Patent Application
20240291196
The present invention relates to a connector in which a Connector Position Assurance (CPA) member can be attached to a connector body to ensure mating with a mating connector.
Conventionally, a connector is known in which a CPA member is attached to the connector body to ensure mating with a mating connector (for example, see Patent Document 1). The CPA member of Patent Document 1 can be attached to a housing in a temporarily locked state, and movement in the mating direction is inhibited before mating. Then, when the connector body and the mating connector are mated together, the inhibition of the CPA member is released to allow the CPA member to move. When the mating is completed, a worker moves the movable CPA member to transition into the fully locked state. In this connector, since the CPA member is in the fully locked state, mating with the mating connector is guaranteed.
Here, the above-described connector is provided with a mating locking arm for locking during mating with the mating connector. At the time of mating, a part of the mating connector locks to a locking portion provided in an intermediate portion of the mating locking arm while deflecting the intermediate portion. In the above connector, a CPA-receiving space for receiving and attaching a CPA member is defined between the mating locking arm and a CPA movement surface facing the mating locking arm.
Patent Document 1: JP 2020-072013 A
By the way, the above connector can also be used without attaching a CPA member. When used without this CPA member, the CPA-receiving space of the connector will be empty. In this situation, if an external force that causes deflection to the inside of the CPA-receiving space is applied to the mating locking arm, the amount of deflection tends to increase due to the absence of the CPA member. If this deflection in the mating locking arm becomes too large, exceeding the elasticity of the mating locking arm, this may cause irreversible deformation of the mating locking arm, which is not preferable.
Therefore, the present invention focuses on the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object to provide a connector that can alleviate deflection of the mating locking arm when used without a CPA member.
In order to solve the above problems a connector includes a connector body in which a connector terminal is accommodated in a cavity of a housing; and a CPA member that can be attached to the housing in a temporarily locked state and configured to, when attached, inhibit movement in a movement direction along a mating direction before mating of the connector body with a mating connector, the CPA member being configured to, when the inhibition is released by the mating, transition to a fully locked state by moving in the movement direction, so that the CPA member guarantees the mating, wherein the housing includes: a housing body provided with the cavity; a CPA-receiving portion that defines, of an outer peripheral surface of the housing body, a CPA-receiving space for receiving the CPA member, with a bottom surface of the CPA-receiving space being a CPA movement surface on which the CPA member moves, the CPA member temporarily locking to the CPA-receiving portion in the temporarily locked state; a mating locking arm being an arm portion that is disposed to face the CPA movement surface with the CPA-receiving space interposed therebetween and extends in the mating direction, an intermediate portion in an extending direction of the mating locking arm being deflection-deformable toward the CPA movement surface, wherein, during mating with the mating connector, a portion of the mating connector locks to a locking portion provided on the intermediate portion while deflecting the intermediate portion, and the CPA member makes a full lock with the mating locking arm; and a restriction protrusion protruding, from the intermediate portion of the mating locking arm to the CPA movement surface, by an amount of protrusion that does not hinder deflection deformation of the mating locking arm during the mating, wherein when excessive deflection exceeding the deflection deformation during the mating is likely to occur, a tip portion of the restriction protrusion comes into contact with the CPA movement surface to restrict the excessive deflection.
According to the above-described connector, deflection of the mating locking arm when used without a CPA member can be alleviated.
An embodiment of a connector will be described below.
The connector 1 according to the present embodiment is used, for example, as an end connector of a wire harness mounted on a vehicle or the like. The mating connector 2 is provided in a mating device or a mating wire harness to which the wire harness in question is connected. Further, in the present embodiment, the connector 1 is a female connector having an appearance of a rectangular block shape, and the mating connector 2 is a male connector in a rectangular block shape, to which the connector 1 can be connected.
The connector 1 includes a connector body 11 and a CPA member 12. The connector body 11 has connector terminals 11b housed in cavities 111a of a housing 11a. The housing 11a is a member made of insulating resin that has an appearance of a rectangular block shape and has the multiple rectangular cylindrical cavities 111a formed inside. The connector terminal 11b is a female terminal made of a conductive metal that is crimped and connected to an end of an electric wire W1 and formed into a rectangular tube shape by sheet metal processing. A single connector terminal 11b is housed in each of the cavities 111a of the housing 11a.
Furthermore, the connector body 11 includes a spacer 11c. The spacer 11c is a member made of insulating resin that is inserted through a slit formed on one side of a housing body 111 in a rectangular block shape. When this spacer 11c is inserted into the housing body 111, the connector terminal 11b in each cavity 111a is pressed in the insertion direction, and each connector terminal 11b is fixed so as not to come out of the cavity 111a.
A CPA member 12 is a resin member that is attached to the housing body 111 in the temporarily locked state, and after the connector body 11 is mated to the mating connector 2, shifts to the fully locked state to ensure the mating. Before the connector body 11 is mated to the mating connector 2, the CPA member 12 is inhibited from moving in a movement direction D12 along the mating direction D11, and this inhibition is released upon mating. When the mating of the connector body 11 to the mating connector 2 is completed, the worker confirms the mating by pushing the CPA member 12 in the movement direction D12 to shift to the fully locked state.
The housing 11a in the connector body 11 includes: the housing body 111 in which the cavities 111a are provided; and a CPA-receiving portion 112 that receives the CPA member 12. The CPA-receiving portion 112 defines, on the outer peripheral surface of the housing body 111, a CPA-receiving space 112b that receives the CPA member 12, with a bottom surface of the CPA-receiving space 112b being a CPA movement surface 112a on which the CPA member 12 moves. This CPA-receiving portion 112 includes a pair of side wall ribs 112c that is erected on a pair of side edges, along the movement direction D12, of the CPA movement surface 112a, and a mating locking arm 112d is provided to extend between the side wall ribs 112c to face the CPA movement surface 112a.
The mating locking arm 112d is an arm portion that is disposed to face the CPA movement surface 112a with the CPA-receiving space 112b interposed therebetween and extends in the mating direction D11, i.e., the movement direction D12 of the CPA member 12. In the mating locking arm 112d, a rear side in the movement direction D12 is connected to the pair of side wall ribs 112c, a front side is connected to the CPA movement surface 112a, and a central part is configured to be deflection-deformable. The mating locking arms 112d includes arm portions 112d-1, constituting a pair, each extending along the side wall ribs 112c, the arm portions 112d-1 being connected, on the rear side in the movement direction D12, to the side wall ribs 112c, and the arm portions 112d-1 being connected, on the front side in the movement direction D12, to the CPA movement surface 112a at positions closer to the side wall ribs 112c. A locking bridge 112d-2 (locking portion) connects the central portions of the arm portions 112d-1 constituting the pair. During mating with the mating connector 2, the mating connector 2 is locked to a locking end face 112d-2a, which is an end face of the locking bridge 112d-2 on the rear side in the movement direction D12, so that the mating state is stabilized.
Furthermore, on the rear side of the locking bridge 112d-2, i.e., on the opposite side from the mating side as seen from the locking bridge 112d-2, a lock release operation-receiving portion 112d-3 is provided, in the form of a bridge, between the arm portions 112d-1 constituting the pair. During releasing of mating, a worker performs a lock release operation on the lock release operation-receiving portion 112d-3 to detach the locking end face 112d-2a from the mating connector 2 by deflecting the mating locking arm 112d. The lock release operation-receiving portion 112d-3 is formed such that the height of the lock release operation-receiving portion 112d-3 from the CPA movement surface 112a is greater than the height of the locking bridge 112d-2, so that the worker can readily perform the lock release operation.
The CPA member 12 is a member having an appearance of a generally rectangular plate shape, and is inserted into the CPA-receiving space 112b such that it is introduced between the CPA movement surface 112a and the mating locking arm 112d in the CPA-receiving portion 112. Before mating with the mating connector 2, the CPA member 12 will be in the temporarily locked state explained below in the CPA-receiving space 112b.
First, the CPA member 12 has a CPA body 121 formed in a rectangular frame shape and provided with a full lock operation-receiving portion 121a, on the rear side in the movement direction D12 along the mating direction D11, for receiving a transition operation to the fully locked state. CPA-side temporary locking protrusions 121c for temporarily locking to the housing are provided on the outer surfaces of the side frame portions 121b, constituting a pair, that are provided along the movement direction D12 of the CPA body 121. In the CPA-receiving portion 112 of the housing 11a, housing-side temporary locking protrusions 112e to which the CPA-side temporary locking protrusions 121c lock are provided on the inner surfaces of the side wall ribs 112c constituting the pair. When the pair of CPA-side temporary locking protrusions 121c lock to the pair of housing-side temporary locking protrusions 112e, the CPA body 121, thus the CPA member 12, temporarily locks to the housing 11a.
Furthermore, the CPA member 12 includes a CPA arm 122 in a cantilever shape extending inside the rectangular frame-shaped CPA body 121 in the movement direction D12. The rear side of the CPA arm 122 in the movement direction D12 is a fixed end, and the front side is a free end. An end portion protrusion 122a protruding toward the side opposite from the CPA movement surface 112a is formed on the end portion of the CPA arm 122 on the free end side. Before mating, a movement inhibition end face 122a-1, which is the end face of the end portion protrusion 122a on the front side in the in the movement direction D12, comes into contact with the locking end face 112d-2a of the mating locking arm 112d of the housing 11a. Due to the movement inhibition end face 122a-1 coming into contact with the locking end face 112d-2a, the CPA arm 122 inhibits the CPA member 12, in the temporarily locked state before mating, from moving in the movement direction D12.
When the mating connector 2 is mated, this mating connector 2 pushes the end portion protrusion 122a toward the CPA movement surface 112a, and the movement inhibition end face 122a-1 comes out of contact with the locking end face 112d-2a, so that the movement inhibition in the temporarily locked state is released. Then, when the worker puts his finger on the full lock operation-receiving portion 121a and pushes the CPA member 12 in the movement direction D12, the end portion protrusion 122a of the CPA arm 122 passes under the locking bridge 112d-2 of the mating locking arm 112d to the front side in the movement direction D12. When the CPA arm 122 springs back upon passing under the locking bridge 112d-2, the full lock end face 122a-2, i.e., the end face of the end portion protrusion 122a on the rear side in the movement direction D12, locks to the full lock-receiving portion 112d-2b, i.e., the end portion of the locking bridge 112d-2 on the front side in the movement direction D12. The fully locked state of the CPA member 12 with respect to the housing 11a means a state in which the full lock end face 122a-2 of the CPA arm 122 locks to the full lock-receiving portion 112d-2b of the mating locking arm 112d. As described above, when the movement inhibition is released due to mating of the mating connector 2, the CPA arm 122 fully locks to the housing 11a.
The CPA arm 122 has a full lock release-receiving portion 122b formed in a protruding manner at an intermediate position between the fixed end side and the free end side, on the outer surface opposite from the CPA movement surface 112a. The full lock release-receiving portion 122b is a portion on which the worker performs a full lock release operation to deflect the CPA arm 122 to release the full lock of the full lock end face 122a-2 in the fully locked state. In the full lock release operation, the worker pushes the full lock release-receiving portion 122b toward the CPA movement surface 112a, so that the full lock end face 122a-2 comes out of contact with the full lock-receiving portion 112d-2b to release the full lock.
Here, the connector 1 described above can be used without the CPA member 12, i.e., without attaching the CPA member 12 to the CPA-receiving portion 112. In this case, for example, an external force may be applied to the lock release operation-receiving portion 112d-3 of the connector 1 during transportation, which may cause the mating locking arm 112d to deflect into the CPA-receiving space 112b which is empty. In the present embodiment, the following configuration is provided in the housing 11a in order to alleviate the deflection of the mating locking arm 112d when such an external force is applied.
In the housing 11a according to the present embodiment, the mating locking arm 112d is provided with restriction protrusions 112f for alleviating deflection. The restriction protrusions 112f are portions that protrude toward the CPA movement surface 112a from the intermediate portion in the extending direction (i.e., the movement direction D12) of the mating locking arm 112d. At this time, the amount of protrusion of the restriction protrusions 112f is such that the restriction protrusions 112f do not hinder the deflection deformation of the mating locking arm 112d during mating. When excessive deflection exceeding the deflection deformation during mating is likely to occur, the tip portion 112f-1 comes into contact with the CPA movement surface 112a to restrict the excessive deflection.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, totally one pair of such restriction protrusions 112f is provided, one restriction protrusion 112f being provided for each of the arm portions 112d-1 of the mating locking arm 112d. In the vicinity of the lock release operation-receiving portion 112d-2 at approximately the center, in the movement direction D12, of each of the arm portions 112d-1, each of the restriction protrusions 112f protrudes toward the CPA movement surface 112a from the edge on the side of the CPA movement surface 112a. A housing-side-inclined surface 112f-2 the distance of which from the mating locking arm 112d increases toward the movement direction D12 is formed on the front side, in the movement direction D12, of each of the restriction protrusions 112f. Each of the restriction protrusions 112f is such that the housing-side-inclined surface 112f-2, together with the mating locking arm 112d, form a hook shape.
In the example of
In the example as illustrated in
In a second step S12 in which mating of the mating connector 2 to the connector 1 has progressed slightly, the mating-side lock portion 21 passes over the locking bridge 112d-2 while deflecting the mating locking arm 112d toward the CPA movement surface 112a. At this second step S12, the amount of deflection of the mating locking arm 112d at the time of mating reaches its maximum. The amount of protrusion of the restriction protrusions 112f is such that the tip portions 112f-1 do not come into contact with the CPA movement surface 112a in the second step S12. Since the restriction protrusions 112f are formed with such a protruding amount, the deflection deformation of the mating locking arm 112d during mating is not hindered.
In a third step S13 in which mating of the mating connector 2 with the connector 1 is completed, the mating-side lock portion 21 passes over the locking bridge 112d-2 and locks to the locking end face 112d-2a. The deflection of the mating locking arm 112d has been resolved.
The CPA member 12 that can be attached to the connector 1 has the following configuration that utilizes the restriction protrusions 112f on the side of the housing 11a.
The CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 are portions of the CPA arm 122 that protrude in the width direction D13 of the CPA arm 122 from the intermediate position between the fixed end side and the free end side. As illustrated later, in the fully locked state, the CPA arm 122 locks to the front side, in the movement direction D12, of the restriction protrusions 112f on the side of the housing 11a to restrict return movement that is opposite to the movement direction D12. Here, in the present embodiment, the pair of restriction protrusions 112f of the housing 11a is provided such that the CPA arm 122 is interposed in the width direction D13 between the two restriction protrusions 112f. Correspondingly, the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123, constituting the pair, are provided so as to protrude in width direction D13 from the intermediate positions on the respective side edges, constituting the pair, of the CPA arm 122, and in the fully locked state, the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 constituting the pair lock to, in a one-to-one manner, the respective restriction protrusions 112f constituting the pair.
The erroneous operation restriction portions 124 are shelf-like portions which are formed at such a position that the restriction protrusions 112f can come into contact with the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 in the fully locked state of the CPA member 12 and that the restriction protrusions 112f come out of contact with the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 in the temporarily locked state. In the temporarily locked state, the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 come out of contact with the restriction protrusions 112f, thus not hindering deflection of the mating locking arm 112d for locking the mating-side lock portion 21 of the mating connector 2 and the locking end face 112d-2a of the locking bridge 112d-2. In contrast, in the fully locked state, the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 restrict deflection of the mating locking arm 112d by causing the restriction protrusions 112f to come into contact with the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 when an erroneous operation is performed on the lock release operation-receiving portions 112d-3 before the CPA member 12 transitions to the temporarily locked state. As described above, the pair of erroneous operation restriction portions 124 is provided, corresponding to the provision of the pair of restriction protrusions 112f.
Specifically, the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 are provided on the respective side frame portions 121b, constituting the pair, of the CPA member 12. In the fully locked state of the CPA member 12, the side frame portions 121b constituting the pair are arranged such that the mating locking arm 112d is interposed between the two side frame portions 121b in a top view of the CPA movement surface 112a. The restriction protrusions 112f provided on arm portions 112d-1, constituting the pair, of the mating locking arm 112d are provided to fit in respective gaps between the CPA arm 122 and the respective side frame portions 121b constituting the pair. The erroneous operation restriction portions 124 constituting the pair extend inwardly into the above gaps from the respective side frame portions 121b constituting the pair, so that the restriction protrusions 112f constituting the pair can come into contact with the respective erroneous operation restriction portions 124 constituting the pair in the fully locked state.
The CPA member 12 as described above performs the following transformation operation from the temporarily locked state, via the mating between the connector 1 and the mating connector 2, to the fully locked state.
In a first step S21 of
In a second step S22 in which mating of the mating connector 2 to the connector 1 has progressed slightly, the mating-side lock portion 21 passes over the locking bridge 112d-2 while deflecting the mating locking arm 112d toward the CPA movement surface 112a. At this occasion, the tip portion is pushed by the locking bridge 112d-2, and the CPA member 12 is inclined toward the CPA movement surface 112a.
In a third step S23 in which mating of the mating connector 2 to the connector 1 is completed, the mating-side lock portion 21 passes over the locking bridge 112d-2 to lock to the locking end face 112d-2a. Then, the mating-side lock portion 21 pushes the end portion protrusion 122a of the CPA member 12, of which the movement inhibition end face 122a-1 was in contact with locking end face 112d-2a in the temporarily locked state, toward the CPA movement surface 112a while deflecting the CPA arm 122. According to this pushing, the movement inhibition end face 122a-1 comes out of contact with the locking end face 112d-2a, which releases movement inhibition of the CPA member 12.
In a fourth step S24 in which mating of the mating connector 2 with the connector 1 is completed, the CPA member 12 which has been released from the movement inhibition is pushed in the movement direction D12 to transition to the fully locked state. In the fully locked state, the end portion protrusion 122a of the CPA arm 122 passes under the locking bridge 112d-2, and the full lock end face 122a-2 on the rear side in the movement direction D12 locks to the full lock-receiving portion 112d-2b of the locking bridge 112d-2. In this fully locked state, the restriction protrusions 112f provided in the mating locking arm 112d can come into contact with the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 of the CPA member 12. The restriction protrusions 112f can come into contact with the erroneous operation restriction portions 124, thereby restricting the deflection of the mating locking arm 112d when an erroneous operation is performed on the lock release operation-receiving portion 112d-2.
As illustrated in
In the fully locked state as described above, as illustrated in
Here, as described above, in the fully locked state, the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 of the CPA member 12 locks to the front sides, in the movement direction D12, of the restriction protrusions 112f on the side of the housing 11a to restrict return movement opposite from the movement direction D12. At this occasion, in the present embodiment, the housing-side-inclined surfaces 112f-2 are formed on the front side, in the movement direction D12, of the restriction protrusions 112f, and each housing-side-inclined surface 112f-2, together with the corresponding mating locking arm 112d, form a hook shape.
As illustrated in
Here, in order to release the mating between the connector 1 and the mating connector 2, first, the CPA member 12 in the fully locked state is returned back to the temporarily locked state before release of mating between the connectors. As described above, returning back to the temporarily locked state is performed by returning the CPA member 12 in the direction opposite to the movement direction D12 after the full lock release-receiving portion 122b is operated to release the full lock. The returning at this occasion is performed while the CPA arm 122 is deflected by operating the full lock release-receiving portion 122b to cause the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 to come out of contact with the restriction protrusions 112f. Once the CPA member 12 is returned back to the temporarily locked state, the mating locking arm 112d becomes deflection-deformable as follows.
As illustrated in
According to the connector 1 of the embodiment described above, if, during use without the CPA member 12, excessive deflection exceeding the deflection deformation of the mating locking arm 112d is likely to occur during mating, such excessive deflection is restricted as follows. Specifically, during use without the CPA member 12, the tip portions 112f-1 of the restriction protrusions 112f provided on the mating locking arm 112d come into contact with the CPA movement surface 112a to restrict excessive deflection. With the function of this restriction protrusion 112f, the deflection of the mating locking arm 112d can be alleviated during use without the CPA member 12.
Here, in the present embodiment, the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 protrude in the width direction D13 from the CPA arm 122 of the CPA member 12, and in the fully locked state, the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 lock to the front sides, in the movement direction D12, of the restriction protrusions 112f to restrict the return movement opposite from the movement direction D12. According to this configuration, during use with the CPA member 12, in the fully locked state after mating with the mating connector 2, the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 lock to the restriction protrusions 112f on the side of the housing 11a, so that return movement opposite from the movement direction D12 is restricted. The restriction of the return movement in the fully locked state effectively alleviates, e.g., an occurrence of unintended transition of the CPA member 12 into the temporarily locked state to result in failure of mating with the mating connector 2.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the restriction protrusions 112f, constituting the pair, in the housing 11a are provided such that the CPA arm 122 is interposed in the width direction D13 between the two restriction protrusions 112f. In addition, the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 constituting the pair are provided to protrude in the width direction D13 from the respective side edges, constituting the pair, of the CPA arm 122. In the fully locked state, the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 constituting the pair lock to, in a one-to-one manner, the respective restriction protrusions 112f constituting the pair. According to this configuration, the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123, provided to constitute the pair in the width direction D13, lock to the restriction protrusions 112f, likewise provided to constitute the pair in the width direction D13, in a one-to-one manner, so that the return movement of the CPA member 12 can be restricted in a well-balanced manner while alleviating inclination in the width direction D13.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the housing-side-inclined surfaces 112f-2 are formed on the front side, in the movement direction D12, of the restriction protrusions 112f, and each housing-side-inclined surface 112f-2, together with the corresponding mating locking arm 112d, form a hook shape. On the rear side in the movement direction D12, each of the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 is formed with a CPA-side inclined surface 123a. During restriction of the return movement, the rear side, in the movement direction D12, of the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 enters the inside of the hook shape to lock thereto so that the CPA-side inclined surfaces 123a come into surface contact with the respective housing-side-inclined surfaces 112f-2. According to this configuration, the rear side, in the movement direction D12, of the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 enters the inside of the hook shape constituted by the mating locking arm 112d and the restriction protrusion 112f to lock thereto, so that the locking strength can be improved.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the mating locking arm 112d is provided with the lock release operation-receiving portion 112d-3, and the CPA member 12 includes the erroneous operation restriction portions 124. The erroneous operation restriction portions 124 are formed at such positions that the restriction protrusions 112f can come into contact with the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 in the fully locked state and that the restriction protrusion 112f come out of contact with the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 in the temporarily locked state. The erroneous operation restriction portions 124 do not hinder deflection of the mating locking arm 112d for locking the mating-side lock portion 21 and the locking bridge 112d-2 in the temporarily locked state. Furthermore, in the fully locked state, the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 restrict deflection of the mating locking arm 112d when an erroneous operation is performed on the lock release operation-receiving portion 112d-3. According to this configuration, a contact between the restriction protrusions 112f and the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 of the CPA member 12 can effectively restrict deflection of the mating locking arm 112d when an erroneous operation is performed on the lock release operation-receiving portion 112d-3 in the fully locked state. Furthermore, because deflection of the mating locking arm 112d, which occurs when an erroneous operation is performed, is restricted, an occurrence of, e.g., unintended release of locking with the mating connector 2 during mating can be alleviated.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the restriction protrusions 112f, constituting the pair, is provided on the mating locking arm 112d, and the erroneous operation restriction portions 124, constituting the pair, are provided to extend inward from the respective side frame portions 121b, constituting the pair, of the CPA member 12. In the fully locked state, the restriction protrusions 112f constituting the pair can come into contact with the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 constituting the pair. According to this configuration, the restriction protrusions 112f, provided to constitute the pair in the width direction D13, come into contact with the erroneous operation restriction portions 124, likewise provided to constitute the pair in the width direction D13, in a one-to-one manner, so that restriction can be achieved in a well-balanced manner while alleviating the inclination of the CPA member 12 about the axis.
Note that the embodiments described above merely illustrate typical forms of the connector. The connector is not limited thereto, and can be implemented with various modifications.
For example, according to the above-described embodiment, the connector 1 used as an end portion connector of a wire harness mounted on a vehicle or the like is illustrated as an example of the connector. However, the connector is not limited thereto, and the specific target of application can be anything.
Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the housing 11a having an appearance of a rectangular block is illustrated as an example of the housing. However, the housing is not limited thereto, and any shape may be adopted as a specific external shape and the like.
Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the connector 1 in which the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 protruding from the CPA arm 122 locks to the restriction protrusions 112f in the fully locked state to restrict the return movement of the CPA member 12 is illustrated as an example of the connector. However, the connector is not limited thereto, and the CPA member may not be provided with the CPA-side restriction protrusions, and the restriction protrusions may achieve its role only when the connector is used without the CPA member. However, when the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 lock to the restriction protrusions 112f in the fully locked state, an occurrence of, e.g., failure of mating with the mating connector 2 can be effectively alleviated, as described above.
Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the connector 1 in which the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 constituting the pair lock to, in a one-to-one manner, the respective restriction protrusions 112f constituting the pair is illustrated as an example of the connector. However, the connector is not limited thereto, and even when the CPA-side restriction protrusions are provided, the number of CPA-side restriction protrusions provided and how they lock to the restriction protrusions may be set without limitation. However, when the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 constituting the pair lock to, in a one-to-one manner, the respective restriction protrusions 112f constituting the pair, the return movement of the CPA member 12 can be restricted in a well-balanced manner while alleviating inclination in the width direction D13, as described above.
Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the connector 1 in which the housing-side-inclined surfaces 112f-2 are formed on the restriction protrusions 112f, and the CPA-side inclined surfaces 123a are formed on the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 is illustrated as an example of the connector. During restriction of the return movement of the CPA member 12, the end portions of the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 on the side of the CPA-side inclined surfaces 123a enter the inside of the hook shape constituted by the housing-side-inclined surface 112f-2 of the restriction protrusion 112f and the mating locking arm 112d. However, the connector is not limited thereto, and any shape or aspect may be adopted for specific shapes of the restriction protrusions and the CPA-side restriction protrusions and specific aspect of locking during restriction of return movement. However, when the end portions of the CPA-side restriction protrusions 123 on the side of the CPA-side inclined surfaces 123a enter the inside of the hook shape constituted by the housing-side-inclined surface 112f-2 and the mating locking arm 112d, the strength of locking can be improved, as described above.
Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the connector 1 in which the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 of the CPA member 12 restrict deflection of the mating locking arm 112d when an erroneous operation is performed on the lock release operation-receiving portion 112d-3 of the mating locking arm 112d is illustrated as an example of the connector. However, the connector is not limited thereto, and the erroneous operation restriction portions may not be provided on the CPA member. However, because deflection of the mating locking arm 112d, which occurs when an erroneous operation is performed, is restricted by the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 of the CPA member 12, an occurrence of, e.g., unintended release of locking with the mating connector 2 during mating can be alleviated, as described above.
Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the connector 1 in which, in the fully locked state, the restriction protrusions 112f constituting the pair can come into contact with the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 constituting the pair is illustrated as an example of the connector. However, the connector is not limited thereto, and even when the erroneous operation restriction portions are provided, the number of erroneous operation restriction portions provided and how they come into contact with the restriction protrusions may be set without any limitation. However, when the restriction protrusions 112f constituting the pair can come into contact with the erroneous operation restriction portions 124 constituting the pair, restriction can be achieved in a well-balanced manner while alleviating the inclination of the CPA member 12 about the axis, as described above.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-027269 | Feb 2023 | JP | national |
