JP3007975B2 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electrical connector having improved terminal holding means.

[Conventional technology]

Terminal retaining means are well known in the art of electrical connectors. Various types of holding means fall into one of several categories described below. The first category is a completely flexible connector housing that bends the terminal to allow insertion and removal of the terminal and to securely hold the terminals in the released normal position. A second type of connector housing has a cover or other movable member hingedly connected to the rigid connector housing and is movable from a displaced position allowing insertion and removal of the terminal to a normal position where removal of the terminal is prohibited. Things. A third type of electrical connector is:
It virtually eliminates the need for tools and has multiple parts of a connector housing that is displaceably mounted on the housing. For example, a plurality of components may be positioned within the housing to restrict movement of the plurality of terminals. Alternatively, the components of the housing may be first molded as a unitary component and then repositioned to separate and form a barrier to the terminal. A fourth type of connector employs wedge means received in the mating surface of the connector housing between the rows of cavities, wherein the wedges are mounted in gaps between the plurality of terminal latch arms and the latch arms flex to flex the terminal. It is intended to prevent departure from the device.

[Means and actions for solving the problem]

The electrical connector of the present invention has at least one terminal receiving cavity in which a first flexible arm engageable with a terminal is formed, and a cantilever-like second flexible member is provided on an outer wall surface corresponding to the cavity. An electrical connector comprising: a housing member having a flexible arm; and a frame having a slope and slidable on an outer surface of the housing member from a first position to a second position. The terminal is fixed in the cavity by sliding the second flexible arm inward on the inclined surface by sliding the housing member from the position to the second position.

That is, the present invention provides an improved terminal retention system for an electrical connector. The present invention comprises an electrical connector housing member having a connector mating surface and a conductor receiving surface and formed of an insulating material having two rows of terminal receiving cavities extending between the two surfaces. Each of the cavities includes a first flexible lance projecting from its wall and engaging a terminal seated in the cavity. This improvement includes a second flexible lance (flexible arm) movable from a non-engaged position with the terminal to an engaged position on opposing walls of each cavity and toward the conductor receiving surface. A frame slidable with respect to the housing member movable from the first position to the second position. Movement of the frame relative to the housing member causes the second flexible lance to move to the terminal engagement position, thereby ensuring that the terminal is retained therein. The features will be best understood from the following description of the embodiments, particularly with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

〔Example〕

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, there is shown an electrical connector housing member 10 of the type into which a plurality of electrical terminals are inserted and which securely retains the terminals within the housing by a novel locking mechanism according to the present invention. . The housing member 10, which is formed of an insulating material such as plastic,
It comprises 12, a bottom wall 14, and a pair of side walls 16. Such a wall defines a generally rectangular housing having a connector mating surface 18 and a conductor receiving surface 20. Within the housing member are a plurality of cavities 22 arranged in two rows, each cavity receiving a plurality of electrical terminals or receptacles (not shown).

Each major wall, i.e., top wall 12, bottom wall 14, is an underlying cavity
22. A cantilevered or second flexible lance aligned with and communicating with 22
It features 24. Such a plurality of second flexible lances 24 are integrally formed with the housing member 10 and have a free end 26 which projects outside of this major wall surface in a normal or relaxed position. This purpose will become more apparent from the following description.

The plurality of housing side walls 26 are provided with at least one set of protrusions 30 and 32 spaced from each other.
It has inclined surfaces 30 'and 32' inclined toward 8. It is
2A and 2B will be understood from the following description of frame 40. These projections cooperate with the frame 40 so that the frame 40
Restricts movement relative to 10.

Another feature of top wall 12 is the provision of a flexible clock mechanism 50 integrally molded with housing member 10 at end 52. The locking arm features a pair of parallel arms 54, the outer ends 56 of which are joined by a common spar member 58,
The purpose is to allow these parallel arms 54 to flex perpendicular to the top wall 12.

Referring to the frame 40 of FIGS. 2A and 2B, the members each include a parallel upper wall 60, a lower wall 62, and a pair of side walls 64.
A body formed with an open end. It is possible to surround and slidably engage the housing member 10 with a substantially rectangular shape. On the inside of the upper wall 60 and the lower wall 62, a plurality of slots 70 provided in the axial direction are provided,
The closed end of the groove is a slope 72, which is the cam surface of the plurality of second flexible lances 24. The number of the slots is the same as the number of the second flexible lances 24 and the number of the cavities 22. In addition, passages or grooves are provided for receiving the plurality of projections 44,46, and a plurality of intermediate adjacent grooves 70,74 for positioning, i.e., aligning the frame with the housing member.
May be provided. After all, because the length of the groove 74 is limited,
The relative movement between the housing member 10 and the frame 40 is restricted. To further ensure the sliding relationship between the main components, a plurality of ribs 84, 86 may be provided to slide within corresponding grooves 80, 82 of the housing member 10.

The plurality of side walls 64 include flexible latch arms 90 that engage the protrusions 30 when the frame 40 is over the housing member 10. That is, when first engaging the protrusion 30, the plurality of flexible latch arms 90 ride on the inclined surface 30 ', and when exceeding the top, the flexible latch arm 90 snaps back to the normal position and the protrusion 30
Engage with. The complete fitting of the corresponding parts will be described later. Cover 92 covers flexible latch arm 90 and prevents flexible latch arm 90 from incompletely disengaging from protrusion 30.

The upper wall 60 has at its center an opening 94 in which a bridge girder 96 is provided. It should be noted that the opening 94 is sized to accommodate the flexible locking mechanism 50. That is, since the frame 40 is mounted on the housing member 10 for sliding engagement, the girder member 58 may be pushed down and passed under the bridge girder 96.
As best shown in FIG. 6A, when fully mated, the girder member 58
Is released, the flexible lock mechanism 50 returns to the normal unbent position, and is locked in the predetermined position by the bridge girder 96.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views through the assembled connector, showing a state in which a plurality of terminals 100 therein are securely fixed in the housing member 10. FIG. As shown, there is one terminal 100 in each cavity 22 which is a female receptacle contact mating with a flat male tab on the other side. As is known in the art, a terminal 100, which can be formed from a sheet metal blank, includes a contact portion 102, an intermediate portion 104, and a conductor connection portion 105. The contact portion 102 is, by way of example, integrated with a cantilever arm 10 with a rear portion 108 having a top 110 facing downward and forward.
6 is featured. This cantilever arm 106 is
Cooperates with 112 to provide electrical contact with complementary male tabs.

The conductor connection portion 105 includes a pair of tab-shaped protrusions 114 and 116,
The insulator of the electric conductor core and the electric conductor are crimped. The intermediate portion 104 has a plurality of windows above and below the recess 120.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the windows along one side include a first flexible lance 122 that projects from a common cavity wall between the two rows of cavities 22. The means to accept. Opposite windows 120 proximate top wall 12 and bottom wall 14 of housing 10 are adapted to receive second flexible lances 24. That is, a plurality of terminals
When the 100 is fully inserted into the cavity 22 from the conductor receiving surface 20 toward the mating surface, the recess 120 is properly positioned to receive the second flexible lance 24.

FIGS. 3, 5A and 5B show the relative position (first position) before the frame 40 is completely fitted into the housing member 10. FIG. In contrast, FIGS. 4, 6A, and 6B show the fully latched (second position). 3 and 4, as the frame 40 moves relative to the housing member 10 in a direction toward the conductor receiving surface 20, the ramp 72 causes the second flexible lance 24 to Recess 12
Press inward of 0. This arrangement ensures that each terminal is securely held by the coupling action of the pair of lances or arms.

With the engagement of the plurality of terminals, it is important to engage each component with respect to the movement before the engagement. As briefly mentioned above,
Engagement of the frame 40 with the housing member 10 is on each side and along the top. 5A and 5B, when the frame 40 moves, the flexible latch arm 90 rises,
Next, the user rides on the inclined surface 32 'and goes over the protrusion 32. Further forward movement is prevented because the projections 44, 46 reach the ends of their corresponding grooves. The flexible locking mechanism 50 is a bridge girder.
Pass under 96 and engage there. The engagement state is shown in FIG.
It is shown in Figure 6B.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the electrical connector of the present invention, the frame slides from the first position to the second position with respect to the housing member, so that the second flexible arm is bent inward on the slope of the frame so that the terminal is bent. Since the housing is fixed in the cavity, the housing member and the frame can be handled as an integral unit. By sliding the frame previously mounted on the housing member, a secondary lock of the terminal is obtained, and the connector is assembled in the assembly process. An effect of excellent workability is exhibited.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1A and 1B are perspective views of the top and bottom, respectively, of an electrical connector housing member of a type suitable for practicing the present invention. 2A and 2B are perspective views of the top and bottom of a sliding frame member that cooperates with the housing member of FIGS. 1A and 1B, respectively, and provides for the maintenance of terminal members mounted within the housing member. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the housing member and frame in a first, ie, pre-engagement, relationship with respect to a plurality of terminals mounted within the housing member. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing each member at the terminal engagement position as in FIG. 5A and 5B show perspective views of the top and bottom, respectively, of the assembled connector member of the present invention in the pre-engaged position of FIG. 6A and 6B are similar to FIGS. 5A and 5B, respectively, but are perspective views of the top and bottom showing the engagement positions of FIG. 10 Housing member 12, 14 Outer wall surface 22 Terminal receiving cavity 24 Second flexible arm 40 Frame 72 Slope 100 Terminal 122 First flexible arm

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-61-161679 (JP, A) JP-A-60-158575 (JP, A) JP-A 1-130273 (JP, U) JP-A 64- 1481 (JP, U) Table 1-503183 (JP, A) (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 13/42

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A terminal having at least one terminal receiving cavity formed with a first flexible arm engageable with a terminal, and a second cantilever beam on an outer wall surface corresponding to the cavity.
A housing member having a flexible arm, having a slope,
An electrical connector comprising: a frame capable of sliding an outer surface of the housing member from a first position to a second position, wherein the frame is configured to move relative to the housing member from the first position to the second position. An electrical connector, wherein the terminal is fixed in the cavity by sliding the second flexible arm inward on the slope by sliding.