JP2015103376A - Vehicle-side connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a user to quickly assemble a vehicle-side connector and also to fit it to a body.SOLUTION: A vehicle-side connector comprises: an outer housing 31 fixed to a body of a vehicle; an inner housing 50 fitted to the outer housing 31; terminal fittings 11 connected to a plurality of electric wires 20, respectively; a plurality of terminal housing chambers 53 and 40 which are provided from the inner housing 50 to the outer housing 31, and into which the terminal fittings 11 are inserted from the rear side and housed; and a retainer 60 which can be assembled to the inner housing 50 so as to prevent the detachment of the terminal fittings 11. It is possible to form a sub-assembly 70 in which each of the terminal fittings 11 inserted in each of the terminal housing chambers 53 of the inner housing 50 is housed, with its tip protruding from the front face of each of the terminal housing chambers 53. At the same time, lock mechanism parts 47 and 67 are provided so as to lock the sub-assembly 70 and the outer housing 31 to each other in a coupled state.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle-side connector connected to a battery mounted on a vehicle.

  Conventionally, the thing of the following patent document 1 is known as an example of this kind of vehicle side connector. This is a housing that is mounted so as to face the power supply opening that is opened in the body, and a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers are formed in alignment, and the terminal fitting connected to the end of the electric wire drawn from the battery device side is compatible The terminal housing chamber is inserted from the rear, and the retainer is attached to the rear surface of the housing to prevent it from coming off. The battery is charged by fitting a charging connector connected to a power source to the vehicle-side connector.

  Here, when attaching the vehicle-side connector to the body, after inserting the corresponding terminal fittings provided at the end of the electric wire into each terminal receiving chamber of the housing, the vehicle-side connector is attached to the rear surface of the housing. After that, the vehicle side connector is fixed to the body by bolting or the like.

JP 2011-249039 A

However, in the above conventional apparatus, when assembling the vehicle-side connector, the terminal fitting provided at the terminal of each electric wire is inserted into each terminal accommodating chamber arranged in a narrow area of a correspondingly large housing. Since it is necessary to find and confirm the position of the terminal storage chamber to be inserted, the assembly work itself is troublesome, and until the assembled vehicle-side connector is attached to the body, the vehicle is reasonably large at the end of the wire group. Since it was necessary to handle with the form which provided the side connector, the handling was difficult, and there was dislike that the operation | work until a vehicle side connector was assembled | attached and attached to a body generally was anxious, and the further improvement was anxious.
The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to quickly assemble a vehicle-side connector and attach it to a body.

  The present invention is a vehicle-side connector connected to a battery mounted on a vehicle, an outer housing fixed to a vehicle body, an inner housing fitted to the outer housing from the inside of the vehicle, Terminal fittings connected to a plurality of electric wires drawn out from the vehicle including the battery, and a plurality of terminal fittings that are provided from the inner housing to the outer housing and are inserted and accommodated from the rear. A terminal accommodating chamber; and a retainer that can be assembled to the inner housing so as to be locked to the terminal fittings to prevent the terminal fittings from being detached, and the terminal fittings inserted into the terminal accommodating chambers of the inner housings. The sub-portions that are retained by the retainers in a form in which the respective leading ends protrude from the front surfaces of the terminal accommodating chambers. Ssenburi is possible to form, and has a feature where the lock mechanism is provided for locking the said sub-assembly the outer housing coupling state.

An example of the work procedure for assembling the vehicle-side connector and attaching it to the body is as follows. The subassembly is formed at the end of the electric wire group by assembling the retainer and preventing it from being detached while accommodating the terminal fitting in each terminal accommodating chamber of the inner housing. On the other hand, the outer housing is attached to the body in advance, and the terminal housing on the sub-assembly side is inserted into the terminal housing chamber of the outer housing, and the inner housing constituting the sub-assembly is fitted to the outer housing, so that the sub-assembly is Locked to the outer housing. Thereby, the assembly of the vehicle-side connector and the attachment to the body are performed together.
The insertion operation of the individual terminal fittings may be inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber of the relatively small inner housing, so that the terminal accommodating chamber to be inserted is easy to understand and can be inserted accurately and easily. Since the terminals of the group can be handled in a form in which a small subassembly is provided, it is possible to easily and quickly perform the work of assembling the vehicle side connector and attaching it to the body.

The following configuration may also be used.
(1) At the rear end portion of each terminal accommodating chamber of the outer housing, there is provided a lead-in portion that guides the tip end of the terminal fitting.
When the terminal fitting on the sub-assembly side is inserted into the terminal housing chamber of the outer housing from the rear, the terminal fitting is drawn in at the lead-in portion and smoothly inserted into the terminal housing chamber. As a result, the operation | work which fits a subassembly to an outer housing is performed smoothly.

(2) A fitting cylinder portion into which the inner housing is fitted is provided on the rear surface of the outer housing, and a seal ring that is in close contact with the inner circumference of the fitting cylinder portion is fitted to the outer circumference of the inner housing. A tapered guiding surface for guiding the seal ring is formed on the inner peripheral portion of the rear end of the fitting tube portion.
When the inner housing of the sub-assembly is fitted into the fitting cylinder of the outer housing, the inner housing is centered while the seal ring is drawn in on the lead-in surface even if the inner housing is tilted slightly. The inner housing is smoothly fitted into the fitting cylinder while the seal ring is elastically compressed without the ring being bitten. The operation of fitting the sub-assembly to the outer housing is performed smoothly, and the shaft seal between the inner housing and the outer housing can be reliably obtained.

(3) Each said electric wire is pulled out along the axial direction of the said terminal accommodating chamber in the rear surface side of the said subassembly. The present invention can be applied to a vehicle-side connector that pulls out an electric wire directly behind.
(4) Each said electric wire is pulled out in the direction which makes a substantially right angle with respect to the axis line of the said terminal accommodating chamber in the rear surface side of the said subassembly. The present invention can be applied to a vehicle side connector of a type in which an electric wire is bent sideways and pulled out.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the operation | work which attaches | assembles a vehicle side connector and attaches to a body can be performed rapidly.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle-side connector according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The perspective view seen from the front side of the outer housing Rear view Front view of inner housing VV line sectional view of FIG. Retainer perspective view Front view VIII-VIII sectional view of FIG. The perspective view of the state which assembled the vehicle side terminal to the retainer The perspective view of the state which assembled the retainer and the inner housing and formed the subassembly Sectional drawing which shows operation | movement which assembles subassembly to outer housing Cross-sectional view after assembly The perspective view seen from the front side The perspective view seen from the back side Back view Its side view Partial cutaway perspective view of mating charging connector The exploded perspective view of the vehicle side connector concerning Embodiment 2 Front view of inner housing The perspective view seen from the back side Retainer perspective view The perspective view of the state which assembled the vehicle side terminal to the retainer The perspective view of the state which assembled the retainer and the inner housing and formed the subassembly Sectional drawing which shows operation | movement which assembles subassembly to outer housing Cross-sectional view after assembly The perspective view seen from the front side The perspective view seen from the back side Back view Its side view

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, in a plug-in hybrid vehicle, a vehicle-side connector 10 that is fitted with a mating charging connector 1 to charge a battery mounted on the vehicle is shown. ) Of the vehicle side connector 10 is illustrated.

  First, the counterpart charging connector 1 will be briefly described. As shown in FIG. 17, the connector 1 has a female housing 3 connected to the vehicle side connector 10. This is a structure in which five independent terminal accommodating cylinders 5 are provided so as to protrude from the rear wall. The upper two terminal accommodating cylinders 5P have a female power terminal, the lower central terminal accommodating cylinder 5G has a female ground terminal, and the lower terminal accommodating cylinders 5S have a female side terminal. Each signal terminal is accommodated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle-side connector 10 includes five vehicle-side terminals 11, a male housing 30 that houses the vehicle-side terminals 11, and a retainer 60 that prevents the vehicle-side terminals 11 from coming off. ing. The male housing 30 further includes an outer housing 31 and an inner housing 50, and the vehicle-side terminal 11, the inner housing 50, and the retainer 60 are integrally assembled in advance as will be described in detail later. 70 (hereinafter referred to as a sub-assembly 70) is formed.

The vehicle-side terminal 11 includes two male-side power terminals 11P, one male-side ground terminal 11G, and two male-side signal terminals 11S. Each vehicle-side terminal 11 is basically formed from a straight round pin terminal.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, the power terminal 11 </ b> P has a terminal connection portion 12 connected to the counterpart power terminal formed on the front end side, and crimps the core wire of the electric wire 20 on the rear end side. A tubular wire connecting portion 13 is formed. A protective cap 14 is fitted on the distal end surface of the terminal connection portion 12, and a fitting portion 15 and a flange 16 having an enlarged diameter are formed on the proximal end side of the terminal connection portion 12. A seal ring 17 is fitted on the outer periphery on the proximal end side of the fitting portion 15. The power terminal 11P is connected to the end of a large-diameter electric wire 20P (thick electric wire 20P).

The ground terminal 11G and the signal terminal 11S will be described. Note that, in both terminals 11G and 11S, portions having the same functions as those of the power terminal 11P described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is simplified or omitted.
The ground terminal 11G has the same shape as the power terminal 11P except that the terminal connection portion 12 is slightly thinner than that of the power terminal 11P and the front surface of the fitting portion 15 is located rearward. It is connected to the end of the thick electric wire 20P by crimping the electric wire connecting portion 13. The three thick electric wires 20P are bundled into one as a collective shielded electric wire Wa (cabtyre cable).
The signal terminal 11S differs from the power terminal 11P in that it has a small diameter as a whole, the terminal connecting portion 12 is short, and no protective cap is attached. A terminal of a small-diameter electric wire 20S (thin electric wire 20S) is connected to the signal terminal 11S by crimping the electric wire connecting portion 13.

The male housing 30 is made of synthetic resin, and is composed of two pieces of the outer housing 31 and the inner housing 50 as described above. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer housing 31 has mounting portions 33 projecting outward from the four corners of a generally rectangular substrate 32, and bolt holes 35 are cut in the mounting portions 33. The metal collar 34 is provided by insert molding.
A cylindrical terminal accommodating portion 37 is formed on the front surface of the substrate 32 so that the small hood portion 4 of the female housing 3 in the charging connector 1 is fitted inside the terminal accommodating portion 37. A large hood portion 38 is formed.

In the terminal accommodating portion 37, five front terminal accommodating chambers 40 opened in the front-rear direction are formed so that the terminal accommodating cylinder 5 of the mating charging connector 1 can be fitted from the front.
The upper two front terminal accommodating chambers 40P are for the power terminals 11P, the lower front central terminal accommodating chamber 40G is for the ground terminal 11G, and the lower front terminal accommodating chambers 40S are for the signal terminals 11S. .
As shown in FIG. 11, a stopper wall 41 that contacts the front surface of the fitting portion 15 of the corresponding vehicle-side terminal 11 is formed at a position near the rear end of each front-side terminal accommodating chamber 40. Are opened through holes 42 through which the terminal connection portions 12 of the corresponding vehicle-side terminals 11 are inserted almost tightly.
On the inner peripheral portion of the rear edge of each insertion hole 42, a guiding surface 42 </ b> A is formed that has a tapered shape so that the tip of the terminal connection portion 12 of the vehicle-side terminal 11 is brought into contact with the insertion hole 42.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a fitting tube portion 44 is formed around the rear surface of the terminal accommodating portion 37 on the back side of the substrate 32 described above. On the side, a recess 45 is cut out in a region of approximately ¼ circle. The inner housing 50 can be fitted into the fitting cylinder portion 44.
The inner housing 50 is formed in a short cylindrical shape having a diameter dimension and a length dimension that are almost completely fitted in the fitting cylinder portion 44. As shown in FIG. A seal ring 51 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface near the front end, and can be brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface near the back end of the fitting tube portion 44.
On the other hand, on the inner peripheral portion at the rear end of the fitting tube portion 44 of the outer housing 31, a guiding surface 44 </ b> A having a tapered shape for guiding the sealing ring 51 is formed.

In the inner housing 50, five rear terminal accommodating chambers 53 opened in the front-rear direction are formed concentrically with the corresponding front terminal accommodating chambers 40 provided in the terminal accommodating portion 37 described above. .
Corresponding vehicle-side terminals 11 (power terminal 11P, ground terminal 11G, signal terminal 11S) can be inserted into the rear-side terminal accommodating chambers 53P, 53G, 53S from the rear, and the respective flanges 16 can be fitted. Have a large diameter. At the front edge of each rear terminal accommodating chamber 53, a connecting cylinder portion 54 having a diameter reduced so that the fitting portion 15 of the corresponding vehicle side terminal 11 is closely fitted is connected to the inner housing 50. The seal ring 17 fitted to the fitting portion 15 can be in close contact with the inner peripheral surface on the rear end side of the connecting tube portion 54, and the front end side of the connecting tube portion 54 is the front side. The terminal accommodating chamber 40 can be fitted into the rear end portion. In addition, in the front-end part of the connection cylinder part 54, the lower surface side of the surrounding wall is excised over the predetermined angle range.

A retainer 60 is provided to hold the corresponding vehicle-side terminals 11 from the front-side terminal accommodating chambers 40 to the rear-side terminal accommodating chambers 53 so as to prevent them from being detached. The retainer 60 is made of a synthetic resin and includes a main body plate 61 having a disk shape applied to the rear surface of the inner housing 50 as shown in FIGS.
In the main body plate 61, five vertical grooves 62 into which the electric wires 20P and 20S drawn out to the rear of each vehicle-side terminal 11 can be inserted from the radial direction are cut and formed in a form opened to the periphery. The edge of the back end of each vertical groove 62 is formed in a semicircular shape, and each back end is arranged concentrically with the five rear terminal accommodating chambers 53.

  A thick electric wire 20P connected to the power terminal 11P is inserted in the radial direction into two vertical grooves 62P opened at the upper edge among the five, and the groove width of the vertical groove 62P is: The dimension is slightly smaller than the diameter of the flange 16 formed on the power terminal 11P. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a locking groove body 63 having an upper surface opening having a substantially half-shaped cross-section is formed on the peripheral edge on the front surface side at the back end of the vertical groove 62 </ b> P. The front end edge of the power terminal 11P functions to be locked to the flange 16 of the power terminal 11P and to prevent the rearward slipping.

A thick electric wire 20P connected to the ground terminal 11G can be inserted in the radial direction into the central vertical groove 62G among the three opened at the lower edge, and the groove width of the vertical groove 62G is the flange of the ground terminal 11G. The dimension is slightly smaller than 16 diameters. A locking groove body 63 having a substantially half-shaped cross section is formed on the peripheral edge on the front surface side at the back end of the vertical groove 62G, and a flange of the ground terminal 11G is formed at the leading edge of the locking groove body 63. 16 can be locked.
The thin electric wire 20S connected to the signal terminal 11S can be inserted in the radial direction into the two vertical grooves 62S at both ends, and the groove width of the vertical groove 62S is larger than the diameter of the flange 16 of the signal terminal 11S. Is a little smaller. A locking groove body 63 having a substantially semicircular cross section and having a bottom opening is projected from the front edge of the longitudinal groove 62S, and a signal terminal is formed at the leading edge of the locking groove 63. The 11S flange 16 is locked.

At the position between the two vertical grooves 62P on the upper edge of the main body plate 61 of the retainer 60, the above-described locking frame 65 slidably contactable with the outer peripheral surface of the inner housing 50 is directed forward so as to be elastically displaceable. Protrusions are formed.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, a locking projection 58 that can be locked to the locking frame 65 is formed on the upper surface of the inner housing 50.

Further, from the periphery of the main body plate 61 of the retainer 60, two lock frames 67 that are slidable on the outer peripheral surface of the fitting cylinder portion 44 of the outer housing 31 described above are directed forward so as to be elastically displaceable. Protrusions are formed. Specifically, the left and right lock frames 67 have a position between a right vertical groove 62P opened upward and a right vertical groove 62S opened downward, a left vertical groove 62P opened upward, and a downward direction. At a position between the opened left end vertical groove 62S, two sheets are formed with a gap therebetween.
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, lock projections 47 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the fitting cylinder portion 44 at four convenient positions corresponding to the lock frames 67.

In addition, at the position between the three vertical grooves 62G and 62S opened downward on the peripheral edge of the main body plate 61, as shown in FIG. A contactable clamping plate 68 is also formed so as to protrude forward.
The lock cylinder 67 and the clamping plate 68 can clamp the fitting cylinder portion 44 from the inside and outside between the outer peripheral surface of the inner housing 50.

Then, an example of the procedure of the assembly | attachment of the vehicle side connector 10 and the attachment to a body is demonstrated.
First, five vehicle-side terminals 11 (power terminal 11P, ground terminal 11G, and signal terminal 11S) connected to the terminals of the electric wires 20P and 20S are attached to the retainer 60. For this purpose, when the electric wires 20P and 20S drawn from the vehicle-side terminals 11 are respectively inserted in the corresponding longitudinal grooves 62P, 60G and 60S in the retainer 60 in the radial direction and inserted to the far end, the electric wire connecting portion 13 In addition, the ends of the electric wires 20 </ b> P and 20 </ b> S are fitted in the locking groove 63. Subsequently, when the electric wires 20P and 20S are pulled rearward, as shown in FIG. 9, the flange 16 of each vehicle side terminal 11 is locked to the tip of the locking groove 63, and each vehicle side terminal 11 is pulled backward. Mounted in a stopped form.

When the five vehicle-side terminals 11 are temporarily assembled with respect to the retainer 60 so as to be prevented from coming out backward, the retainer 60 is attached to the rear surface of the inner housing 50.
The terminal connection portion 12 of each vehicle-side terminal 11 is inserted from the rear into the corresponding rear-side terminal accommodating chamber 53 (53P, 53G, 53S) of the inner housing 50, and the retainer 60 has a lock frame 67 and a clamping plate 68. While the clearance is maintained between the inner housing 50 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner housing 50, the locking frame 65 is slidably contacted with the outer peripheral surface of the inner housing 50. The Accordingly, each vehicle-side terminal 11 moves forward when the flange 16 is pushed at the tip of the locking groove 63 and protrudes forward of the rear-side terminal accommodating chamber 53.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the retainer 60 is pushed to a position where the flange 16 of the vehicle-side terminal 11 hits the stepped portion 55 (connecting portion with the connecting cylinder portion 54) at the front end of the corresponding rear terminal accommodating chamber 53, As shown in FIG. 10, the seal ring 17 fitted to the fitting portion 15 of each vehicle-side terminal 11 is closely fitted and frictionally engaged with the base end side of the corresponding connecting cylinder portion 54. When the locking frame 65 is moved backward and is locked to the locking projection 58 in a retaining state, the inner housing 50 and the retainer 60 are connected to the ends of the electric wires 20P and 20S (vehicle side terminals 11). It takes the form of an integral subassembly.
In other words, the sub-assembly 70 in which the inner housing 50 and the retainer 60 are assembled in advance is formed at the end of the electric wire group W composed of the electric wires 20P and 20S. As shown in FIG. The terminal connecting portions 12 of the vehicle side terminals 11 are aligned and protrude forward.

To the site where the vehicle-side connector 10 is attached to the vehicle body, the sub-assembly 70 is formed at the end of the wire group W as described above, and is carried in separately from the outer housing 31.
In mounting, the outer housing 31 is fixed to the body in advance. Specifically, the outer housing 31 is arranged on the inner side so as to face the power feeding port opened in the body, and the mounting portion 33 provided on the substrate 32 of the outer housing 31 is provided at the mouth edge of the power feeding port. It is fixed by being applied to a mounted portion (not shown) and bolted.

From this state, the above-described subassembly 70 corresponds to the terminal connection portion 12 of each vehicle side terminal 11 (11P, 11G, 11S) formed in the terminal accommodating portion 37 of the outer housing 31, as shown in FIG. While being inserted into the front terminal housing chamber 40 (40P, 40G, 40S), the fitting tube portion 44 is fitted from behind.
Specifically, the front end of the terminal connection portion 12 of each vehicle-side terminal 11 hits the guiding surface 42A of the insertion hole 42 of the stopper wall 41 provided at the rear portion in the corresponding front terminal housing chamber 40 so as to take a straight posture. The inner housing 50 is formed with a seal ring 51 fitted to the outer periphery of the front end portion on the inner peripheral portion of the rear end of the fitting tube portion 44. The seal ring 51 is compressed over the entire circumference and pushed into the fitting tube portion 44 while being pressed against the guide surface 44A and centered. During this time, the lock frame 67 on the outer periphery of the retainer 60 is elastically displaced and pushed onto the lock protrusion 47 while being pushed.

When the subassembly 70 is fitted to the normal position where the front surface of the fitting portion 15 of each vehicle terminal 11 hits the stopper wall 41, the lock frame 67 is restored and displaced and fitted to the lock projection 47, so that the subassembly 70 is fitted. It is locked in a form in which it is normally fitted to the tube section 44. Thereby, the subassembly 70 is assembled | attached integrally with the outer housing 31, and it will be in the state in which the male housing 30 with the retainer 60 was formed.
Accordingly, the terminal connection portions 12 of the vehicle-side terminals 11 connected to the terminals of the electric wires 20P and 20S are inserted into the corresponding front-side terminal accommodating chambers 40 to the normal positions and are prevented from coming back backward by the retainer 60. Housed in form.

The electric wires 20P and 20S drawn from the vehicle-side terminals 11 are drawn and routed rearward as a group of electric wires W and connected to a battery or the like mounted on the vehicle. The grommet (not shown) is attached from the fitting cylinder portion 44 of the male housing 30 to the drawn portion of the electric wire group W to stop water.
On the other hand, a front cover (not shown) is attached to the front surface of the male housing 30 to complete the attachment of the vehicle-side connector 10.

  When performing the charging operation, after opening the lid provided at the power supply port, the front cover of the male housing 30 is further removed, and the charging connector 1 shown in FIG. By fitting the female housing 3, the battery mounted on the vehicle is charged from the commercial power source.

In the vehicle side connector 10 of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
In a form in which the vehicle-side terminal 11 is accommodated in each rear-side terminal accommodating chamber 53 of the inner housing 50 and is prevented from being detached by the retainer 60, the sub assembly 70 is formed at the end of the wire group W, while the outer housing 31 is preliminarily formed. The sub-assembly 70 is fitted and locked to the outer housing 31 while the vehicle-side terminal 11 protruding from the sub-assembly 70 is inserted into the front terminal accommodating chamber 40 of the outer housing 31 while being fixed to the body. Thereby, the assembly | attachment of the vehicle side connector 10 and the attachment to a body are performed collectively.
The vehicle-side terminals 11 can be inserted accurately from the state in which the vehicle-side terminals 11 are positioned with respect to the retainer 60 and inserted into the corresponding rear-side terminal accommodating chambers 53 of the inner housing 50. In addition, when carrying in, etc., since the terminal of the electric wire group W can be handled in a form provided with a small sub-assembly 70, the vehicle-side connector 10 is assembled and mounted on the body in total. The attaching operation can be performed easily and quickly.

  The terminal connection portion 12 of the vehicle-side terminal 11 protruding from the sub-assembly 70 is inserted almost tightly into the insertion hole 42 of the stopper wall 41 provided at the rear end portion of the corresponding front-side terminal accommodating chamber 40 of the outer housing 31. However, since the guiding surface 42A is formed on the inner peripheral portion of the rear edge of each insertion hole 42, even if the terminal connection portion 12 is slightly misaligned or the shaft core is swung, the terminal connection portion 12 While being centered by being pressed against the leading surface 42 </ b> A, the tip is smoothly inserted into the front terminal housing chamber 40 through the insertion hole 42.

Further, a tapered guiding surface 44A for guiding the seal ring 51 at the front end portion of the inner housing 50 constituting the sub assembly 70 is formed on the inner peripheral portion of the rear end portion of the fitting cylindrical portion 44 in the outer housing 31. When the inner housing 50 of the sub-assembly 70 is fitted into the fitting cylinder portion 44 of the outer housing 31, the seal ring 51 is being drawn by the lead-in surface 44A even if the shaft center of the inner housing 50 is slightly inclined. The inner housing 50 is centered, and the inner housing 50 is smoothly fitted into the fitting tube portion 44 while the seal ring 51 is elastically contracted without the seal ring 51 being bitten. Further, the shaft seal between the inner housing 50 and the outer housing 31 can be reliably obtained.
In total, the operation of fitting the subassembly 70 to the outer housing 31 can be performed smoothly.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, a vehicle side connector 10X of a type (90 ° type) in which an electric wire is bent 90 ° on the rear surface side of the connector and pulled out to the side is illustrated. In the vehicle-side connector 10X of the second embodiment, compared to the vehicle-side connector 10 of the first embodiment, the outer housing 31 is common, but the structure of the sub assembly 70X is different.
Hereinafter, the structure of the sub assembly 70X will be mainly described. However, members and parts having the same functions as those of the subassembly 70 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.

As shown in FIG. 18, the sub-assembly 70 </ b> X includes five illustrated vehicle side terminals 71, an inner housing 80 that houses the vehicle side terminals 71, and a retainer 90 that prevents the vehicle side terminals 71 from coming off. .
The vehicle-side terminal 71 includes two male-side power terminals 71P, one male-side ground terminal 71G, and two male-side signal terminals 71S, and is basically L-shaped. The point formed from the round pin terminal is different from the vehicle-side terminal 11 of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 18 and 22, each vehicle-side terminal 71 has a terminal connection portion 72 that is connected to a mating terminal fitting at one end and extends straight, and a wire at the rear end. A wire connection portion 73 having a cylindrical shape for crimping the 20 core wires is formed. An enlarged diameter portion 74 is formed over a predetermined length on the proximal end side of the terminal connecting portion 72, and a seal ring 75 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface on the rear end side of the enlarged diameter portion 74.
Further, an insulating cylinder portion 76 made of synthetic resin is formed by molding at the bent portion of each vehicle-side terminal 71, and a retainer 90 described later is provided between the front surface of the insulating cylinder portion 76 and the rear surface of the enlarged diameter portion 74. A locked groove 77 into which the locking portion 96 is fitted is formed.

  The power terminal 71P and the ground terminal 71G are connected to the end of the thick electric wire 20P, respectively, and both signal terminals 71S are connected to the ends of the thin electric wires 20S, respectively. The three thick electric wires 20P are bundled into one as a collective shielded electric wire Wa (cabtyre cable).

  The inner housing 80 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 18 to 20, the inner housing 80 is formed in a disk shape that is fitted into the fitting cylinder portion 44 of the outer housing 31 in a close-tight manner, and is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner housing 80. A seal ring 81 is fitted and can be brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fitting tube portion 44 near the back end.

In the inner housing 80, terminal accommodating cylinders 82 are formed at positions corresponding to the front terminal accommodating chambers 40 provided in the terminal accommodating portion 37 of the outer housing 31. Each terminal accommodating cylinder 82 is formed in a form protruding by a predetermined dimension from the front surface of the inner housing 80, and can be fitted in the rear end portion of each front terminal accommodating chamber 40. That is, in each terminal accommodating cylinder 82, rear terminal accommodating chambers 83P, 83G, 83S concentrically connected to the rear of the front terminal accommodating chambers 40P, 40G, 40S are formed.
On the rear surface of the inner housing 80, a pair of left and right engaging claws 85 that are engaged with a retainer 90, which will be described later, are provided so as to protrude rearward in a cantilevered manner.

  Next, the retainer 90 will be described. As shown in FIG. 21, the retainer 90 includes a generally cylindrical retainer body 91 having a front plate 92, and the retainer body 91 is disposed in the fitting cylinder portion 44 of the outer housing 31. It can be fitted to the rear side. In the lower surface of the peripheral wall 93 of the retainer main body 91, an escape recess 94 is cut out over a range of approximately ¼ circle (see FIG. 28).

On the front plate 92 of the retainer main body 91, five vertical locking grooves 95 into which the locked grooves 77 formed in each of the vehicle-side terminals 71 can be inserted from the radial direction are opened to the periphery. The shape is cut and formed. Of the five, two locking grooves 95P opened at the upper edge are for locking the power terminal 71P, and among the three opened at the lower edge, the central locking groove 95G is the ground terminal 71G. For locking, the two locking grooves 95S at both ends are for locking the signal terminal 71S.
A peripheral edge (back edge and both side edges) of each locking groove 95 is a locking portion 96 that fits and locks in the locked groove 77 of the vehicle-side terminal 71.

  On the outer peripheral portion of the peripheral wall 93 of the retainer main body 91, two left and right lock frames 97 that can slide in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the fitting cylindrical portion 44 of the outer housing 31 are folded forward from the rear edge of the peripheral wall 93. It is provided in an elastically displaceable form. Each lock frame 97 can be elastically fitted to a lock protrusion 47 provided at a corresponding position of the fitting cylinder portion 44. Further, a clamping plate 98 capable of clamping the fitting cylinder portion 44 with the peripheral wall 93 is formed at a position between the lock frames 97 in the form of being folded forward from the rear edge of the peripheral wall 93. .

As shown in FIG. 21, elastic locking pieces 100 that are locked to the locking claws 85 of the inner housing 80 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the peripheral wall 93 of the retainer main body 91. Both elastic locking pieces 100 are provided in a form that protrudes forward in a cantilevered manner by having slits on both sides.
An insertion opening 101 into which the locking claw 85 of the inner housing 80 can enter is formed at a position inside the front end of the elastic locking piece 100 in the front plate 92 of the retainer main body 91.
In addition, the guide part 102 is formed so that it may hang down from the front edge of the relief recessed part 94 provided in the lower surface of the surrounding wall 93 of the retainer main body 91. FIG.

Then, an example of the procedure of the assembly | attachment of the vehicle side connector 10X in Embodiment 2, and the attachment to a body is demonstrated.
Subassembly 70X is formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. First, five vehicle-side terminals 71 (power terminal 71P, ground terminal 71G, signal terminal 71S) connected to the terminals of electric wires 20P and 20S are formed. Is attached to the retainer 90. For this purpose, the locked groove 77 of each vehicle-side terminal 71 is inserted into the corresponding locking groove 95P, 95G, 95S in the retainer 90 in the radial direction, and is engaged with the locked groove 77 when inserted to the far end. When the stop portion 96 is fitted, the vehicle-side terminal 71 is temporarily assembled with the retainer 90 in a form incapable of moving back and forth in the axial direction as shown in FIG.

When the five vehicle-side terminals 71 are temporarily assembled to the retainer 90, the retainer 90 is attached to the rear surface of the inner housing 80.
The terminal connection portion 72 of each vehicle-side terminal 71 is inserted into the corresponding rear terminal accommodation chamber 83 (83P, 83G, 83S) of the inner housing 80 from the rear, and the enlarged diameter portion 74 is formed in the rear terminal accommodation chamber 83 from the middle. And a locking claw 85 protruding from the rear surface of the inner housing 80 is inserted into the insertion opening 101 formed inside the elastic locking piece 100 in the front plate 92 of the retainer body 91. The stop piece 100 is pushed in while being elastically bent.

  As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, when the retainer 90 is pushed to a position where the periphery of the front plate 92 of the retainer main body 91 contacts the periphery of the rear surface of the inner housing 80, the retainer 90 is fitted into the enlarged diameter portion 74 of each vehicle-side terminal 71. The attached seal ring 75 is closely fitted and frictionally engaged with the base end side of the corresponding terminal accommodating cylinder 82, and the elastic locking piece 100 is displaced backward to engage the claw portion 100A at the tip. By engaging with the pawl 85, the inner housing 80 and the retainer 90 are integrally sub-assembled (sub-assembly 70X) at the ends of the electric wires 20P and 20S (vehicle-side terminals 71).

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 23, the terminal connection portion 72 of the vehicle side terminal 71 protrudes from the terminal accommodating cylinder 82 on the front surface of the inner housing 80 by a predetermined length, and each vehicle side terminal 71 is within the retainer main body 91. The wire connecting portion 73 hangs down by being bent at a right angle, and protrudes downward along the guide portion 102 through the escape recess 94. The electric wires 20 </ b> P and 20 </ b> S drawn out from the electric wire connection portions 73 are taped and held together with the guide portion 102.

At the site where the vehicle-side connector 10X is attached to the vehicle body, the outer housing 31 is fixed to the body in advance as in the first embodiment.
From this state, the above-described subassembly 70X corresponds to the terminal connection portion 72 of each vehicle side terminal 71 (71P, 71G, 71S) formed in the terminal accommodating portion 37 of the outer housing 31, as shown in FIG. While being inserted into the front terminal housing chamber 40 (40P, 40G, 40S), the fitting tube portion 44 is fitted from behind.
The tip of the terminal connection portion 72 of each vehicle-side terminal 71 hits the guide surface 42A of the insertion hole 42 of the stopper wall 41 provided at the rear portion in the corresponding front terminal storage chamber 40, and is guided to take a straight posture. The inner housing 80 is inserted into the insertion hole 42, and the seal ring 81 fitted to the outer periphery of the inner housing 80 is pressed against the guide surface 44A formed on the inner peripheral portion of the rear end of the fitting cylinder portion 44. While being centered, the seal ring 81 is compressed over the entire circumference and pushed into the fitting tube portion 44. During this time, the lock frame 97 on the outer periphery of the retainer 90 is elastically displaced and pushed into the lock projection 47 while being pushed.

When the sub assembly 70X is fitted to the normal position where the front surface of the diameter-expanded portion 74 of each vehicle-side terminal 71 hits the stopper wall 41, the lock frame 97 is restored and displaced and fitted into the lock projection 47, so that the sub assembly 70X is fitted. It is locked in a form in which it is normally fitted to the tube section 44. As a result, the subassembly 70X is integrally assembled with the outer housing 31, and the male housing 30X with the retainer 90 is formed. Accordingly, the terminal connection portions 72 of the vehicle-side terminals 71 connected to the terminals of the electric wires 20P and 20S are inserted into the corresponding front-side terminal storage chambers 40 to the normal positions and are prevented from coming out backward by the retainer 90. As a result, the attachment of the vehicle-side connector 10X to the body is completed.
The electric wires 20P and 20S drawn from each vehicle-side terminal 71 take a form of being bent downward and wired. The electric wires 20P and 20S are bundled as an electric wire group W, drawn and routed downward, and attached to a battery or the like mounted on the vehicle. Connected.

According to the vehicle-side connector 10X of the second embodiment, the terminal of the electric wire group W is assembled by assembling and retaining the retainer 90 in a state where the vehicle-side terminal 71 is accommodated in each rear terminal accommodating chamber 83 of the inner housing 80. The outer housing 31 is fixed to the body in advance, and the vehicle-side terminal 71 protruding from the sub-assembly 70X is inserted into the front terminal housing chamber 40 of the outer housing 31, and the sub-assembly 70X is The housing 31 is fitted and locked. Thereby, the assembly of the vehicle-side connector 10X and the attachment to the body are performed together.
The insertion operation of each vehicle side terminal 71 can be performed accurately since the vehicle side terminal 71 is inserted into the corresponding rear terminal accommodating chamber 83 of the inner housing 80 from a state where the vehicle side terminal 71 is positioned and mounted with respect to the retainer 90. In addition, when carrying in, etc., since the terminal of the electric wire group W can be handled in a form provided with a small sub-assembly 70, the vehicle-side connector 10 is assembled and mounted on the body in total. The attaching operation can be performed easily and quickly.

  Since the terminal connection portion 72 of the vehicle side terminal 71 protruding from the sub-assembly 70X is inserted almost tightly into the insertion hole 42 of the stopper wall 41 provided at the rear end portion of the corresponding front side terminal accommodating chamber 40 of the outer housing 31. However, since the guiding surface 42A is formed on the inner peripheral portion of the rear edge of each insertion hole 42, even if the terminal connecting portion 72 is slightly misaligned or the shaft core is swung, the terminal connecting portion 72 While being centered by being pressed against the leading surface 42 </ b> A, the tip is smoothly inserted into the front terminal housing chamber 40 through the insertion hole 42.

Further, the inner peripheral portion of the rear end of the fitting cylindrical portion 44 in the outer housing 31 is formed with a tapered guiding surface 44A for guiding the outer peripheral seal ring 81 of the inner housing 80 constituting the sub assembly 70X. When the inner housing 80 of the subassembly 70X is fitted into the fitting cylindrical portion 44 of the outer housing 31, the seal ring 81 is drawn by the lead-in surface 44A even if the shaft center of the inner housing 80 is slightly inclined. The housing 80 is centered, and the inner housing 80 is smoothly fitted into the fitting cylinder portion 44 while the seal ring 81 is elastically contracted without the seal ring 81 being bitten. Further, the shaft seal between the inner housing 80 and the outer housing 31 can be reliably obtained.
In total, the work of fitting the sub assembly 70X to the outer housing 31 can be performed smoothly.

<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) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the outer housing 31 is fixed to the body in advance and then the sub assembly 70 (70X) is assembled to the outer housing 31 is illustrated, but before the outer housing 31 is fixed to the body The sub-assembly 70 (70X) may be assembled to form the male housing 30 (30X), and then the male housing 30 (30X) may be fixed to the body. Also in this case, the vehicle-side terminals 11 (71) are aligned and attached to the sub-assies 70 (70X), and the vehicle-side terminals 11 (71) are connected to the front-side terminals of the outer housing 31 as the sub-assies 70 (70X) are fitted. Since it can be inserted into the storage chamber 40, the vehicle-side terminal can be inserted smoothly and accurately compared to the case where the vehicle-side terminal is directly inserted into the male housing. As a result, the work of assembling the vehicle-side connector 10 (10X) and attaching it to the body can be quickly performed.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the lock mechanism portion that locks the outer housing and the sub assembly in a coupled state is provided between the outer housing and the retainer. However, the lock mechanism portion is provided between the outer housing and the inner housing. May be.
(3) In the above embodiment, the coupling mechanism portion for coupling is provided between the inner housing and the retainer. However, it is possible to omit this, and such a configuration is also within the technical scope of the present invention. included.
(4) The present invention is not limited to the plug-in hybrid vehicle exemplified in the above embodiment, but can be similarly applied to a vehicle-side connector provided in an electric vehicle.

10, 10X ... Vehicle side connector 11 ... Vehicle side terminal (terminal fitting)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11P ... Power terminal 11G ... Ground terminal 11S ... Signal terminal 20, 20P, 20S ... Electric wire 31 ... Outer housing 40, 40P, 40G, 40S ... Front side terminal storage chamber 41 ... Stopper wall 42 ... Insertion hole 42A ... Lead-in surface (lead-in) Part)
44 ... Fitting cylinder part 44A ... Invitation surface 47 ... Lock protrusion (lock mechanism part)
50 ... Inner housing 53, 53P, 53G, 53S ... Rear terminal accommodating chamber 60 ... Retainer 67 ... Lock frame (lock mechanism)
70, 70X ... Sub assembly (Sub assembly)
71 ... Vehicle side terminal (terminal fitting)
71P ... Power terminal 71G ... Ground terminal 71S ... Signal terminal 72 ... Terminal connection portion 73 ... Wire connection portion 80 ... Inner housing 83, 83P, 83G, 83S ... Rear side terminal accommodating chamber 90 ... Retainer 97 ... Lock frame (lock mechanism) Part)
W ... Wire group

Claims (5)

A vehicle-side connector connected to a battery mounted on the vehicle,
An outer housing fixed to the vehicle body;
An inner housing that fits into the outer housing from the inside of the vehicle;
Terminal fittings respectively connected to a plurality of electric wires drawn out from the vehicle including the battery,
A plurality of terminal accommodating chambers that are provided from the inner housing to the outer housing and are accommodated by inserting each terminal fitting from behind;
A retainer that can be assembled to the inner housing to be locked to the terminal fittings to prevent the terminal fittings from coming off;
Each terminal fitting inserted into each terminal receiving chamber of the inner housing forms a subassembly in which each tip is protruded from the front surface of each terminal receiving chamber and is retained by the retainer. Is possible,
And the vehicle side connector characterized by the above-mentioned. The vehicle side connector provided with the locking mechanism part which locks the said subassembly and the said outer housing in a connection state. 2. The vehicle-side connector according to claim 1, wherein a guiding portion for guiding the tip of the terminal fitting is provided at a rear end portion of each terminal accommodating chamber of the outer housing. A fitting cylinder part to which the inner housing is fitted is provided on the rear surface of the outer housing, and a seal ring that is in close contact with the inner circumference of the fitting cylinder part is fitted to the outer periphery of the inner housing. Because
3. The vehicle-side connector according to claim 1, wherein a tapered guide surface that guides the seal ring is formed on an inner peripheral portion of a rear end of the fitting tube portion. 4. The vehicle-side connector according to claim 1, wherein each of the electric wires is led out along an axial direction of the terminal accommodating chamber on a rear surface side of the subassembly. 5. The said each electric wire is pulled out in the direction which makes a substantially right angle with respect to the axis line of the said terminal storage chamber in the rear surface side of the said subassembly, The Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Vehicle side connector.

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