Patent Grant
9172187
1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an electrical connector in which a ferrite core is provided in a housing body as a noise suppression part.
The present disclosure also relates to an electrical connector having a harness side connector and an accessory side connector to which the harness side connector is fitted, in which the accessory side connector is equipped with a jam prevention protrusion.
The present disclosure also relates to an electrical connector having a housing body on which a substantially cylindrical terminal holding portion and a spacer, separated by a predetermined distance to each other, are provided, and the terminal holding portion accommodating a terminal fitting and inserted into a fitting space of a counterpart connector, and the slider capable of sliding along the insertion direction into the fitting space of the terminal holding portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
The ferrite embedded connector 1101 includes a housing body 1110 and a cover 1120 attached to the housing body 1110 to cover an upper surface 1111 which is a side surface of the housing body 1110.
The housing body 1110 includes a terminal accommodating hole 1112 and a ferrite accommodating portion 1113.
The terminal accommodating hole 1112 has an opening 1112b at the upper surface 1111 of the housing body 1110. As shown by the arrow Y1 in
The ferrite accommodating portion 1113 is an accommodation space formed by being hollowed out of the upper surface 1111. The ferrite accommodating portion 1113 accommodates a ferrite core 1150 into which the electric wire 1130 connected to the terminal fitting 1140 is inserted.
The terminal fitting 1140 has a cylindrical fitting connection portion 1141 into which a counterpart male-type terminal fitting is fitted and an electric wire connection portion 1142 extended from the rear end of the fitting connection portion 1141. The terminal fitting 1140 is so-called L-type female terminal fitting in which the electric wire connection portion 1142 is extended in a direction intersects an extending direction of the fitting connection portion 1141. Further, at the outer surface of the fitting connection portion 1141, a retainer lance 1141a is provided. The lance 1141a is an elastic part which is dug out from a part of the side wall of the fitting connection portion 1141 and is inserted into a concave portion 1112a in the terminal accommodating hole 1112 to achieve retention in the terminal accommodating hole 1112.
The ferrite core 1150 is formed by a metal oxide ferromagnetic body. The ferrite core 1150 is provided on the electric wire 1130 as a noise suppression part preventing noise current due to various electromagnetic waves from the outside from flowing to the electric wire 1130.
The cover 1120 covers the terminal fitting 1140 mounted on the housing body 1110 and the top face of the ferrite core 1150
Here, in the ferrite embedded connector 1101 of JP-A-2003-203722 in which the retention of the terminal fitting 1140 is achieved by the lance 1141a provided in the fitting connection portion 1141, since it is necessary to secure the concave portion 1112a for engaging with the lance 1141a, the breadth of the opening 1112b of the terminal accommodating hole 1112 is increased in size. Thus, the increase in the size of the breadth caused inconvenience in terms of the increase in the size of the ferrite embedded connector 1101.
Further, the lance 1141a provided on the terminal fitting 1140 is easily damaged or deformed by interference of objects in the periphery during storage or transport before being embedded in the ferrite embedded connector 1101, and there is also a concern that the damage to or deformation of the lance 1141a may cause a deterioration in the assembly characteristic of the terminal fitting 1140 in the ferrite embedded connector 1101 or the retention performance of the terminal fitting 1140.
Further, in the ferrite embedded connector 1101 of JP-A-2003-203722, in order to reduce the size of the connector, it is effective to lower the profile by shrinking the length in the height direction (the direction of the arrow Y2 in
However, in the ferrite embedded connector 1101 of JP-A-2003-203722, since the part 1120a on the inner lower wall 1113a or the cover 1120 is set to a uniform thickness, there is a concern that, when thinning is performed, the fluidity of the resin at the time of injection molding would be deteriorated, and the formability may be deteriorated. Accordingly, there is a problem in that it is not possible to achieve a lowering of the profile by thinning the wall portion dividing the ferrite accommodation chamber.
Next,
The electrical connector 2100 is used for supplying electricity to a squib (heating element) equipped in the inflator of a vehicle-mounted airbag system, and includes a harness side connector 2110 and an accessory (inflator) side connector 2120 to which the harness side connector 2110 is fitted, in which the accessory side connector 2120 is equipped with a jam prevention protrusion 2123.
The harness side connector 2100 includes a housing body 2111 accommodating the end portion of an electric wire 2131 of a wire harness, and a terminal holding portion 2112 protruded from the housing body 2111. The terminal holding portion 2112 accommodates a female terminal fitting (not shown) connected to an end portion of the electric wire inside the housing body 2111 and is inserted into a fitting space 2122a of a counterpart connector.
The accessory side connector 2120 includes a holder 2121, a fitting portion forming member (shunt ring) 2122, and a jam prevention protrusion 2123.
The holder 2121 is formed in a bottomed cylinder shape. In the center of the bottom portion 2121a of the holder 2121, a pair of pin terminals 2121b, in which a female terminal fitting is fitted, are provided. The pair of pin terminals 2121b are electricity supplying terminals of the squib (heating element) equipped in the inflator.
The fitting portion forming member 2122 is mounted in the holder 2121 such that the pin terminals 2121b pass therethrough and a fitting space 2122a in which the terminal holding portion 2112 is fitted is formed inside the holder 2121.
As shown in
In the case of the electrical connector 2100 of JP-A-2002-151181, as shown in
Here, in the harness side connector 2110 of JP-A-2002-151181, when the fitting of the connectors to each other is completed, the leading edge of the jam prevention protrusion 2123 comes into contact with the lower surface of the housing body 2111 as shown in
In other words, when the assembly of the harness side connector 2110 with the accessory side connector 2120 is completed, the assembly height H2 of the harness side connector 2110 protruding from the leading edge surface of the holder 2121 becomes a value in which the protrusion length L1 from the holder 2121 of the jam prevention protrusion 2123 is added to the height dimension H1 of the housing body 2111, and thereby causing an increase in the assembly height H2.
In vehicles, there is a high demand for space reduction regarding the part in which the inflator of an airbag system is equipped and profile lowering in which the assembly height is reduced in the connector equipped in the inflator has become a significant problem.
Also,
The connector 3100 is used to supply electricity to a squib (heating element) equipped in an inflator of a vehicle-mounted airbag system and includes a first connector 3110 connected to the leading edge of the wire harness, and an inflator side connector 3120 to which the connector 3110 is fitted.
The harness side connector 3100 includes a housing body 3111 accommodating the end portion of an electric wire 3131 of a wire harness, and a terminal holding portion 3112 protruded from the housing body 3111. The terminal holding portion 3112 accommodates a female terminal fitting (not shown) connected to an end portion of the electric wire inside the housing body 3111 and is inserted into a fitting space 3122a of a counterpart connector.
The accessory side connector 3120 includes a holder 3121, a fitting portion forming member (shunt ring) 3122, and a jam prevention protrusion 3123.
The holder 3121 is formed in a bottomed cylinder shape. In the center of the bottom portion 3121a of the holder 3121, a pair of pin terminals 3121b, in which a female terminal fitting is fitted, are provided. The pair of pin terminals 3121b are electricity supplying terminals of the squib (heating element) equipped in the inflator.
The fitting portion forming member 3122 is mounted in the holder 3121 such that the pin terminals 3121b pass therethrough and a fitting space 3122a in which the terminal holding portion 3112 is fitted is formed inside the holder 3121.
As shown in
Here, there have been problems in that the structure of the terminal holding portion 3112 having the built-in slider 3113 is increasingly complicated to form a structure to hold the slider 3113 and the assembly process is increasingly complicated.
Here, in order to solve the above-described problem, the applicant has developed the connector 3200 shown in
In the connector 3200, a substantially cylindrical terminal holding portion 3210 accommodating a terminal fitting and inserted into a fitting space of a counterpart connector and a slider 3220 capable of sliding along the insertion direction (the direction of the arrow X1 in
In this manner, by arranging the slider 3220 outside the terminal holding portion 3210, it is possible to simplify the structure of the terminal holding portion 3210 and it is possible to facilitate the assembly of the connector 3200.
In the case of the connector 3200 shown in
Meanwhile, the slider accommodating portion 3231 includes a position aligning surface 3231a at the leading side in the sliding direction with respect to the first retaining protrusion 3223 and the second retaining protrusion 3224.
As shown in
The slider 3220 accommodated in the slider accommodating portion 3231 is urged in the protruding direction by a compressed coil spring 3240 arranged inside the slider accommodating portion 3231.
Here, when the slider 3220 is positionally aligned by the pressing of the two retaining protrusions 3223 and 3224 on the position aligning surface 3231a in the connector 3200 shown in
Therefore, during keeping or the like or during transport or the like, there is a concern that a problem in which the electric wire 3300 becomes wedged in the gap 3250 between the slider 3220 and the terminal holding portion 3210 would occur.
Here, in order to solve the first problem, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an electrical connector which realizes retention of the terminal fitting without providing a lance at the terminal fitting and can reduce the size of the breadth of the part accommodating the terminal fitting of the housing body. In addition, an object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector which reduces the height dimension of the ferrite accommodation chamber periphery by thinning the wall portion dividing the ferrite accommodation chamber accommodating the ferrite core, and which can lower the profile of the connector.
Also, in order to solve the second problem, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an electrical connector capable of achieving a lowering of the profile, in which the jam prevention protrusion equipped in the accessory side connector in order to prevent the jam does not incur an increase in the assembly height of the connector when the connectors are fitted to each other.
In order to solve the third problem, an object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector capable of preventing a problem in which the electric wire is wedged in the gap between the substantially cylindrical terminal holding portion protruding from the housing body and the slider during keeping or during transport or the like.
The above described objects of the present disclosure are achieved by the following configurations.
(1) There is provided an electrical connector comprising:
a first connector that accommodates a female terminal fitting connected to an end portion of an electric wire of a wire harness; and
a second connector that is fitted with the first connector,
wherein the first connector includes:
wherein the second connector includes:
wherein a leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusion is set to a length protruding outside further than a leading edge surface of the holder;
wherein a protrusion accommodating portion is formed in the housing body which is continuous to a base end of the terminal holding portion; and
wherein the protrusion accommodating portion accommodates the leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusion so that a leading edge surface of the housing body comes into contact with the leading edge surface of the holder.
(2) For example, the first connector is a ferrite embedded connector which accommodates a ferrite core attached to an electric wire connected to the female terminal fitting; and
wherein the second connector is a connector for a squib equipped in an inflator of a vehicle-mounted airbag system.
(3) There is also provided an electrical connector comprising:
a housing body; and
a cover attached to the housing body so as to cover an opening formed in a surface of the housing body,
wherein the housing body includes:
wherein the cover covers the terminal fitting and the ferrite core attached to the housing body;
wherein the ferrite accommodating portion includes:
wherein the protrusions are engaged with concave portions formed on both side surfaces of the ferrite core to regulate movement of the ferrite core in the second direction.
(4) For example, the protrusions are ribs which extend along the first direction on the both inner side surfaces of the ferrite accommodating chamber, and the concave portions are engagement grooves formed on the both side surfaces of the ferrite core so that the ferrite core is slidable along the first direction with respect to the ferrite accommodation chamber.
(5) For example, thickness increasing ribs extending along the first direction are provided on an inner surface of the cover and an inner lower surface of the ferrite accommodation chamber which face surfaces of the ferrite core in the second direction; and
wherein rib receiving grooves for receiving the thickness increasing ribs are formed on the surfaces of the ferrite core facing the inner surface of the cover and the inner lower surface of the ferrite accommodation chamber.
(6) There is also provided an electrical connector comprising:
a housing body;
a terminal holding portion that accommodates a terminal fitting and is inserted into a fitting portion of a counterpart connector; and
a slider that slides along an insertion direction in which the terminal holding portion inserts into the fitting portion,
wherein the terminal holding portion and the slider are separated by a predetermined distance and are provided on the housing body;
wherein, in a state where the terminal holding portion is not inserted into the counterpart connector, the slider is supported by a slider accommodating portion of the housing body in an inclined condition that a gap between the slider and the terminal holding portion gradually becomes narrow toward a leading edge portion of the slider; and
wherein in the inclined condition of the slider, a separation distance between the leading edge portion of the slider and the terminal holding portion is smaller than a standard separation distance necessary during a regular sliding operation of the slider.
(7) For example, the slider includes a base portion which slidably moves inside the slider accommodating portion, a first retaining protrusion provided at a first position closest to the terminal holding portion at a periphery of the base portion, and a second retaining protrusion which is provided at a second position which is at the opposite side to the first position so that the base portion is arranged between the first position and the second position at the periphery of the base portion and is deviated in the insertion direction of the terminal holding portion from the first retaining protrusion, the slider accommodating portion has a position aligning surface which is arranged between the leading edge portion of the slider and both of the first retaining protrusion and the second retaining protrusion and which regulates movement of the slider in a protruding direction of the leading edge portion of the slider by being contacted with the first and second retaining protrusions, and in the inclined condition of the slider, both the first retaining protrusion and the second retaining protrusion come into contact with the position aligning surface.
According to the electrical connector of the present disclosure, the load in the direction along the insertion direction of the terminal fitting acting on the electric wire from outside is absorbed by regulating the movement of the ferrite core using the engagement of the vertical movement prevention protrusion provided in both inner side surfaces facing the ferrite accommodation chamber and the protrusion engagement concave portion of both side surfaces of the ferrite core and is not transmitted to the terminal fitting accommodated in the housing body.
Therefore, it is possible to realize retention of the terminal fitting even without providing a lance in the terminal fitting. Accordingly, the terminal fitting accommodated in the housing body is given a slim exterior in which the lance is left out and it is possible to set a slim structure which does not have a terminal accommodating hole of the housing body or a concave portion which is an engagement location of the lance, and, by slimming the terminal fitting and the terminal accommodating hole, it is possible to reduce the size of the breadth of the part accommodating the terminal fitting of the housing body in comparison with the housing body of the related art in which the lance of the terminal fitting was used for retention.
Accordingly, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience of the increasing of the size of the connector caused by increasing the size of the breadth of the part accommodating the terminal fitting of the housing body.
Further, since there is no longer a need to equip a retaining lance in the terminal fitting, it is possible to avoid damage to or deformation of the terminal fitting caused by interference of the lance. Therefore, for example, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of the problem of the deterioration of the assembly characteristic of the terminal fitting in the ferrite embedded connector or the deterioration of the retention performance of the terminal fitting, that is, the problems caused by the damage to or deformation of the terminal fitting.
According to the electrical connector according to the present disclosure, when the assembly of the harness side connector with the accessory side connector is completed, the leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusion protruding from the leading edge surface of the holder is accommodated in a protrusion accommodating portion provided in the housing main body of the harness side connector. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an assembly state in which the housing main body of the first connector is in direct contact with the surface of the holder.
That is, the assembly height of the first connector protruding from the leading edge surface of the holder matches the height dimension of the housing body and the jam prevention protrusion does not cause an increase in the assembly height.
Accordingly, the jam prevention protrusion provided in the second connector for preventing jam when the first and second connectors are fitted to each other can achieve a lowering of the profile without causing an increase in the assembly height of the first and second connectors.
According to the connector according to the present disclosure, in the initial state in which the counterpart connector is not connected, the slider is maintained in an inclined state where the separation distance between the leading edge portion of the slider and the terminal holding portion is smaller than a standard separation distance necessary during a regular sliding operation.
Therefore, even when performing positional alignment in which the leading edge side of the slider is inclined in a direction separating from the terminal holding portion due to forming errors or the like, it is possible to keep the separation distance between the leading edge of the slider and the terminal holding portion in a range that does not exceed the standard separation distance necessary during a regular sliding operation.
Accordingly, if the standard separation distance necessary during a regular sliding operation is set to the outer diameter or less of the electric wire for which there is a possibility of contact with the connector during keeping or during transport, it is possible to prevent accidents in which the electric wire or the like becomes wedged in the gap between the terminal holding portion and the slider.
Below, detailed description will be given of favorable embodiments of the ferrite embedded connector of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings.
The ferrite embedded connector 1 of the first embodiment is, for example, a plug in an electrical connector of a vehicle-mounted airbag system. The connector 1 is fitted to a connector 2 shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The terminal insertion hole 32 is formed to pass through the housing body 3 along a direction (the direction of the arrow Y3 in
The ferrite accommodating portion 33 is a part accommodating the ferrite core 52 through which the electric wire 53 connected to the terminal fitting 51 is inserted.
The ferrite core 52 is formed in a block shape by a metal oxide ferromagnetic body. In the ferrite core 52, an electric wire insertion opening 52c (refer to
Engagement grooves 52a and rib receiving grooves 52b are formed on the outer side surfaces of the ferrite core 52 of this embodiment.
As shown in
Each of the rib receiving grooves 52b has a V-shaped cross-section extending along the insertion direction (the direction of the arrow X1 in
In the case of the housing body 3 of this embodiment, the ferrite accommodating portion 33 is formed by being hollowed out of the one side surface 31 of the housing body 3. To give description in more detail, as shown in
The ferrite accommodation chamber 33a has a space in which the ferrite core 52 is inserted in a direction (direction of the arrow X1 of
As shown in
As shown in
Further, a thickness increasing rib 33e is provided on the inner lower surface 33d of the ferrite accommodation chamber 33a. The thickness increasing rib 33e is a rib extending along the insertion direction of the ferrite core 52 as shown in
As shown in
The spring holding portion 34 holds the coil spring 61 shown in
The coil spring 61 mounted on the spring holding portion 34 biases a slider 62 to be described later to the connector 2 side (in the direction of fitting the connector 1 to the connector 2, the direction of the arrow Y4 in
A slider accommodating portion 35 is a part accommodating the slider 62 shown in
As shown in
As shown in
After the mounting of the terminal fitting 51 or the ferrite core 52 on the housing body 2 is completed, the cover 4 is attached to the housing body 3 and covers the top of the terminal fitting 51 and ferrite core 52 mounted on the housing body 3.
As shown by the arrow X2 in
Further, the cover 4 attached to the housing body 3 is regulated in the movement in the removal direction (direction opposite to the arrow X2 in
As shown in
In the connector 1 of this embodiment, as shown in
The ferrite embedded connector 1 in a state of complete assembly shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The guide member 8 has a lock piece 83 at the periphery of an accommodating portion fitting portion 81a which is a hole portion into which the terminal accommodating portion 3a is set. As shown in
Further, as shown in
In the ferrite embedded connector 1 according to the first embodiment described above, in a state where a terminal fitting 51 is inserted and mounted in a terminal insertion hole 32 of the housing body 3, and a ferrite core 52 through which an electric wire 53 connected to the terminal fitting 51 passes is inserted and mounted in the ferrite accommodating portion 33, even if a load in the direction (direction of the arrow Y4 of
Therefore, it is possible to realize retention of the terminal fitting 51 even without providing a lance in the terminal fitting 51. Accordingly, the terminal fitting 51 accommodated in the housing body 3 is given a thin exterior in which the lance is left out as shown in the above-described embodiment and it is possible to set a thin structure which does not have a terminal insertion hole 32 of the housing body 3 or a concave portion which is an engagement location of the lance, and, by slimming the terminal fitting 51 and the terminal insertion hole 32, it is possible to reduce the size of the breadth (outer diameter) of the terminal accommodating portion 3a which is a part accommodating the terminal fitting 51 of the housing body 3 in comparison with the housing body of the related art in which the lance of the terminal fitting 51 was used for retention.
Accordingly, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience of the increasing of the size of the connectors 1 and 2 caused by increasing the size of the breadth of the part (terminal accommodating portion 3a) accommodating the terminal fitting 51 of the housing body 3.
Further, since there is no longer a need to equip a retaining lance in the terminal fitting 51, it is possible to avoid damage to or deformation of the terminal fitting 51 caused by interference of the lance. Therefore, for example, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of the problem of the deterioration of the assembly characteristic of the terminal fitting 51 in the ferrite embedded connector or the deterioration of the retention performance of the terminal fitting 51, that is, the problems caused by the damage to or deformation of the terminal fitting 51.
Further, in the ferrite embedded connector 1 of the first embodiment, the engagement of the vertical movement prevention protrusions 33c as a vertical movement prevention protrusion and the engagement grooves 52a as a protrusion engaging concave portion function as a guiding mechanism for slidably engaging the ferrite core 52 along the insertion direction to the ferrite accommodation chamber 33a. Therefore, it is possible to facilitate the insertion operation during the mounting of the ferrite core 52 to the ferrite accommodation chamber 33a and it is possible to improve the ease of assembly of the ferrite embedded connector.
Further, in the ferrite embedded connector 1 of the first embodiment, regarding the cover 4 facing the insertion direction of the ferrite core 52 and the terminal fitting 51 or the inner lower wall of the ferrite accommodation chamber 33a facing the cover 4, by making the portion equipped with thickness increasing ribs 33e and 43 thicker than the other parts and equipping a gate for filling the resin during the injection molding at the position where the thickness increasing ribs 33e and 43 are equipped, it is possible to improve the fluidity of the resin during injection molding.
Accordingly, even if the inner lower wall of the ferrite accommodation chamber 33 facing the cover 4 or the cover 4 are thinned, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the fluidity of the resin during injection molding and it is possible to inhibit deterioration of formability caused by the deterioration of the fluidity of the resin.
Therefore, by thinning the inner lower wall of the ferrite accommodating portion 33 facing the cover 4 and the wall portion dividing the ferrite accommodation chamber 33a such as the cover 4, the height length of the periphery of the ferrite accommodation chamber 33a is reduced and it is possible to achieve a lowering of the profile of the connector.
Here, the ferrite embedded connector of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and appropriate modifications, improvements, and the like are possible.
For example, the vertical movement prevention protrusion provided in the ferrite accommodation chamber 33a is not limited to the rib structure shown in the first embodiment. For example, a hemispherical protrusion may be provided as the vertical movement prevention protrusion. Further, the protrusion engaging concave portion provided in the ferrite core 52 for engaging with the vertical movement prevention protrusion is not limited to the groove shape shown in the first embodiment.
Further, the attachment structure of the cover 4 attached to the housing body 3 is also not limited to the structure shown in the first embodiment. It is possible to set an attachment structure allowing engagement with the housing body 3 by pressing the cover into the top of the one side surface 31 of the housing body 3 similarly to the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 51 into the terminal insertion hole 32.
Further, the positions and the number of the thickness increasing ribs provided on the cover 4 or the inner lower wall of the ferrite accommodating portion 33 and the positions and the number of the rib receiving grooves provided on the ferrite core 52 are also not limited to the first embodiment.
The electrical connector 101 of a second embodiment is used for supplying electricity to a squib (heating element) equipped in an inflator of a vehicle-mounted airbag system, and includes a harness side connector 110 (first connector) and an accessory side connector 120 (second connector) to which the harness side connector 110 is fitted, and, in the accessory side connector 120, jam prevention protrusions 124 and 125 are provided.
As shown in
In the housing body 111, a lower surface 111a facing the accessory side connector 120 is made to come into contact with a leading edge surface 121c of the holder 121 of the accessory side connector 120. Although not shown, on the upper surface 111b side which is the opposite side to the lower surface 111a, the housing body 111 includes a terminal base end accommodating portion, an electric wire accommodating portion, and a ferrite accommodating portion. The terminal base end accommodating portion has a concave portion accommodating the base end portion of the female terminal fitting 113. The electric wire accommodating portion has a concave portion accommodating the end portion of the electric wire 131 connected to the base end portion of the female terminal fitting 113. The ferrite accommodating portion has a concave portion accommodating the ferrite core 114 mounted on the electric wire 131.
As shown in
The terminal holding portion 112 is integrally formed with the housing body 111 so as to protrude from the lower surface 111a of the housing body 111 to the accessory side connector 120 side. The terminal holding portion 112 accommodates the end portion of the electric wire 131 of the wire harness and is inserted into the fitting space 122a of the accessory side connector 120 to be described later. As shown in
As shown in
The base end portion 313b of the female terminal fitting 113 is accommodated in the terminal base end accommodating portion of the housing body 111. An end portion of the electric wire 131 of the wire harness is connected to the base end portion 103b of the female terminal fitting 113.
The ferrite core 104 is formed in a block shape by a metal oxide ferromagnetic body. The ferrite core 104 is provided on the electric wire 131 as a noise suppression part preventing noise current due to electromagnetic waves from the outside from flowing to the electric wire 131.
As shown in
The slider 116 is accommodated in a slider accommodating portion 111c of the housing body 111 so as to be slidable along the fitting direction to the harness side connector 120. When the assembly of the harness side connector 110 to the accessory side connector 120 is completed, the slider 116 fits into the spacer setting portion 122d adjacent to a locking arm 122c to be described later, regulates the displacement in the direction in which the locking arm 122c moves away from the coupling protrusion 112b, and locks the link between the housings using the locking arm 122c.
As shown in
Further, in second embodiment, protrusion accommodating portions 118 and 119 for accommodating the leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusions 124 and 125 are formed on a lower surface 111a of the housing body 111 continuous to the base portion of the terminal holding portion 112 such that the lower surface 111a which is the leading edge surface of the housing body 111 comes into contact with the leading edge surface 121c of the holder 121.
The protrusion accommodating portion 118 has a concave portion accommodating the leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusion 124. Further, the protrusion accommodating portion 119 has a concave portion accommodating the leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusion 125.
The harness connector 110 described above is a so-called ferrite embedded connector accommodating a ferrite core 114 mounted as a noise suppression part on the electric wire 131 connected to the female terminal fitting 113.
As shown in
The holder 121 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape. In the center of the bottom portion 121a of the holder 121, a pair of pin terminals 121b (male terminals) fitting into the female terminal fitting 113 are provided. The pair of pin terminals 121b are terminals supplying electricity to a squib (heating element) equipped in the inflator.
The fitting portion forming member 122 is mounted on the holder 121 so that the pin terminals 121b pass therethrough and forms a fitting space 122a, into which the terminal holding portion 112 of the harness side connector 110 is fitted, inside the holder 121.
Further, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
When the female terminal fitting 113 accommodated in the harness side connector 110 is unconnected with the pair of pin terminals 121b, the short-circuit terminal 123 is supported by the fitting portion forming member 122 so as to make a short circuit connection between the pair of pin terminals 121b and prevent erroneous operation of the squib. The short circuit connection between the pair of pin terminals 121b due to the short-circuit terminal 123 is cancelled when the conductive connection of the female terminal fitting 113 and the pin terminals 121b is completed due to the fitting connection of the harness side connector 110 and the accessory side connector 120.
As shown in
As shown in
The protrusion accommodating portion 118 of the housing body 111 has a depth accommodating the leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusion 124 having the length L3. Further, the protrusion accommodating portion 119 of the housing body 111 has a depth accommodating the leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusion 125 having the length L4.
The harness side connector 120 is an electrical connector for the squib equipped in the inflator of a vehicle-mounted airbag system.
The operation during the fitting and connecting of the harness side connector 110 and the accessory side connector 120 described above will be described based on
As shown in
As shown in
Further, as shown in
In the electrical connector 101 of the one embodiment described above, when the assembly of the harness side connector 110 with the accessory side connector 120 is completed, the leading edge portions of the jam prevention protrusions 124 and 125 protruding from the leading edge surface of the holder 121 shown in
That is, as shown in
Accordingly, since the jam is prevented when the connectors are fitted to each other, the jam prevention protrusions 124 and 125 equipped in the accessory side connector 120 can achieve a lowering of the profile without causing an increase in the assembly height of the connector.
Further, according to the electrical connector 101 of the one embodiment described above, since the profile of the connector supplying electricity to the squib (heating element) of the inflator of the vehicle-mounted airbag system is lowered, it is possible to promote space-saving with respect to the inflator.
Here, the electrical connector of the present disclosure is not limited by the respective embodiments described above, and suitable modifications, improvements, or the like are possible.
For example, the electrical connector according to the present disclosure is not limited to a connector supplying electricity to a squib in a vehicle-mounted airbag system, and can be applied to various types of electrical connectors having jam prevention protrusions.
The connector 301 shown in
As shown in
In the housing body 3111, a lower surface 3111a facing the accessory side connector 3120 is made to come into contact with a leading edge surface 3121c of the holder 3121 of the accessory side connector 3120. Although not shown, on the upper surface 111b side which is the opposite side to the lower surface 3111a, the housing body 3111 includes a terminal base end accommodating portion, an electric wire accommodating portion, and a ferrite accommodating portion. The terminal base end accommodating portion has a concave portion accommodating the base end portion of the female terminal fitting 3113. The electric wire accommodating portion has a concave portion accommodating the end portion of the electric wire 3131 connected to the base end portion of the female terminal fitting 3113. The ferrite accommodating portion has a concave portion accommodating the ferrite core 3114 mounted on the electric wire 3131.
As shown in
The slider accommodating portion 311c includes a position aligning surface 411c regulating the movement of the slider 316 in the protruding direction. The position aligning surface 411c is arranged at the leading side of the sliding direction (the direction of the arrow X1 in
An opening 412c into which the center portion of the slider 316 is inserted is provided at the center of the position aligning surface 411c.
The terminal holding portion 312 is integrally formed with the housing body 311 so as to protrude from the lower surface 311a of the housing body 311 to the accessory side connector 320 side. The terminal holding portion 312 has a substantially cylindrical external appearance, accommodates the female terminal fitting 313 connected to the end portion of the electric wire 131 of the wire harness, and is inserted into the fitting space 322a of the accessory side connector 320.
The terminal holding portion 312 is integrally formed with the housing body 311 so as to protrude from the lower surface 311a of the housing body 311 to the accessory side connector 320 side. The terminal holding portion 312 accommodates the end portion of the electric wire 331 of the wire harness and is inserted into the fitting space 322a of the accessory side connector 320 to be described later. As shown in
As shown in
The base end portion 313b of the female terminal fitting 313 is accommodated in the terminal base end accommodating portion of the housing body 311. An end portion of the electric wire 331 of the wire harness is connected to the base end portion 103b of the female terminal fitting 313.
The ferrite core 304 is formed in a block shape by a metal oxide ferromagnetic body. The ferrite core 304 is provided on the electric wire 331 as a noise suppression part preventing noise current due to electromagnetic waves from the outside from flowing to the electric wire 331.
As shown in
In the slider 316, the base portion 461 is accommodated in the slider accommodating portion 311c of the housing body 311 so as to be capable of sliding along the fitting direction (specifically, the insertion direction into the fitting space 322a which is the direction of the arrow X1 in
As shown in
The slider 316 includes a base portion 461 slidably moving along the protruding direction of the terminal holding portion 312 inside the slider accommodating portion 311c, a first retaining protrusion 462 provided on a first position P1 closest to the terminal holding portion 312 at the periphery of the base portion 461, and a second retaining protrusion 463 provided on a second position P2 which is at the opposite side to the first position P1 with the base portion 461 interposed therebetween at the periphery of the base portion 461.
In the case of this embodiment, as shown in
Regarding the slider 316 of this embodiment, as shown in
For example, during keeping or during transport or the like, in a state where the terminal holding portion 312 is not inserted into the fitting space 322a of the counterpart connector, the slider 316 in the connector 310 of this embodiment enters an inclined state where the gap S1 between the slider 316 and the terminal holding portion 312 gradually becomes narrow toward the leading edge of the slider 316 as shown in
When the assembly of the harness side connector 310 to the accessory side connector 320 is completed, the slider 316 described above fits into a slider setting portion 322d adjacent to a locking arm 322c to be described later, regulates the displacement in the direction in which the locking arm 322c is separated from the coupling protrusion 312b, and the linking of the housings to each other is locked by the locking arm 322c.
As shown in
Further, in second embodiment, protrusion accommodating portions 318 and 319 for accommodating the leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusions 324 and 325 are formed on a lower surface 311a of the housing body 311 continuous to the base portion of the terminal holding portion 312 such that the lower surface 311a which is the leading edge surface of the housing body 311 comes into contact with the leading edge surface 321c of the holder 321.
The protrusion accommodating portion 318 has a concave portion accommodating the leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusion 324. Further, the protrusion accommodating portion 319 has a concave portion accommodating the leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusion 325.
The harness connector 310 described above is a so-called ferrite embedded connector accommodating a ferrite core 314 mounted as a noise suppression part on the electric wire 331 connected to the female terminal fitting 313.
As shown in
The holder 321 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape. In the center of the bottom portion 321a of the holder 321, a pair of pin terminals 321b (male terminals) fitting into the female terminal fitting 313 are provided. The pair of pin terminals 321b are terminals supplying electricity to a squib (heating element) equipped in the inflator.
The fitting portion forming member 322 is mounted on the holder 321 so that the pin terminals 321b pass therethrough and forms a fitting space 322a, into which the terminal holding portion 312 of the harness side connector 310 is fitted, inside the holder 321.
Further, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
When the female terminal fitting 313 accommodated in the harness side connector 310 is unconnected with the pair of pin terminals 321b, the short-circuit terminal 323 is supported by the fitting portion forming member 322 so as to make a short circuit connection between the pair of pin terminals 321b and prevent erroneous operation of the squib. The short circuit connection between the pair of pin terminals 321b due to the short-circuit terminal 323 is cancelled when the conductive connection of the female terminal fitting 313 and the pin terminals 321b is completed due to the fitting connection of the harness side connector 310 and the accessory side connector 320.
As shown in
As shown in
The protrusion accommodating portion 318 of the housing body 311 has a depth accommodating the leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusion 324 having the length L3. Further, the protrusion accommodating portion 319 of the housing body 311 has a depth accommodating the leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusion 325 having the length L4.
The harness side connector 320 is an electrical connector for the squib equipped in the inflator of a vehicle-mounted airbag system.
The operation during the fitting and connecting of the harness side connector 310 and the accessory side connector 320 described above will be described based on
During the fitting of the harness side connector 310 and the accessory side connector 320, as shown in
When the fitting of the harness side connector 310 and the accessory side connector 320 is completed, as shown in
Further, when the fitting of the harness side connector 310 and the accessory side connector 320 is completed, as shown in
In an initial state where the harness side connector 310 in the connector 301 of this embodiment described above is not connected to a counterpart connector (accessory side connector 320), as shown in
Accordingly, if the standard separation distance necessary during a regular sliding operation is set to the outer diameter or less of the electric wire for which there is a possibility of contact with the connector during keeping or during transport, it is possible to prevent a problem in which the electric wire or the like becomes wedged in the gap between the terminal holding portion 312 and the slider 316.
Further, according to the harness side connector 310 shown in the above-described embodiment, as shown in
Further, according to the harness side connector 310 shown in the above-described embodiment, the inclination of the slider 316 is determined according to deviation in the direction of the arrow X1 of the positions of the first retaining protrusion 462 and the second retaining protrusion 463 arranged to face the leading edge portion 461 of the slider 316.
Therefore, with regard to the housing body 311, the terminal holding portion 312 and the slider accommodating portion 311c, it is possible to adjust the inclination of the slider 316 to a predetermined value and to easily realize changes in the inclination of the slider 316 simply by changing the setting of the base portion 461 of the slider 316 without adding specific setting changes.
Here, the electrical connector of the present disclosure is not limited by the respective embodiments described above, and suitable modifications, improvements, or the like are possible.
For example, the technique of the connector of the present disclosure is not limited to a connector supplying electricity to a squib in a vehicle-mounted airbag system, and can be applied to various types of connectors equipped with sliders separating from the terminal holding portion.
Further, the structure performing positional alignment of the slider during keeping or during transport of the connector in a posture of an inclined state in which the electric wire or the like is not easily wedged in is not limited to a structure in which the positions of the two retaining protrusions of the base end of the slider are deviated in the direction of the arrow X1 in
However, it is easier to realize a structure in which the positions of the two retaining protrusions are deviated than a structure in which the position aligning surface 411c inside the slider accommodating portion 311c is formed in an inclined plane.
Here, the details of the above embodiments are summarized as follows.
(1) There is provided an electrical connector comprising:
a housing body; and
a cover attached to the housing body so as to cover an opening formed in a surface of the housing body,
wherein the housing body includes:
wherein the cover covers the terminal fitting and the ferrite core attached to the housing body;
wherein the ferrite accommodating portion includes:
wherein the protrusions are engaged with concave portions formed on both side surfaces of the ferrite core to regulate movement of the ferrite core in the second direction.
According to the configuration of the above-described (1), in a state where the terminal fitting is inserted in the terminal accommodating hole of the housing body and the ferrite core through which the electric wire connected to the terminal fitting passes is inserted and mounted in the ferrite accommodating portion, even if a load in the direction along the insertion direction of the terminal fitting acts on the electric wire from outside, the load in the direction along the insertion direction of the terminal fitting is absorbed by regulating the movement of the ferrite core using the engagement of the protrusion and the concave portion and is not transmitted to the terminal fitting accommodated in the housing body.
Therefore, it is possible to realize retention of the terminal fitting even without providing a lance in the terminal fitting. Accordingly, the terminal fitting accommodated in the housing body is given a thin exterior in which the lance is left out and it is possible to set a slim structure which does not have a terminal accommodating hole of the housing body or a concave portion which is an engagement location of the lance, and, by thinning the terminal fitting and the terminal accommodating hole, it is possible to reduce the size of the breadth of the part accommodating the terminal fitting of the housing body in comparison with the housing body of the related art in which the lance of the terminal fitting was used for retention.
Accordingly, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience of the increasing of the size of the connector caused by increasing the size of the breadth of the part accommodating the terminal fitting of the housing body.
Further, since there is no longer a need to equip a retaining lance in the terminal fitting, it is possible to avoid damage to or deformation of the terminal fitting caused by interference of the lance. Therefore, for example, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of the problem of the deterioration of the assembly characteristic of the terminal fitting in the ferrite embedded connector or the deterioration of the retention performance of the terminal fitting, that is, the problems caused by damage to or deformation of the terminal fitting.
(2) For example, the protrusions are ribs which extend along the first direction on the both inner side surfaces of the ferrite accommodating chamber, and the concave portions are engagement grooves formed on the both side surfaces of the ferrite core so that the ferrite core is slidable along the first direction with respect to the ferrite accommodation chamber.
According to the configuration of the above-described (2), the engagement of the ribs and the engagement groove functions as a guiding mechanism slidably linking the ferrite core along the insertion direction to the ferrite accommodation chamber. Therefore, it is possible to facilitate the insertion operation during the mounting of the ferrite core to the ferrite accommodation chamber and it is possible to improve the ease of assembly of the ferrite embedded connector.
(3) For example, thickness increasing ribs extending along the first direction are provided on an inner surface of the cover and an inner lower surface of the ferrite accommodation chamber which face surfaces of the ferrite core in the second direction, and rib receiving grooves for receiving the thickness increasing ribs are formed on the surfaces of the ferrite core facing the inner surface of the cover and the inner lower surface of the ferrite accommodation chamber.
According to the configuration of the above-described (3), regarding the cover facing in the first direction or the inner lower wall of the ferrite accommodation chamber facing the cover in the first direction, by making the portion equipped with a thickness increasing rib thicker than the other parts and equipping a gate for filling the resin during the injection molding at the position where the thickness increasing rib is equipped, it is possible to improve the fluidity of the resin during injection molding. Accordingly, even if the inner lower wall of the ferrite accommodation chamber facing the cover or the cover are thinned, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the fluidity of the resin during injection molding and it is possible to inhibit deterioration of formability caused by the deterioration of the fluidity of the resin.
Therefore, by thinning the inner lower wall of the ferrite accommodating portion facing the cover and the wall portion dividing the ferrite accommodation chamber such as the cover, the height dimension of the periphery of the ferrite accommodation chamber is reduced and it is possible to achieve a lowering of the profile of the connector.
(4) There is also provided an electrical connector comprising:
a first connector that accommodates a female terminal fitting connected to an end portion of an electric wire of a wire harness; and
a second connector that is fitted with the first connector,
wherein the first connector includes:
wherein the second connector includes:
According to the configuration of (4), when the assembly of the first connector with the second connector is completed, the leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusion protruding from the leading edge surface of the holder is accommodated in the protrusion accommodating portion provided in the housing body of the first connector. Therefore, similarly to the related art, due to the leading edge portion of the jam prevention protrusion, it is possible to obtain an assembled state in which the housing body of the first connector is directly in contact with the surface of the holder without the housing body of the first connector separating from the surface of the holder.
That is, the assembly height of the first connector protruding from the leading edge surface of the holder matches the height dimension of the housing body and the jam prevention protrusion does not cause an increase in the assembly height.
Accordingly, the jam prevention protrusion provided at the second connector for preventing jam when the first and second connectors are fitted to each other can achieve profile lowering without causing an increase in the assembly height of the connector.
(5) For example, the first connector is a ferrite embedded connector which accommodates a ferrite core attached to an electric wire connected to the female terminal fitting; and
wherein the second connector is a connector for a squib equipped in an inflator of a vehicle-mounted airbag system.
According to the configuration of the above-described (5), since the profile of the connector supplying electricity to the squib (heating element) of the inflator of the vehicle-mounted airbag system is lowered, it is possible to promote space-saving with respect to the inflator.
(6) There is also provided an electrical connector comprising:
a housing body;
a terminal holding portion that accommodates a terminal fitting and is inserted into a fitting portion of a counterpart connector; and
a slider that slides along an insertion direction in which the terminal holding portion inserts into the fitting portion,
wherein the terminal holding portion and the slider are separated by a predetermined distance and are provided on the housing body;
wherein, in a state where the terminal holding portion is not inserted into the counterpart connector, the slider is supported by a slider accommodating portion of the housing body in an inclined condition that a gap between the slider and the terminal holding portion gradually becomes narrow toward a leading edge portion of the slider; and
wherein in the inclined condition of the slider, a separation distance between the leading edge portion of the slider and the terminal holding portion is smaller than a standard separation distance necessary during a regular sliding operation of the slider.
According to the configuration of (6), in the initial state that the counterpart connector is not fitted with the connector, the slider is maintained in the inclined state where the separation distance between the leading edge portion of the slider and the terminal holding portion is smaller than the standard separation distance necessary during the regular sliding operation. Therefore, even when performing positional alignment in which the leading edge portion of the slider is inclined in a direction separating from the terminal holding portion due to forming errors or the like, it is possible to keep the separation distance between the leading edge portion of the slider and the terminal holding portion in a range that does not exceed the standard separation distance necessary during a regular sliding operation.
Accordingly, if the standard separation distance necessary during the regular sliding operation is set to the outer diameter or less of the electric wire for which there is a possibility of contact with the connector during keeping or during transport, it is possible to prevent the problem in which the electric wire or the like becomes wedged in the gap between the terminal holding portion and the slider.
(7) For example, the slider includes a base portion which slidably moves inside the slider accommodating portion, a first retaining protrusion provided at a first position closest to the terminal holding portion at a periphery of the base portion, and a second retaining protrusion which is provided at a second position which is at the opposite side to the first position so that the base portion is arranged between the first position and the second position at the periphery of the base portion and is deviated in the insertion direction of the terminal holding portion from the first retaining protrusion, the slider accommodating portion has a position aligning surface which is arranged between the leading edge portion of the slider and both of the first retaining protrusion and the second retaining protrusion and which regulates movement of the slider in a protruding direction of the leading edge portion of the slider by being contacted with the first and second retaining protrusions, and in the inclined condition of the slider, only the second retaining protrusion comes into contact with the position aligning surface.
According to the configuration of (7), the inclination of the slider is set according to the deviation of the positions of the first retaining protrusion and the second retaining protrusion in the sliding direction of the slider. Therefore, with regard to the housing body, the terminal holding portion, and the slider accommodating portion, it is possible to adjust the inclination of the slider to a predetermined value and to easily realize changes in the inclination of the slider simply by changing the setting of the base portion of the slider without adding specific setting changes.
By the configuration of the present disclosure, an electrical connector which realizes retention of the terminal fitting without providing a lance at the terminal fitting and can reduce the size of the breadth of the part for accommodating the terminal fitting can be obtained.
Also, by the configuration of the present disclosure, an electrical connector capable of achieving a lowering of the profile can be obtained.
Further, by the configuration of the present disclosure, an electrical connector capable of preventing a problem in which the electric wire is wedged in the gap between the substantially cylindrical terminal holding portion protruding from the housing body and the slider during keeping or during transport or the like can be obtained.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-162466 | Jul 2011 | JP | national |
| 2011-221271 | Oct 2011 | JP | national |
| 2011-221272 | Oct 2011 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of PCT application No. PCT/JP2012/069531, which was filed on Jul. 25, 2012 based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-162466 filed on Jul. 25, 2011, Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-221271 filed on Oct. 5, 2011, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-221272 filed on Oct. 5, 2011, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Child | 14161779 | US |
