JP2008293938A - Connector and short terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector in which a short terminal can be fitted with a connector housing at a regular position. <P>SOLUTION: The connector includes a plurality of terminal metal fittings 40, a short terminal 10 which makes a short circuit between the corresponding terminal metal fittings 40 each other, and a connector housing 50 for housing the terminal metal fittings 40 and the short terminal 10. The short terminal 10 has a bent contact piece 17 which is operated for pushing work when the terminal is inserted into the connector housing 50, and a bent supporting piece 21 which contacts the contact piece 17 from an opposite side to a pushing direction into the connector housing 50. When a pushing jig pushes to contact with a pushing surface 19 of the contact piece 17, the contact piece 17 is prevented from being inclined and deformed in a pushing direction by a support of the supporting piece 21. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector and a short terminal.

The thing of patent document 1 is known as an example of the connector provided with the short terminal. This is a structure in which a plurality of terminal fittings and short terminals are accommodated in a connector housing, and corresponding terminal fittings are short-circuited by the short terminals. The short terminal includes a contact piece that can contact the terminal fitting, and a pair of contact pieces that are pushed in by a jig when the short terminal is accommodated in the connector housing. Such a short terminal may be attached to the connector housing by an automatic machine. In this case, the short terminal is automatically stopped when it is pushed by a predetermined stroke.
JP-A-9-153386

  Since the above-mentioned contact piece is formed by bending and raising the plate surface of the short terminal and pressing the jig against the plate surface of the contact piece, there is a possibility that the contact piece tilts and deforms due to the pressing operation force. there were. Therefore, even if the automatic machine is pushed by a predetermined stroke, the short terminal may be attached at a position shallower than the normal position.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to allow a short terminal to be attached to a regular position with respect to a connector housing.

  As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 includes a plurality of terminal fittings, a short terminal that short-circuits corresponding terminal fittings, and a connector housing that accommodates the terminal fittings and the short terminals. The short terminal is formed with a bent piece that is pushed in when inserted into the connector housing, and a support piece that is in contact with the abutted piece from the side opposite to the direction of pushing into the connector housing is bent. It is characterized in that it is formed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the short terminal includes a pair of contact pieces that come into contact with the corresponding terminal fittings so as to be short-circuited so as to be able to bend and deform. The piece and the support piece are characterized in that they are arranged so as to be able to restrict the contact piece from being excessively bent and deformed by coming into contact with the contact piece.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the plate surface of the contact piece and the plate surface of the support piece intersect each other at right angles, and the intersecting end portions mesh with each other in an uneven shape. It has a characteristic where it exists.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the pair of contact pieces that come into contact with the corresponding terminal fittings so as to be short-circuited can be bent and deformed in the short terminal. The mating connector housing that can be mated with the connector housing is brought into contact with at least one of the two contact pieces as the two connector housings are fitted, and the contact piece in contact therewith A release portion that bends and deforms in the short-circuit release direction protrudes, and the release portion is characterized in that a rib extending along the fitting direction of the two connector housings is provided.

  The invention of claim 5 is a short terminal which is accommodated in the connector housing and which short-circuits corresponding terminal fittings among the plurality of terminal fittings accommodated in the connector housing, and is pushed in when inserted into the connector housing. The contact piece is bent and formed, and the support piece that is in contact with the contact piece is bent from the opposite side to the direction of pushing into the connector housing.

<Invention of Claims 1 and 5>
Since the short terminal has a support piece bent against the contact piece from the side opposite to the pushing direction to the connector housing, the contact piece is supported by the support piece when the jig is pressed against the contact piece. It can prevent tilting deformation. Therefore, when the short terminal is accommodated in the connector housing, the short terminal can be correctly accommodated in a proper position by pushing in a predetermined stroke, and the short terminal can be easily attached using an automatic machine.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the contact piece and the support piece are arranged so as to be able to restrict the contact piece from being excessively bent and deformed by contacting the contact piece, the contact piece is prevented from being excessively bent, and the elasticity of the contact piece even after repeated use is prevented. The power can be kept good.

<Invention of Claim 3>
The plate surface of the contact piece and the plate surface of the support piece intersect with each other at right angles, and the intersecting end portions mesh with each other in an uneven shape, so that the support force by the support piece is increased and the deformation of the contact piece can be prevented more reliably. . Also, with such a configuration, it is possible to use a jig from a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the support piece is pushed into the contact piece, and use the support piece as a contact piece and the contact piece as a support piece. Become. That is, even if the mounting direction of the short terminal with respect to the connector housing is a direction orthogonal to the pushing direction to the contact piece, it is possible to cope with it.

<Invention of Claim 4>
When the connector is miniaturized, there is a concern that the diameter of the release portion becomes thin and the release portion becomes insufficient in strength. However, if the release portion is provided with a rib extending along the fitting direction, the strength of the release portion can be compensated for.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector of the present embodiment includes a short terminal 10, a terminal fitting 40, a connector housing 50, and a retainer 80.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal fitting 40 is a male terminal fitting having a tab portion 41 at the front end, a barrel portion 42 at the rear end, and a terminal main body 43 at the intermediate portion, as shown in FIG. Composed. The tab portion 41 is inserted into the box portion 91 of the mating female terminal fitting 90 and can be connected to the female terminal fitting 90 side, and the barrel portion 42 is crimped and crimped to the end of the electric wire 45 so as to be connected to the electric wire 45 side. Connection is possible. The terminal body 43 has a cylindrical shape with both front and rear surfaces opened, and a metal lance 46 is cut and raised outward on the peripheral wall.

  The connector housing 50 is formed of a synthetic resin material, and is configured as a male connector housing that can be fitted and detached from the mating female connector housing 30 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the connector housing 50 is elongated in the front-rear direction (in the fitting / removing direction), and forwards from the block-shaped terminal accommodating portion 51 and the front edge of the terminal accommodating portion 51 to the front. And a cylindrical hood portion 52 that protrudes. The outer peripheral edges of the lower half portions of the terminal accommodating portion 51 and the hood portion 52 are generally arc-shaped (see FIG. 3).

  A substantially flat horizontal surface is formed on the outer surface of the upper wall of the hood portion 52, and a lock portion 53 projects from the horizontal surface. A lock arm 31 formed in the lock portion 53 so as to be able to bend in the mating female connector housing 30 can be elastically locked, so that both the connector housings 10 and 30 are locked in the fitted state. It has become. The mating female connector housing 30 is allowed to move only when both the connector housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted, thereby detecting whether or not both the connector housings 10 and 30 are fitted. The fitting detection member 33 is disposed so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction on the upper surface of the lock arm 31.

  In the connector housing 50, a plurality of (three) cavities 54 into which the terminal fittings 40 can be inserted from behind are formed in a horizontal row. A terminal receiving portion 55 that receives the metal lance 46 is formed in a stepped shape on the inner wall of the cavity 54, and the metal lance 46 elastically locks the terminal receiving portion 55, whereby the cavity 54 of the terminal fitting 40. It is prevented from coming off. Of the terminal fitting 40, the terminal main body portion 43 and the barrel portion 42 are accommodated in the cavity 54, and the tab portion 41 is disposed so as to protrude into the hood portion 52. The terminal portion of the electric wire 45 extends in the front-rear direction in the cavity 54 and is further drawn out from the rear end opening of the cavity 54.

  A retainer mounting hole 56 that communicates each cavity 54 in the width direction is formed in the outer peripheral side surface of the terminal accommodating portion 51, and the retainer main body 81 of the retainer 80 can be inserted into the retainer mounting hole 56 from the side. It has become. The retainer 80 can be moved between a temporary locking position and a final locking position. The terminal metal fitting 40 is allowed to be inserted into and removed from the cavity 54 at the temporary locking position, and is inserted into the cavity 54 at the final locking position. 40 is locked to prevent it from coming off. In addition, an electric wire pressing portion 82 is connected to the retainer 80 via a hinge 83 so as to be opened and closed. After the retainer 80 reaches the final locking position, when the wire holding portion 82 is locked in a closed state with respect to the terminal accommodating portion 51, the sawtooth projection 84 formed on the wire holding portion 82 covers the wire 45. Thus, the movement of the electric wire 45 in the cavity 54 can be restricted.

Further, a short terminal accommodating chamber 57 is formed on the outer peripheral side surface of the terminal accommodating portion 51 on the same side as the opening side of the retainer mounting hole 56. Specifically, the short terminal accommodating chamber 57 is disposed below a pair of adjacent cavities 54, and the front end upper portion thereof communicates with both cavities 54 and the front surface thereof is the front surface of the terminal accommodating portion 51 (the back surface of the hood portion 52). And is extended in the front-rear direction while being parallel to both cavities 54.
Here, the short terminal 10 is inserted into the short terminal accommodating chamber 57 through the side opening from the side (direction perpendicular to the fitting / removing direction of the connector housings 10 and 30) by an automatic machine, and its front end ( The front end portion of the contact piece 11 (described later) is mounted so as to face the hood portion 52 through the front opening. The side opening of the short terminal accommodating chamber 57 is closed by the closing plate 89 of the retainer 80 as the retainer 80 reaches the full locking position, whereby the short terminal 10 is placed in a protected state (FIG. 6). See).

  The retainer mounting hole 56 described above is disposed behind and slightly above the short terminal accommodation chamber 57. Further, a retainer fitting portion 58 to which the outer frame 85 of the retainer 80 is attached is recessed at the rear end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 51, and a short circuit is formed between the retainer fitting portion 58. A rear partition wall 59 that partitions the terminal accommodating chamber 57 is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the short terminal accommodating chamber 57 is partitioned by a side partition wall 61 that is suspended from a center in the width direction of the terminal accommodating portion 51 at a position slightly away from the side opening. At the same time, it is partitioned by the bottom wall 62 of the terminal accommodating portion 51. A locking groove for the short terminal 10 extending in the width direction to the opposite side of the side opening across the lower side of the side partition wall 61 on the bottom surface of the short terminal accommodating chamber 57 (inner upper surface of the bottom wall 62 of the terminal accommodating portion 51). 63 is recessed. An assembly guide groove 64 of the short terminal 10 extending in the width direction is formed on the bottom surface of the short terminal accommodating chamber 57 along the boundary portion with the hood portion 52.

  Further, the bottom wall 66 of the hood portion 52 has a thicker portion than the bottom wall 62 of the terminal accommodating portion 51, and the height of the inner upper surface of the bottom wall 66 of the hood portion 52 is the bottom surface of the short terminal accommodating chamber 57. It has a portion located above the height. A relief recess 67 is formed on the inner upper surface of the bottom wall 66 of the hood 52 so that the tip of the contact piece 11 enters when the short terminal 10 is operated. The height of the bottom surface of the escape recess 67 is substantially the same as the height of the bottom surface of the short terminal accommodating chamber 57.

  The short terminal 10 is formed of a conductive metal plate material, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a flat short terminal main body 12 that is disposed substantially horizontally along the bottom surface of the short terminal accommodating chamber 57, and A pair of contact pieces 11 projecting from the rear end of the short terminal body 12 are provided. A gate-shaped slit 13 is inserted in the short terminal body 12, and a locking piece 14 is formed by bending a plate piece between the slits 13. Specifically, the locking piece 14 is configured to extend obliquely along the direction of insertion into the short terminal accommodating chamber 57 and bendable and deformable. In the process of installing the short terminal 10, the bottom surface of the short terminal accommodating chamber 57 is provided. In a state of being slid in an elastic state, as the short terminal 10 is properly assembled, it fits into the locking groove 63 and is elastically locked to the inner surface of the locking groove 63. Further, the short terminal body 12 has a chamfered portion 15 formed by obliquely cutting both corners of one side end (front end in the insertion direction into the short terminal accommodating chamber 57). It is easy to insert into the terminal accommodating chamber 57.

  Both contact pieces 11 are arranged eccentrically toward the other side end (the rear end in the direction of insertion into the short terminal accommodating chamber 57) of the rear end of the short terminal body 12, and the left cavity toward the center in FIG. The terminal fittings 40 accommodated in 54 are elastically contacted. Specifically, the contact piece 11 is folded back in a cantilevered manner from the rear end of the short terminal body 12 to the front, and can be elastically displaced in the vertical direction, and bends in a mountain shape at the tip. The contact portion 16 is configured. The tip portions of both contact pieces 11 are disposed so as to protrude into the hood portion 52, and the contact portion 16 can be elastically contacted with the lower surface of the tab portion 41 of the corresponding terminal fitting 40. Further, at least one of the contact pieces 11 is elastically bent in the contact release direction (downward) by the release portion 38 formed on the mating female connector housing 30 as the connector housings 10 and 30 are fitted. The contact portion 16 is separated from the tab portion 41.

  The short terminal body 12 is formed with a contact piece 17 bent and raised by a jig or the like when inserted into the short terminal accommodating chamber 57. More specifically, the contact piece 17 is located at the front end portion of the other side end of the short terminal body 12 (the rear end in the direction of insertion into the short terminal accommodating chamber 57), and horizontally from the other side end of the short terminal body 12 to the side. It is formed in the shape of a vertical wall by bending the plate piece projecting upward substantially at a right angle, and is arranged slightly inward by slits 18 being inserted on both sides during folding. The contact piece 17 is disposed at a position overlapping with the contact piece 11 on the right side in the width direction in FIG. 5, and is installed in a bending region of the contact piece 11. The plate surface of the contact piece 17 is set along the front-rear direction (the direction orthogonal to the insertion direction into the short terminal accommodating chamber 57), and the length dimension of the contact piece 17 in the front-rear direction is the length of the short terminal body 12. It is considered to be a little less than 1/3 of the total length. The outer plate surface of both the inner and outer plate surfaces of the contact piece 17 is a pressing surface 19 against which the jig is pressed, and stands substantially vertically.

  The short terminal body 12 is opposed to the inner plate surface (the surface opposite to the pressing surface 19) of both the inner and outer plate surfaces of the contact piece 17 in the direction opposite to the insertion direction into the short terminal accommodating chamber 57. The support piece 21 that is brought into contact with and engaged with the surface is bent and formed. Specifically, the support piece 21 is located at a position near the other side end of the front end of the short terminal main body 12 (the rear end in the insertion direction into the short terminal accommodating chamber 57), and horizontally from the front end of the short terminal main body 12 to the front. The protruding plate piece is bent upward at a substantially right angle to form a vertical wall shape that is substantially perpendicular to the contact piece 17, and at the time of the bending, slits 18 are inserted on both sides so that it is arranged slightly inward. . The plate surface of the support piece 21 is set along the width direction (insertion direction into the short terminal accommodating chamber 57), and the length dimension of the support piece 21 in the width direction is about ½ of the lateral width of the short terminal body 12. It is larger than the length dimension of the contact piece 17 in the front-rear direction. The support piece 21 is disposed so as to overlap with each of the contact pieces 11 in the width direction, and is installed in the bending region of the contact pieces 11.

  The support piece 21 and the contact piece 17 are engaged by engaging one side edge (intersecting end portion) facing each other in a concavo-convex shape, and in plan view by crossing each plate surface at a right angle. L-shaped. In detail, the convex part 23 formed in the upper half part of the one side edge of the support piece 21 was formed in the upper half part of the one side edge of the support piece 17 by bending up of the support piece 21 and the contact piece 17. The convex part 24 fitted in the notch recess and formed in the lower half part of the one side edge of the contact piece 17 is inserted into the notch recess formed in the lower half part of the one side edge of the support piece 21. It is adapted to fit. Further, both the support piece 21 and the contact piece 17 stand with the same protruding amount, and their upper ends are aligned horizontally.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, an operation for housing the short terminal 10 and the terminal fitting 40 in the connector housing 50 will be described. In addition, although the case where the short terminal 10 is accommodated first is shown below, the terminal fitting 40 may be accommodated first in the reverse order.

  The connector housing 50 and the short terminal 10 are set in an automatic machine and positioned with respect to each other, and then the short terminal 10 is accommodated from the side in the short terminal accommodating chamber 57 of the connector housing 50 by the automatic machine. In this case, the short terminal 10 is pushed straight along the width direction (the direction along the plate surface of the support piece 21) while pressing the jig of the automatic machine against the pressing surface 19 of the contact piece 17. Then, a pressing force (stress) is applied to the abutting piece 17 in the pushing direction, and this pressing force is a supporting piece that supports the abutting piece 17 on the back side opposite to the pressing surface 19 of the abutting piece 17. It is also assigned to the 21 side and does not concentrate only on the contact piece 17.

  When the short terminal 10 is pushed in by a predetermined stroke by the automatic machine, the pushing operation is automatically stopped. When the short terminal 10 reaches the proper assembly position in this manner, the locking piece 14 is elastically locked to the inner surface of the locking groove 63 and the short terminal 10 is prevented from coming off. Further, the locking piece 14 is locked to the groove side surface of the locking groove 63, and the front end of the short terminal body 12 is closely fitted into the assembly guide groove 64, whereby the width of the short terminal 10 is increased. Tack is regulated. Further, in this state, both the contact pieces 11 cross the inside of the short terminal accommodating chamber 57 obliquely forward, and the contact portion 16 in the hood portion 52 faces a height corresponding to the front position of both the cavities 54. Arranged.

  By the way, in the process of pushing into the short terminal accommodating chamber 57, both contact pieces are arranged so that the contact piece 11 does not interfere with the opening edge of the side opening of the short terminal accommodating chamber 57 and its insertion operation is not restricted. 11 is pushed downward (short terminal body 12 side). At this time, if both the contact pieces 11 are excessively pushed down, the lower surface of the both contact pieces 11 comes into contact with the upper end of at least one of the contact piece 17 and the support piece 21, thereby further pushing down operation. Be regulated.

  Subsequently, the retainer 80 is held in the temporary locking position, and the terminal fitting 40 connected to the end of the electric wire 45 is inserted into the corresponding cavity 54 from the rear. In the process of inserting the terminal fitting 40 into the left and center cavities 54 in FIG. 3, the tab portion 41 contacts the contact portion 16 of the short terminal 10 when protruding into the hood portion 52, and accordingly contacts. The piece 11 is pushed down. The terminal fitting 40 that is normally inserted into the cavity 54 is primarily locked by the metal lance 46 while maintaining the elastic contact state with the contact portion 16 on the base side of the tab portion 41, and further, the main locking position of the retainer 80. As a result of the movement, the retainer body 81 is secondarily locked. In this state, the two terminal fittings 40 are short-circuited by the two contact pieces 11 of the short terminal 10, and no potential difference is generated between the two terminal fittings 40.

  After that, when the two connector housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted, the two contact pieces 11 are pushed down by the release portion 38 of the mating female connector housing 30, and the contact portion 16 is separated from the tab portion 41 and the both ends. The short circuit state of the child metal fitting 40 is released.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the short terminal 10 is formed by bending the support piece 21 that contacts the abutting piece 17 from the side opposite to the pushing direction (insertion direction) into the short terminal accommodating chamber 57. When the jig is pressed against the contact piece 17, the support piece 17 can be prevented from being tilted and deformed in the pushing direction by the support from the back side by the support piece 21. Therefore, when the short terminal 10 is accommodated in the connector housing 50, the short terminal 10 can be correctly accommodated in a proper position by being pushed by a predetermined stroke by an automatic machine.

  Further, since the contact piece 11 and the support piece 21 abut on the contact piece 11 so as to be able to restrict the contact piece 11 from being bent and deformed excessively, the contact piece 11 is prevented from being excessively bent and repeated. Even by use, the elastic force of the contact piece 11 can be kept good.

  Further, since the plate surface of the abutting piece 17 and the plate surface of the support piece 21 intersect each other at right angles and the intersecting end portions mesh in a concavo-convex shape, the support force by the support piece 21 is enhanced and the contact with the jig is increased. The deformation of the contact piece 17 accompanying the contact can be prevented more reliably. Also, with such a configuration, a jig is applied to the support piece 21 from a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the support piece 21 is pushed into the contact piece 17, and the support piece 21 is used as the contact piece 17 and the contact piece 17 is used as the support piece 21. It can also be used. That is, even if the assembly direction of the short terminal 10 with respect to the connector housing 50 is a direction orthogonal to the width direction that is the pushing direction to the contact piece 17, for example, the front (the direction from the opening side of the hood portion to the back side) It becomes possible.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the connector of the second embodiment, contrary to the first embodiment, the short terminal 100 is accommodated in the female connector housing 300, and the release portion 580 is formed in the mating male connector housing 500.

  The connector housing 300 is made of a synthetic resin, and includes a housing main body 302 having a cavity 301 that can accommodate the female terminal fitting 400, and a fitting cylinder 303 surrounding the housing main body 302. The other hood part 501 can be inserted between the part 302 and the fitting cylinder part 303 from the front. An assembly space for the fitting detection member 330 is formed between the upper surface of the housing main body 302 and the lower surface of the fitting cylinder portion 303 so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction. A lock arm 304 is formed on the upper surface of the housing main body 302, and the fitting detection member 330 is attached so as to be able to communicate with the lock arm 304. The fitting detection member 330 is movable between the standby position and the detection position with respect to the lock arm 304, and is always locked to the detection portion 305 formed on the lock arm 304 to reach the detection position. While the movement is restricted and kept at the standby position, only when both the connector housings 300 and 500 are properly fitted, the engagement with the restriction portion 305 is released and the movement to the detection position is allowed. The Therefore, the fitting state of both connector housings 300 and 500 can be detected based on whether or not the fitting detection member 330 can be moved.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the lock arm 304 includes a leg portion 306 raised from a middle portion in the front-rear direction on the upper surface of the housing main body 302, and an arm portion 307 extending in the front-rear direction from the upper end of the leg portion 306. Thus, the arm portion 307 is swingably displaceable (elastically displaceable) with the leg portion 306 as a fulcrum. A lock receiving portion 308 that can be engaged with the lock portion 530 of the other party is also provided at the distal end portion of the lock arm 304 so as to also serve as the restricting portion 305.

  In addition, a housing chamber 310 of the wire pressing member 309 is formed in communication with the cavity 301 at the rear end portion of the upper surface of the housing main body 302. The wire pressing member 309 has a sawtooth-shaped protrusion 311 and is inserted into the housing chamber 309 so that each protrusion 311 bites into the coating of the electric wire 450, so that the movement of the electric wire 450 in the cavity 301 can be restricted. ing. The upper part of the wire pressing member 309 inserted into the housing chamber 309 is covered with the fitting detection member 330, and the wire pressing member 309 is prevented from accidentally coming out of the housing chamber 309.

  The cavity 301 formed in the housing main body 302 has a plurality of chambers (specifically, five chambers) arranged in a horizontal row in the width direction. A terminal receiving portion 312 is formed in a stepped shape on the inner wall of the cavity 301, and the metal lance 460 of the female terminal fitting 400 can be elastically locked to the terminal receiving portion 312. In the housing main body 302, a short terminal accommodating chamber 370 is formed below the cavity 301.

  The short terminal accommodating chamber 370 is configured to penetrate through the front and rear while being parallel to the cavity 301. The opening on the rear surface of the short terminal accommodating chamber 370 serves as an insertion port for the short terminal 100, through which the short terminal 100 is inserted and removed. Further, the opening on the front surface of the short terminal accommodating chamber 370 is located in front of the front surface of the cavity 301, and its substantially lower half is blocked by the front wall 320 raised from the bottom front end of the housing body 302. ing. The front wall 320 has a vertical wall shape that can cover the entire width of the short terminal accommodating chamber 370, and plays a role of restricting further advancement of the normally mounted short terminal 100 and protecting the short terminal 100. An insertion path 321 for the release portion 580 is formed above the front wall 320 so as to open. In addition, a projecting piece 322 is formed at a substantially central portion in the width direction of the upper edge of the front wall 320, and a window hole 323 is formed inside the projecting piece 322 so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction (plate thickness direction). . The front part of the short terminal accommodating chamber 370 communicates with the front part of the two cavities 301 adjacent to each other on both sides in the width direction of the five cavities 301, and the short terminal 100 is connected via the communication part. The terminal fitting 400 inserted into the cavities 301 can contact the box-shaped terminal main body 430 from below.

  The short terminal 100 is formed of a conductive metal plate material. As shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the short terminal main body 120 disposed substantially horizontally along the bottom surface of the short terminal accommodating chamber 370, and the short terminal main body 120. And a pair of contact pieces 110 projecting from the front end. The short terminal main body 120 has a rectangular plate shape as a whole, and a locking piece 140 extending obliquely downward and rearward is cut and raised at a substantially central portion thereof. When the short terminal 100 is properly inserted into the short terminal housing chamber 370, the locking piece 140 is elastically locked to the bottom surface of the short terminal housing chamber 370, and the short terminal 100 is prevented from coming off.

Both contact pieces 110 have a cantilever shape in which an extended piece extending from the front end of the short terminal main body 120 is folded back backward, and can be bent and deformed in the vertical direction with the tip of the short terminal main body 120 as the base end. It has become. A taper portion 111 in the width direction is formed in the middle of the extending direction of the contact piece 110, and the tip side (rear) region sandwiching the taper portion 111 of the contact piece 110 is wider than the base side (front) region. The contact portion 160 is narrow.
The contact portion 160 is bent in a mountain shape when viewed from the side. The contact portion 161 has a contact portion 161 for the terminal fitting 400 at the top of the mountain, and the base side of the contact portion 161 has a slope that is forwardly lowered from the contact portion 161. 162. The inclined surface 162 of the contact portion 160 is located above the upper end of the front wall 320 in the assembled state and faces the insertion path 321 of the release portion 580, and the contact portion 160 160 is elastically bent in a direction away from both terminal fittings 400.

  The short terminal 100 is formed by bending up a contact piece 170 and a support piece 210. The contact piece 170 is bent upward at a substantially right angle from the rear end edge of the short terminal main body 120, and is configured such that both plate surfaces thereof are directed in both the front and rear directions. Specifically, the contact piece 170 has a rectangular plate shape elongated in the width direction extending over the entire width of the rear end edge of the short terminal main body 120, and the rear surface thereof is a pressing surface 190. A wide area of both contact pieces 110 is disposed above the contact piece 170, and when both contact pieces 110 are elastically bent downward excessively, both contact pieces 110 abut against the upper end edge of the contact piece 170 and beyond. The bending operation is regulated. A pair of slits 180 are inserted on both the left and right sides of the rear end edge of the short terminal body 120 with the contact piece 170 interposed therebetween, and the bending operation of the contact piece 170 is smoothly performed by both slits 180. It is arranged to be retracted inside the short terminal body 120. In addition, a pair of convex portions 172 are formed to protrude in the width direction at the upper ends of both side edges of the abutting piece 170, and a lower portion of the convex portion 172 is configured as a recess 173.

  On the other hand, the support piece 210 is bent upward at substantially right angles from both side edges of the short terminal main body 120, and is configured such that both plate surfaces face both left and right directions. Specifically, the support piece 210 has a rectangular plate shape that is positioned on the rear side of both side edges of the short terminal main body 120 and is taller than the contact piece 170. Both support pieces 210 are positioned on the outer side in the width direction of both contact pieces 110, and even if both contact pieces 110 are elastically bent excessively, they do not interfere with both contact pieces 110. A pair of slits 180 are inserted in both front and rear sides of the both side edges of the short terminal body 120 with the support piece 210 interposed therebetween, and the support piece 210 is smoothly bent by both slits 180, and the support piece 210 is short-circuited. The terminal body 120 is arranged to be retracted. Of the two slits 180, the slit 180 located on the rear side communicates with the slits 180 located on both sides of the abutting piece 170, and is configured by cutting out two corners of the rear end edge of the short terminal body 120. In addition, a pair of convex portions 211 are formed to protrude rearward at the lower end portion of the rear end edge of the support piece 210, and the upper portion of the convex portion 211 is configured as a recess 212. The concave portion 173 of the contact piece 170 is fitted and fitted into the convex portion 211 of the support piece 210, and the concave portion 212 of the support piece 210 is fitted and fitted into the convex portion 172 of the contact piece 170. As the portions 172 and 211 and the recesses 173 and 212 intersect with each other while intersecting substantially at right angles, the support piece 210 and the contact piece 170 are assembled and held in a detachment restricted state. The lower edge of the convex portion 211 of the support piece 210 is continuous with the upper edge of the rear slit 180.

  The mating male connector housing 500 is made of synthetic resin, and includes a terminal accommodating portion 510 and a cylindrical hood portion 501 protruding from the front end of the terminal accommodating portion 510 as in the first embodiment. A lock portion 530 protrudes from the upper surface of the upper wall of the hood portion 501. The terminal accommodating portion 510 is formed with a horizontal row of cavities 502 at positions corresponding to the cavities 301, and a male terminal fitting 900 can be inserted into each cavity 502 from the rear. In the hood part 501, the tab part 902 of the terminal metal fitting 900 protrudes and is arrange | positioned.

  A release portion 580 is formed on the back wall of the hood portion 501 so as to protrude forward in a cantilevered manner below the tab portion 902 and substantially parallel to the tab portion 902. The front end of the release portion 580 is located slightly behind the front end of the tab portion 902, and an accommodation recess 505 having a bottom surface behind the front surface of the cavity 502 is provided immediately below the release portion 580. A wall 320 can be inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 10, two release portions 580 are arranged side by side in the width direction corresponding to the short terminals 100, and the protruding pieces 322 of the front wall 320 can enter between the release portions 580. A fitting groove 506 is formed in communication with the housing recess 505. On both sides in the width direction of the lower surface of each release portion 580, release guide surfaces 581 that abut the contact portion 160 of the short terminal 100 and elastically deflect the contact piece 110 are provided. The release guide surface 581 is a tapered surface that is inclined downward as it goes rearward, and can slide in contact with the inclined surface 162 of the contact portion 160 in the release direction of the short terminal 100.

  Further, each release portion 580 is provided with a first rib 582 between both release guide surfaces 581, and the second rib 582 is positioned at a position overlapping each release guide surface 581 in the vertical direction (height direction). The ribs 583 are provided in pairs in the width direction. The first rib 582 extends in the front-rear direction over the range in which both release guide surfaces 581 are formed, and the second rib 583 extends over the entire length in the front-rear direction along the upper surface of the main body portion of the release part 580. Has been. The second rib 583 has substantially the same thickness as the main body portion of the release portion 580, and the first rib 582 has a thickness that supplements the main body portion of the release portion 580 that has been thinned by the release guide surface 581.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described. First, a method for housing the short terminal 100 in the connector housing 300 will be described.
The connector housing 300 and the short terminal 100 are set in an automatic machine (not shown) and positioned with respect to each other. The automatic terminal inserts the short terminal 100 into the short terminal accommodating chamber 370 from the rear side through the insertion port. At this time, the jig of the automatic machine is pressed against the pressing surface 190 of the contact piece 170, and the short terminal 100 is slid straight forward. In the process of movement, a pressing force (stress) is applied to the abutting piece 170 in the pushing direction. The abutting piece 170 has both sides in the width direction of the front surface (the surface opposite to the pressing surface 190). Since it is supported by the pair of support pieces 210 at the ends, it is not tilted in the pressing direction of the jig. In the process of movement, both contact pieces 110 are elastically bent by being pressed from above. However, excessive contact of both contact pieces 110 is restricted by the contact pieces 110 coming into contact with the upper edge of the contact piece 170. The

  The short terminal 100 that has reached the proper assembly position in this manner is disposed in the vicinity of the rear surface of the front wall 320 and is prevented from being detached from the short terminal accommodating chamber 370 by the locking piece 140. In this state, both contact pieces 110 extend obliquely rearward in the short terminal accommodating chamber 370, and the contact portion 161 of the contact portion 160 is disposed facing the front portion of both cavities 301. After that, when the terminal fitting 400 is inserted into the cavity 301, the terminal fitting 400 comes into contact with the contact portion 161 of the short terminal 100 during the insertion process, and the contact piece 110 is elastically bent downward. Of the terminal fittings 400 that are normally inserted into the cavity 301, the terminal fitting 400 that faces the short terminal accommodating chamber 370 contacts the contact portion 161 of the contact portion 160, and adjacent persons are short-circuited to each other via the contact portion 161. The

  After all the terminal fittings 400 are inserted, the two connector housings 300 and 500 are subsequently fitted. In the fitting process, the release guide surface 581 of the release portion 580 is in sliding contact with the inclined surface 162 of the contact portion 160 in a surface contact state, and the smooth bending operation of the contact piece 110 is induced. Further, the lateral vibration of the contact piece 110 is restricted by the first rib 582. When both the connector housings 300 and 500 are properly fitted, the contact piece 110 is separated from the release guide surface 581 and comes into contact with the lower surface (horizontal plane) of the release portion 580 on the base side. And the horizontal posture is maintained. When the contact portion 161 of the contact portion 160 is separated from the both terminal fittings 400 by pushing down the contact piece 110, the short-circuit state of both the terminal fittings 400 is also released.

As described above, also in the second embodiment in which the short terminal 100 is accommodated in the female connector housing 300, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.
In addition, since the release portion 580 is provided with the first rib 582 and the second rib 583 along the front-rear direction, the diameter of the release portion 580 becomes relatively small due to the miniaturization of the connector. Even if it exists, it can avoid that the cancellation | release part 580 breaks due to insufficient strength.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) The contact piece and the support piece may have a T-shape in plan view by crossing the plate surfaces at right angles.
(2) The contact piece and the support piece may be engaged with each other with the plate surfaces intersecting at an acute angle or an obtuse angle.
(3) At least one plate surface of the contact piece and the support piece may be slightly inclined with respect to the vertical surface.
(4) At least one of the contact piece and the support piece may not be installed at a position overlapping the contact piece in the width direction.
(5) The present invention can also be applied to the case where the short terminal is inserted into the short terminal accommodating chamber from the front of the connector housing. In this case, as described in the first embodiment, the jig of the automatic machine may be pressed against the front surface of the support piece.
(6) The present invention can also be applied to a case where the short terminal is manually accommodated in the short terminal accommodating chamber of the connector housing.
(7) The first embodiment can also be applied when the short terminal short-circuits the mating female terminal fitting.
(8) In the second embodiment, either the first rib or the second rib may be omitted. Further, only one second rib may be provided at a substantially central portion in the width direction of the release portion.

In Embodiment 1 of this invention, a connector is a sectional side view which shows the state normally fitted with the other party female connector. Side cross-sectional view of connector Connector longitudinal section Perspective view of short terminal Bottom view of short terminal Side view of connector housing Sectional drawing which shows the state before the connector fitting in Embodiment 2 of this invention Cross-sectional side view showing the connector being mated Side sectional view showing the connector after mating Front view of male connector housing Front view of female connector housing Rear view of short terminal Plan view of short terminal Bottom view of short terminal

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,100 ... Short terminal 11,110 ... Contact piece 17,170 ... Contact piece 19,190 ... Pressing surface 21,210 ... Support piece 40,400 ... Terminal metal fitting 50,300 ... Connector housing 54, 301, 502 ... Cavity 57 370: Short terminal chamber

Claims (5)

A plurality of terminal fittings, a short terminal that short-circuits the corresponding terminal fittings, and a connector housing that houses the terminal fittings and the short terminals,
The short terminal is formed by bending a contact piece that is pushed in when inserted into the connector housing, and a support piece that is in contact with the contact piece from the side opposite to the direction of pushing into the connector housing. A connector characterized by that.   In the short terminal, a pair of contact pieces that come into contact with the corresponding terminal fittings so as to be short-circuited are formed so as to be able to be bent and deformed, and the contact piece and the support piece come into contact with the contact piece to contact the contact piece. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is disposed so as to be able to restrict deformation of the piece excessively.   3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the plate surface of the contact piece and the plate surface of the support piece intersect each other at right angles, and the intersecting end portions mesh with each other in an uneven shape. In the short terminal, a pair of contact pieces that come into contact with the corresponding terminal fittings so as to be short-circuited are formed to be able to bend and deform,
The mating connector housing that can be mated with the connector housing abuts on at least one of the contact pieces as the two connector housings are fitted, and the contact piece that abuts the contact piece in the short-circuit releasing direction. The release part to be bent and deformed is provided to protrude,
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the release portion is provided with a rib extending along a fitting direction of the two connector housings. A short terminal that is accommodated in the connector housing and short-circuits corresponding terminal fittings among the plurality of terminal fittings accommodated in the connector housing,
The contact piece that is pushed in when inserted into the connector housing is bent, and the support piece that is in contact with the contact piece is bent from the opposite side to the direction of pushing into the connector housing. Short terminal to be used.

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