Patent Grant
10916890
The invention relates to a connector.
Japanese Patent No. 4977404 discloses a connector that includes a connector housing and a detector mounted in the connector housing for movement between a restricting position and an allowing position.
The connector housing includes a projection on a side surface. The detector includes a side wall for covering the side surface of the connector housing and a resiliently deforming arm on the side wall. The projection and the resiliently deforming arm hold the detector at the restricting position and the allowing position and give resistance when the detector moves between the restricting position and the allowing position. Further, the detector includes a rib-like part laterally bulging on a rear end part of the side wall of the detector at a position separated from the resiliently deforming arm. The detector can be moved from the restricting position to the allowing position with this rib-like part gripped.
In the above case, a movement of the detector from the restricting position to the allowing position can be felt by a click feeling of the projection and the resiliently deforming arm, but this click feeling is not sufficient and a worker may finish a moving operation of the detector at an intermediate position (position where the resiliently deforming arm rides on the projection) of the movement of the detector to the allowing position.
The invention was completed on the basis of the above situation and aims to provide a connector enabling a detector to be moved precisely.
The invention is directed to a connector with a housing connectable to a mating housing, and a detector provided in the housing movably in a front-rear direction. The detector is allowed to move from a standby position to a detection position in front of the standby position when the housing is connected properly to the mating housing. The housing includes a protrusion on a side surface and the detector includes a side wall configured to cover the side surface of the housing. The side wall includes a resilient piece configured to bulge out by interfering with the protrusion in a moving process to the detection position but stops bulging at the detection position. A side surface of the side wall includes a rearward facing surface arranged to face rearward at a position adjacent to the resilient piece via slits formed on both sides of the resilient piece.
The invention also is directed to a connector with a housing connectable to a mating housing, and a detector movably provided in the housing. The detector can move from a standby position to a detection position in front of the standby position when the housing is connected properly to the mating housing. The housing includes a protrusion on a side surface, and the detector includes a side wall configured to cover the side surface of the housing, the side wall includes a resilient piece configured to bulge outward by interfering with the protrusion in a moving process to the detection position and eliminates bulge at the detection position. A side surface of the resilient piece includes a rearward facing surface.
The detector includes the rearward facing surface. Thus, the detector can be moved from the standby position to the detection position in front of the standby position by pressing the rearward facing surface. In the process of moving the detector to the detection position, the resilient piece bulges out by interfering with the protrusion. The bulge of the resilient piece is eliminated when the detector reaches the detection position.
The rearward facing surface is provided at least at a position near the resilient piece. Thus, fingers of a worker can press the rearward facing surface and touch the bulging resilient piece. Accordingly, a movement of the detector to the detection position can be grasped tactually and the detector can be moved precisely.
An interfering portion of the resilient piece is configured to interfere with the protrusion may be arranged apart from the protrusion in the front-rear direction when the detector is at the detection position. According to this configuration, the interfering portion and the protrusion do not have a locking function of holding the detector at the detection position Thus, a degree of freedom in the structures and arrangements of the interfering portion and the protrusion can be enhanced.
The rearward facing surface may be provided in a recessed surface that is recessed with respect to a peripheral area of the resilient piece on the side wall. According to this configuration, since the resilient piece bulges out from the recessed surface in the process of moving the detector to the detection position, the worker's fingers touching the bulging resilient piece can have a good tactile sense by covering the recessed surface. Further, there is a little concern about interference with a moving operation of the detector.
One embodiment is described with reference to
The mating housing 90 is made of synthetic resin and includes, as shown in
The housing 10 is made of synthetic resin and includes, as shown in
As shown in
Each terminal fitting 12 is formed integrally such as by bending a conductive metal plate, and is connected electrically and mechanically to an end part of a wire 18. As shown in
An unillustrated front retainer is mounted in a front part of the housing body 13. The front retainer is mounted in the front part of the housing 13 to restrict deflection of the locking lances 17 for secondarily retaining the terminal fittings 12 in the cavities 16.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Housing ribs 28 are formed on upper and lower parts of each side surface 24 and extend parallel to one another in the front-rear direction. Two housing ribs 28 are on the upper part and one housing rib 28 is on the lower part, and these housing ribs 28. The housing rib 28 on the lower part of each side surface 24 has a larger vertical thickness than the housing ribs 28 on the upper part and extends over the entire height of the lower part. Each housing rib 28 has a stepped shape such that a lateral projecting amount is reduced gradually toward the rear.
The fitting tube 14 surrounds the outer periphery of a front part of the housing body 13 and the receptacle 91 of the mating housing 90 is fittable between the fitting tube 14 and the front part of the housing body 13. An unillustrated seal ring is fit externally on the housing body 13 and is interposed in a liquid-tight manner between the receptacle 91 and the housing body 13 when the housings 10, 90 are connected properly.
As shown in
The fitting tube 14 includes side wall upper portions 32 rising from the upper ends of the respective side wall lower portions 29 and integrated with front parts of the facing walls 25. Further, the fitting tube 14 includes a bridge 33 spanning between the upper ends of the respective side wall upper portions 32. Open spaces 34 are formed between the facing walls 25 and the bridge 33 and are open upward and rearward.
The lock arm 15 includes legs 35 arranged between the facing walls 25. The legs 35 are paired in the width direction and rise from the upper surface of the housing body 13, as shown in
The arm body 36 includes a rearwardly open assembly space 37 extending in the front-rear direction, as shown in
As shown in
Housing side locking projections 40 project on both widthwise sides of the arm body 36. Each housing side locking projection 40 is claw-like and coupled to the lower surface of the laterally protruding part of the corresponding rail 39, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Each rearward facing surface 57 is formed along a line extending in the vertical direction in a side view. Further, the respective rearward facing surfaces 57 are formed to be successively located more outward toward a front end. as shown in
As shown in
The detecting body 42 is slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the lock arm 15 while being inserted in the assembly space 37 of the lock arm 15, and is tiltable together with the arm body 36 with the respective coupling portions 59 as supports.
The detecting body 42 includes a base 61 extending in the width direction in a rear end part, a resilient arm 62 projecting forward from a widthwise central part of the base 61, two guide arms 63 projecting forward from both widthwise ends of the base 61, and a plate-like cover 64 bridged between the respective guide arms 63 and arranged to straddle over the resilient arm 62. A front part of the detecting body 42 projects farther forward than the front end of the fitting 45.
The resilient arm 62 and the respective guide arms 63 are parallel to each other. When the detecting body 42 is inserted into the assembly space 37 of the lock arm 15, upward protruding parts of the respective rails 39 are fit into spaces between the resilient arm 62 and the respective guide arms 63 as shown in
The guide arms 63 include two rail grooves 44 extending in the front-rear direction in the inner surfaces thereof, as shown in
The guide arms 63 include ribs 65 extending in the front-rear direction while projecting up. As shown in
The guide arms 63 include detector side locking projections 68 projecting toward each other on inner sides. The detector side locking projections 68 are arranged on lower surfaces of the corresponding rail grooves 44. When the detector 11 is at the standby position, the detector side locking projections 68 are lockable to the corresponding housing side locking projections 40.
The claw-like detector lock 43 projects down on a front part of the resilient arm 62. The detector lock 43 contacts the rear surface of the housing lock 38 at the standby position to restrict a movement of the detector 11 to the detection position as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
A tilting fulcrum 66 is defined where a rear end of each coupling 59 is connected to the corresponding rib 65 of the detecting body 42 and is twisted and deformed resiliently when the detecting body 42 is tilted. The tilting fulcrum 66 of each coupling 59 is at a position in the front-rear direction overlapping the corresponding leg 35 that serves as a tilting fulcrum of the lock arm 15 and is substantially at the same position as the corresponding leg 35 in the front-rear direction at the standby position.
The fitting 45 includes an opening 69 that opens upward between the upper ends of the respective side walls 53. As shown in
Next, how to connect/separate the housings 10, 90 is described.
First, the detector 11 is assembled with the housing 10. The assembling of the detector 11 at the standby position is guided by fitting the respective rails 39 of the lock arm 15 into the rail grooves 44 of the respective guide arms 63 and fitting the rear part of the housing body 13 into the insertion space 46. At the standby position, the locking claw 23 of the retaining arm 52 is in contact with the front surface of the retaining protrusion 22 to be lockable to this front surface, as shown in
Further, at the standby position, a clearance (part of the open space 34 of
The housing 10 then is connected to the mating housing 90. In the process of connecting the housings 10, 90, the housing lock 38 of the arm body 36 rides on the lock 93, and the arm body 36 is tilted in a seesaw manner in the vertical direction with the legs 35 as supports, as shown in
When the housings 10, 90 are connected properly, the arm body 36 resiliently returns to an initial substantially horizontal state and the lock 93 is in contact with the rear surface of the housing locking portion 38 to be lockable to this rear surface. On the other hand, the detector locking portion 43 is pushed up by the lock 93 and unlocked from the housing locking portion 38. In this way, a movement of the detector 11 from the standby position to the detection position in front of the standby position is allowed. Further, when the housings 10, 90 are connected properly, the respective mating terminal fittings 92 are inserted to a proper depth into the connecting portions 19 of the respective terminal fittings 12 to be connected electrically.
Subsequently, the detector 11 is moved to the detection position while being gripped by fingers, as shown in
In the process of moving the detector 11 to the detection position, the interfering portions 48 of the respective resilient pieces 55 contact with and ride on the respective protrusions 27 and the respective resilient pieces 55 are deflected and deformed to bulge out from the recessed surfaces 56, as shown in
Immediately before the detector 11 reaches the detection position, the interfering portions 48 of the resilient pieces 55 ride over the protrusions 27 and the resilient pieces 55 resiliently return to eliminate the bulge. As the resilient pieces 55 resiliently return, the detector 11 arrives at the detection position at once and the resilient arm 62 also resiliently returns. Thus, the detector locking portion 43 is in contact with the front surface of the housing locking portion 38 to be lockable to this front surface, as shown in
If the housings 10, 90 are not connected properly and the lock 93 is not locked to the housing locking portion 38, the detector locking portion 43 is kept locked to the housing locking portion 38. Thus, the detector 11 cannot be moved from the standby position to the detection position. Therefore, it can be judged that the housings 10, 90 are connected properly if the detector 11 can be moved toward the detection position and the housings 10, 90 are not connected properly unless the detector 11 can be moved to the detection position.
That the detector 11 at the detection position can be detected by visually confirming a moving state of the detector 11 with respect to the housing 10, for example, by visually confirming a state where the front end of the cover 64 is in contact with the bridge 33 as shown in
The presence of the detector 11 at the detection position also can be detected tactually by fingers of a worker. Specifically, the worker moves the detector 11 to the detection position while placing his or her fingers in contact with the rearward facing surfaces 57 on the outer sides of the resilient pieces 55 and also on areas of the side walls 53 near the resilient pieces 55 and adjacent the upper and lower slits 54. Thus, the fingers can confirm the existence and the elimination of the bulge of each resilient piece 55.
On the other hand, the housings 10, 90 are separated from each other for maintenance or the like by inserting fingertips into the opening 69 of the fitting 45 and pushing a rear end side (base 61 and the like) of the detecting body 42 down by the fingertips. The detecting body 42 then is tilted together with the arm body 36, and the lock arm 15 and the lock 93 are unlocked from each other. If the detector 11 is pressed rearward in that state, the housings 10, 90 gradually move in separating directions and the detector 11 also moves in the return direction to the standby position. The locking claw 23 of the retaining arm 52 then is locked to the retaining protrusion 22 to keep the detector 11 at the standby position with respect to the housing 10, and the housings 10, 90 are pulled apart.
As described above, the detector 11 can be moved smoothly from the standby position to the detection position by gripping the rearward facing surfaces 57 in the recesses 56 of the side walls 53 by fingers and pushing the rearward facing surfaces 57 forward after the housings 10, 90 are connected properly. The resilient pieces 55 align with the rearward facing surfaces 57. Thus, the fingers are pushed by the resilient pieces 55 when the resilient pieces 55 bulge out in the process of moving the detector 11 to the detection position, and the bulging of each resilient piece 55 can be felt by the fingers. Further, the bulge of each resilient piece 55 is eliminated when the detector 11 moves to the detection position and that state also can be felt by the fingers. Thus, a movement of the detector 11 to the detection position can be sensed tactually in addition to visual confirmation and operation feeling. As a result, the detector 11 can be moved reliably to the detection position.
The interfering portions 48 of the resilient pieces 55 are separated forward from the respective protrusions 27 and do not contact the protrusions 27 when the detector 11 is at the detection position. Thus, there is no need to consider positional relationships and shapes of the interfering portions 48 and the protrusions 27, and a degree of freedom in arrangements and shapes of the interfering portions 48 and the protrusions 27 can be enhanced.
The worker can have a good tactile sense since the fingers are pushed by the respective resilient pieces 55 bulging from the recessed surfaces 56. Further, since the respective rearward facing surfaces 57 do not project laterally from the side walls 53, a concern about interference with a moving operation of the detector 11 can be reduced.
Other embodiments are briefly described below.
The detector may include the side wall at least on one side across the detecting body.
The resilient piece, the interfering portion and the protrusion may be provided on only one of the side walls.
The rearward facing surfaces may be provided only on the resilient pieces and not in areas of the side surfaces of the side walls adjacent to the slits.
The rearward facing surfaces may be provided only in areas of the side surfaces of the side walls adjacent to the resilient pieces via the slits without being on the resilient pieces.
The rearward facing surfaces may be slopes inclined with respect to the width and the front-rear directions. Thus, the laterally facing surfaces can be omitted from the recesses.
The outer surfaces of the resilient pieces may be recessed slightly inward with respect to the outer surfaces of the areas of the recessed surfaces adjacent to the resilient pieces via the upper and lower slits. According to this configuration, in moving the detector to the detection position, worker's fingers do not constantly touch the outer surfaces of the resilient pieces and can touch the resilient pieces only when the interfering portions interfere with the protrusions and the resilient pieces bulge outward.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-172195 | Sep 2018 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6514099 | Endo | Feb 2003 | B2 |
| 6786747 | Kamath | Sep 2004 | B1 |
| 9270055 | Campbell | Feb 2016 | B2 |
| 20070275589 | Ohtaka et al. | Nov 2007 | A1 |
| 20150111407 | Hashimoto | Apr 2015 | A1 |
| 20200091656 | Lee | Mar 2020 | A1 |
| 20200091657 | Lee | Mar 2020 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 4977404 | Jul 2012 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20200091655 A1 | Mar 2020 | US |
