connector housing 20, each terminal portion 12 protrudes into each cavity 21.

Now, a plurality of connector housings 20 can be stacked.
Each connector housing 20 penetrates the cavity 21 through a locking projection 25 that can project into the cavity 21 of the other connector housing 20 that is overlaid, and a locking projection 25 that is provided in the other connector housing 20 that is overlaid. A through hole 26 is formed (see FIGS. 5 and 8).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the through hole 26 is formed through the upper wall portion 20 </ b> A of the connector housing 20. The through hole 26 is provided on the rear side of the lance 22 and opens in a substantially rectangular shape elongated in the width direction of the connector housing 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the through holes 26 are formed by cutting out the partition walls 21 </ b> A partitioning the cavities 21, and span all the cavities 21.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the through hole 26 has a substantially trapezoidal cross section, and the opening dimension in the front-rear direction is narrowed downward. The front side surface 26A of the through hole 26 is a surface that stands substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the connector housing 20, and the rear side surface 26B of the through hole 26 is inclined so as to approach the front side surface 26A downward. It is considered as a surface.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the locking protrusion 25 protrudes from the lower surface of the connector housing 20. The locking projection 25 has a substantially trapezoidal cross section that matches the shape of the through hole 26. The front end surface 25A of the locking projection 25 is a surface (surface perpendicular to the insertion / removal direction of the terminal fitting 40) that stands up from the lower surface of the connector housing 20, and the rear end surface 25B of the locking projection 25 is a through hole. 26 is an inclined surface along the rear side surface 26B. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the locking protrusion 25 has a wall shape that is long in the width direction of the connector housing 20, and can be locked together with all the terminal fittings 40 accommodated in the connector housing 20. ing.

  When the plurality of joint connectors C are stacked in the vertical direction, the locking protrusion 25 of the upper connector housing 20 protrudes into the cavity 21 from the through hole 26 of the lower connector housing 20 as shown in FIG. At this time, more than half of the locking projection 25 of the upper connector housing 20 protrudes into the cavity 21 of the lower connector housing 20, and its front end surface 25 A is arranged close to the rear side of the connecting portion 41 of the terminal fitting 40. Is done. Thereby, the terminal metal fitting 40 is prevented from coming off.

  The connector housing 20 is provided with a positioning portion 27 that positions the plurality of stacked connector housings 20 in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the positioning portion 27 includes a positioning convex portion 27 </ b> A protruding from the lower surface of the connector housing 20 and a positioning concave portion 27 </ b> B recessed from the upper surface of the connector housing 20.

As shown in FIG. 3, the positioning recess 27 </ b> B is provided on both sides of the through-hole 26, and has an elongated rectangular shape in the front-rear direction and opens upward.
As shown in FIG. 4, the positioning convex portion 27A has a substantially rectangular wall shape that can be fitted into the positioning concave portion 27B and is long in the front-rear direction. The positioning protrusions 27A are provided side by side on both sides of the locking projection 25, and the protruding dimension from the lower surface of the connector housing 20 is the same as the protruding dimension of the locking protrusion 25 (see FIG. 2).

  When the plurality of connector housings 20 are stacked in the vertical direction, the positioning convex portion 27 </ b> A of the upper connector housing 20 is inserted into the positioning concave portion 27 </ b> B of the lower connector housing 20. Then, the front and rear ends of the positioning convex portion 27A are arranged close to or in contact with the front and rear ends of the positioning concave portion 27B, whereby the plurality of stacked connector housings 20 are positioned in the front and rear direction.

  The connector housing 20 is provided with a lock portion 28 that locks the plurality of connector housings 20 in a stacked state. As shown in FIG. 1, the lock portion 28 includes a lock convex portion 28 </ b> A provided on the upper surface of the connector housing 20 and a lock concave portion 28 </ b> B provided on the side surface of the connector housing 20.

  The lock convex portion 28 </ b> A is raised on the upper surface of the connector housing 20. As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of lock projections 28A is provided at the front end and the rear end of the connector housing 20 (front and rear sides of the positioning recess 27B). As shown in FIG. 1, the lock protrusion 28 </ b> A has wall-like protrusions 29 formed along both end edges in the width direction of the connector housing 20, and claw parts 31 formed at the protruding ends. Yes. As shown in FIG. 2, the claw portion 31 protrudes toward the center side in the width direction of the connector housing 20, and the lower surface thereof is substantially parallel to the upper surface of the connector housing 20. In addition, the upper surface of the nail | claw part 31 inclines below toward the front-end | tip.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the lock recess 28 </ b> B is provided on the side wall 20 </ b> B disposed on both outer sides of the parallel cavities 21 in the outer wall of the connector housing 20. As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of lock recesses 28B are provided at the front end and the rear end of the connector housing 20 corresponding to the lock protrusions 28A (the front and rear sides of the positioning protrusions 27A). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the lock recess 28B includes a claw fitting portion 32 into which the claw portion 31 of the lock projection 28A is fitted and a wall fitting portion 33 into which the wall-shaped protrusion 29 is fitted. Have. The lock recess 28B is recessed in the side wall portion 20B, and both the claw fitting portion 32 and the wall fitting portion 33 have a groove shape opened to the side. In addition, the depth dimension of the claw fitting part 32 is made larger than the depth dimension of the wall fitting part 33.

  When the plurality of connector housings 20 are stacked in the vertical direction, the lock projections 28A of the lower connector housing 20 are fitted into the lock recesses 28B of the upper connector housing 20, as shown in FIG. The lower surface of the claw portion 31 is disposed close to or in contact with the lower surface of the claw fitting portion 32, whereby the stacked connector housings 20 are held in a stacked state without being separated in the vertical direction. In this stacked state, the lower surface of the upper connector housing 20 and the upper surface of the lower connector housing 20 are in surface contact. Further, the lock projections 28A of the upper and lower connector housings 20 are arranged in a row in the vertical direction, and both side surfaces of the combined connector U in which the plurality of joint connectors C are laminated are substantially flat surfaces.

The joint connector C includes a cover 50 that can be stacked on the connector housing 20.
The cover 50 is made of a synthetic resin and is laminated on the upper side of the connector housing 20. The cover 50 includes a lid 51 that covers substantially the entire upper surface of the connector housing 20, and a locking projection 52 that can project into the cavity 21 of the connector housing 20 disposed on the lower side (see FIG. 8). The lid 51 has a substantially rectangular plate shape in plan view that matches the planar shape of the connector housing 20 (see FIG. 1). Further, the locking protrusion 52 (see FIG. 8) of the cover 50 has the same configuration as the locking protrusion 25 of the connector housing 20 and protrudes from the lower surface of the lid 51.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cover 50 has a positioning convex portion 53 that can be fitted into the positioning concave portion 27 </ b> B of the connector housing 20 disposed on the lower side. The positioning convex portion 53 has the same configuration as the positioning convex portion 27 </ b> A of the connector housing 20 and protrudes from the lower surface of the lid 51.

  Further, the cover 50 has a lock recess 54 into which the lock protrusion 28A of the connector housing 20 disposed on the lower side can be fitted. The lock recess 54 has the same configuration as the lock recess 28 </ b> B of the connector housing 20, and is recessed in the side surface of the lid 51.

  The cover 50 has an attachment portion 55 that can be attached to a part other than the wire harness, such as a wall surface of a vehicle body or a protector made of synthetic resin. The attachment portion 55 can be attached to a bracket (not shown) provided on a component or the like. The bracket protrudes substantially perpendicularly from the wall surface of the component, etc., and then is bent in a direction substantially parallel to the wall surface of the component, etc., and a hole portion with which the attachment portion 55 can be engaged is formed at the tip portion. Is.

  The attachment portion 55 has an insertion portion 56 into which a bracket can be inserted. The insertion part 56 has a pressing part 57 along one side of the bracket, and the pressing part 57 has a protruding piece 58 protruding forward. A protrusion 59 that fits into the hole of the bracket is provided at the tip of the protruding piece 58 so as to protrude toward the lid 51.

Next, an operation of stacking and fixing a plurality of joint connectors C will be described. In the present embodiment, a case where two connector housings 20 are stacked will be described.
First, the terminal fitting 40 fixed to the terminal portion of the electric wire W is inserted into the connector housing 20 of each joint connector C. At this time, the locking portion 22A of the lance 22 rides on the locked portion 43 of the terminal fitting 40 and elastically displaces upward, so that the terminal fitting 40 is in a proper position (a position where the connection with the joint terminal 10 is ensured). ), The lance 22 returns to its natural state and is locked to the terminal fitting 40. As a result, the terminal fitting 40 is primarily locked by the lance 22 and is prevented from coming off, and the terminal portion 12 of the joint terminal 10 is inserted into the connection portion 41 of the terminal fitting 40, so that the terminal fitting 40 and the joint terminal 10 are connected. A connection is made.

  Thus, after inserting the terminal fitting 40 into each connector housing 20, the two joint connectors C are stacked one above the other. Then, the locking protrusion 25 of the upper connector housing 20 protrudes into the cavity 21 from the through hole 26 of the lower connector housing 20 and locks to the terminal fitting 40 accommodated in the lower connector housing 20. Further, the positioning convex portion 27A of the upper connector housing 20 is inserted into the positioning concave portion 27B of the lower connector housing 20, and the lock convex portion 28A of the lower connector housing 20 is locked to the upper connector housing 20. After opening slightly outwards by contacting the recess 28B, it is elastically restored and fits into the lock recess 28B. As a result, all of the terminal fittings 40 accommodated in the lower connector housing 20 are collectively double locked by the lance 22 and the locking projection 25, and the joint connector C is assembled and locked together. The

  Next, the cover 50 is laminated on the upper side of the joint connector C locked in the laminated state. Then, the locking protrusion 52 of the cover 50 protrudes from the through hole 26 of the connector housing 20 into the cavity 21 and locks to the terminal fitting 40 inserted therein. Further, the positioning convex portion 53 of the cover 50 is inserted into the positioning concave portion 27 </ b> B of the connector housing 20, and the lock convex portion 28 </ b> A of the connector housing 20 is fitted into the lock concave portion 54 of the cover 50. As a result, all of the terminal fittings 40 accommodated in the upper connector housing 20 are collectively double-locked by the lance 22 and the locking projections 52 of the cover 50 so that the joint connector C and the cover 50 are integrated. Assembled and locked. In this way, all the terminal fittings 40 in the two stacked connector housings 20 are doubly locked by the lance 22 and the locking projections 25 and 52.

  Next, the united connector U formed by laminating the two joint connectors C and the cover 50 is attached to a component or the like. When a bracket such as a part is inserted into the insertion part 56 of the cover 50 and the united connector U is pushed in, the projection 59 of the cover 50 is fitted into the hole of the bracket, and the united connector U is fixed to the part or the like. Is done.

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
In the joint connector C of the present embodiment, a plurality of connector housings 20 can be stacked, and the connector housing 20 is provided with a locking projection 25 that can project into the cavity 21 of another stacked connector housing 20. At the same time, a through hole 26 that penetrates the locking projection 25 into the cavity 21 is formed, and when the connector housing 20 is laminated, the locking projection 25 protrudes from the through hole 26 into the cavity 21 and is locked to the terminal fitting 40. The terminal metal fitting 40 is prevented from coming off. Thereby, since the terminal metal fitting 40 is doubly locked by the lance 22 and the locking projection 25, the terminal holding force of the joint connector C can be increased.

  The connector housing 20 includes a cover 50 that can be stacked. The cover 50 includes a locking protrusion 52 and an attachment portion 55 that can be attached to a component other than the wire harness. Thereby, by laminating the cover 50 on the connector housing 20, the terminal fitting 40 can be double-locked, and the connector housing 20 can be attached to components other than the wire harness. Therefore, stacking the plurality of connector housings 20 is advantageous when the height dimension is increased and it is difficult to wind and fix the wire harness to the wire harness. In addition, when the joint connector C is concentrated on one place of the wire harness, there may be a case where it is not possible to secure a space for wrapping all the joint connectors C on the outer peripheral surface of the wire harness. This is advantageous because C can be fixed to a part or the like in a lump. In addition, by attaching the joint connector C to a part or the like disposed in the vicinity of the wire harness, the electric wire W does not have to be drawn out from the wire harness for a long time.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the plurality of joint connectors C have the same configuration has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the joint connector may be configured differently depending on the stacking position. The connector housing of the joint connector arranged may not be provided with the locking protrusion 25.
(2) In the above embodiment, the joint connector C includes the lock portion 28. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the joint connector may not include the lock portion. It is good also as what fixes to a lamination state by carrying out tape winding to a wire harness.
(3) In the above embodiment, the case where the cover 50 is laminated after the joint connectors C are laminated is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cover 50 is laminated on the joint connector C first, and then the joint connector C. It is good also as what laminates | stacks.
(4) In the above embodiment, the positioning convex portion 27A protrudes from the lower surface of the connector housing 20, and the positioning concave portion 27B is concave from the upper surface of the connector housing 20, but these may be provided upside down. In other words, the positioning protrusion may be provided on the upper surface of the connector housing, and the positioning recess may be provided on the lower surface of the connector housing.
(5) In the above-described embodiment, the lock protrusion 28A protrudes from the upper surface of the connector housing 20. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the lock protrusion may protrude from the lower surface of the connector housing.
(6) Although the case where the two joint connectors C are stacked has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto, and three or more joint connectors C may be stacked.

(7) In the above embodiment, the cover 50 having the locking protrusion 52 and the attachment portion 55 is laminated on the joint connector C. For example, as shown in FIG. The cover 60 having only 52 and not the attachment portion 55 may be laminated on the joint connector C. In this case, the combined connector U2 formed by combining the joint connector C and the cover 60 may be fixed by tape winding around the trunk of the wire harness, and the cover 50 having the attachment portion 55 is laminated on the joint connector C. The combined connector U2 can be made smaller in height (dimension in the stacking direction) than when the tape is wound around the trunk of the wire harness.
(8) In the above embodiment, the cover 50 having the locking protrusions 52 and the attachment portions 55 is laminated on the joint connector C. For example, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to laminate a joint connector (referred to as a dummy connector 70) into which the connector is not inserted (that is, the cavity 21 is empty) on the joint connector C. In this case, the combined connector U3 formed by combining the joint connector C and the dummy connector 70 may be fixed by tape winding on the trunk of the wire harness. Thereby, since united connector U3 can be comprised only with the same components, compared with the case where the cover 50 is laminated | stacked, the increase in a number of components can be prevented.

C ... Joint connector 10 ... Joint terminal 12 ... Terminal part 20 ... Connector housing 21 ... Cavity 25, 52 ... Locking projection 26 ... Through hole 40 ... Terminal fitting (mating terminal fitting)
50 ... Cover 55 ... Mounting part

Claims (2)

A joint terminal having a plurality of terminal portions is held in the connector housing,
The connector housing has a cavity into which a mating terminal fitting connectable to the joint terminal is inserted, and a lance that latches the mating terminal fitting inserted into the cavity and prevents the mating terminal fitting from coming off. And
A plurality of the connector housings can be stacked,
The connector housing is provided with a locking projection that can project into the cavity of another stacked connector housing, and the other connector housing is formed with a through-hole through which the locking projection penetrates the cavity. And
When the connector housings are laminated, the joint protrusion protrudes from the through hole into the cavity to be locked to the mating terminal fitting, and the mating terminal fitting is prevented from coming off. A cover that can be stacked on the connector housing;
The joint connector according to claim 1, wherein the cover includes the locking protrusion and an attachment portion that can be attached to a component other than the wire harness.

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