JP2017123314A - connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector with a low height profile.SOLUTION: A socket connector 1 comprises: a plurality of socket terminals 6 each having a contact connection 8 which comes into conductive contact with a plug connector 2; and a socket housing 3 having a terminal housing 4c for housing each of the socket terminals 6. The terminal housing 4c of the socket housing 3 has a lance 4d for preventing the detachment of each of the socket terminals 6. The lance 4d is provided with: an elastic piece 4d1 which is elastically deformed by a plug terminal 10 in an arrangement direction of the socket terminals 6; and a locking protrusion 4d2 which is formed on the elastic piece 4d1 and is locked to each of the socket terminals 6 so as to prevent the detachment thereof. As a result, the socket connector 1 can be entirely downsized in a height direction Z, compared with a case where the lance 4d is elastically deformed along the height direction Z of the socket connector 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector including a housing that accommodates terminals.

  As a connector that is in conductive contact with an object to be connected, a housing having a lance that prevents a terminal from coming off is used. Such a lance usually has a cantilever shape extending from the inner wall of the terminal accommodating portion toward the inside of the terminal accommodating portion, and the terminal is removed from the housing by being locked to the terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion. It can be stopped (Patent Document 1 as an example).

JP, 2015-072824, A

  By the way, such a connector is used for various applications in addition to being mounted on in-vehicle electrical equipment and household electrical equipment. In recent years, such devices are increasingly required to be miniaturized, and the connectors themselves used for these devices are also required to be miniaturized. On the other hand, since the lance is elastically deformed in the height direction of the connector so as to be pushed away from the terminal when the terminal is accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion as described above, the lance is elastically deformed in the terminal accommodating portion. It is necessary to provide a space along the height direction, and there is a limit to downsizing the connector in the height direction.

  The present invention has been made against the background of the prior art as described above. The object is to provide a connector that is miniaturized in the height direction.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.
That is, the present invention includes a plurality of terminals having contact portions that are in conductive contact with an object to be connected and a housing having a terminal accommodating portion that accommodates the terminals, and the terminal accommodating portion of the housing prevents the terminal from coming off. The lance includes an elastic piece that is elastically deformed in a terminal arrangement direction by a terminal inserted into the terminal accommodating portion, and a locking projection that is formed on the elastic piece and is locked to the terminal to prevent the terminal from coming off. A connector is provided.

  According to the present invention, since the lance has the elastic piece that elastically deforms in the terminal arrangement direction in the terminal accommodating portion, the entire lance can be displaced in the terminal arrangement direction inside the terminal accommodating portion. Therefore, since it is not necessary to provide a space for the lance to be displaced in the height direction of the housing, the height of the housing can be reduced as compared with a housing having such a lance. Therefore, the whole connector can be reduced in size in the height direction.

  The terminal accommodating portion of the housing of the present invention has a terminal insertion opening and an insertion groove extending from the insertion opening along the terminal insertion direction, and the terminal is inserted when the terminal is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion. To a protrusion that is inserted along the insertion groove.

  A terminal can be inserted in a terminal accommodating part by making the protrusion part of a terminal follow a groove | channel from an insertion port. Therefore, the terminal can be correctly positioned and inserted.

  The insertion groove of the present invention has a step portion that expands the groove width in the terminal arrangement direction, and the elastic piece of the lance is formed by extending the base end to the step portion and extending in the terminal insertion direction. Can be.

  By doing so, the elastic piece of the lance can be elastically displaced in the insertion groove whose groove width is expanded. Therefore, the elastic piece is elastically deformed more smoothly and the terminal can be easily inserted into the terminal accommodating portion.

  The locking projection of the lance of the present invention is disposed so as to protrude into the groove, and the elastic piece of the lance elastically supports the displacement of the locking projection between the inside and the outside of the groove. can do.

  Since the locking projection of the lance protrudes into the groove, the protruding portion of the terminal can be reliably locked to the locking projection when the terminal is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion. In addition, since the internal space of the groove into which the protruding part of the terminal is inserted is also used as the displacement space for the locking projection of the lance, the locking projection can be displaced inside the terminal housing, and the housing can be downsized. can do.

  The terminal of the present invention is formed of a series of metal pieces, a cylindrical main body portion accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion, the protruding portion projecting outward from the cylindrical main body portion, and the terminal accommodating portion. An elastic contact piece extending from the protruding portion to the inside of the cylindrical main body portion along the terminal insertion direction and having the contact portion may be provided.

  By arranging the contact portion with the connection object inside the cylindrical main body portion, the conductive contact portion can be protected by the cylindrical main body portion. Further, since the elastic contact piece has the contact portion with the connection object, the contact pressure of the contact portion can be increased and the conductive contact can be reliably established with the connection object. Since the elastic contact piece is provided integrally with the protruding portion, the stress applied to the elastic contact piece can be distributed to the protruding portion, thereby preventing stress concentration and suppressing damage or damage of the elastic contact piece. Can do.

  The elastic contact piece of the present invention may have a curved shape protruding toward the central axis of the cylindrical main body between one end connected to the protruding portion and the other end on the opposite side.

  By doing so, when the connection object is inserted into the cylindrical main body, it is possible to guide the inner side of the cylindrical main body without causing the end of the elastic contact piece to be caught. Therefore, the conductive contact work between the contact portion and the connection object can be easily performed. It should be noted that the curved shape here includes a curved shape that is curved in a large arc shape and a curved shape that is curved in a small arc shape and appears to be substantially bent.

  The elastic contact piece of the present invention may have a contact portion with respect to the inner surface of the cylindrical main body portion on the other end side.

  By carrying out like this, when a contact part is pressed from a connection target object, a contact part contacts the inner surface of a cylindrical body part, and elastic deformation of an elastic contact piece can be controlled. Therefore, compared with the case where an elastic contact piece elastically deforms indefinitely, the contact pressure with respect to a connection target object can be raised.

  According to the present invention, a low-profile connector can be provided. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of household electrical devices and in-vehicle electrical devices equipped with such connectors.

The perspective view which shows the state in which the socket connector of embodiment and the linear conductor are carrying out the electrical connection. The perspective view which shows the socket connector of FIG. The front view which shows the socket connector of FIG. The rear view which shows the socket connector of FIG. The top view which shows the socket housing of FIG. The bottom view which shows the socket housing of FIG. The right view which shows the socket housing of FIG. The perspective view which shows the socket terminal of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the socket terminal of FIG. The perspective view which shows the retainer with which the socket connector of FIG. 1 is provided. The perspective view which shows the state which connected the linear conductor to the socket terminal of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which inserts a terminal in the socket housing of FIG. 1, a part (a) shows the state before insertion, and part (b) shows the state which insertion of the terminal was completed. The front view of the socket connector of FIG. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the position of the SA-SA line in FIG. 13 showing a state in which the retainer is moved and the terminal is fixed to the socket housing, and a partial diagram (a) shows a state before the terminal is fixed; Indicates that the terminal has been fixed. The arrow SB-SB sectional view taken on the line of the socket connector of FIG. FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along the line SC-SC in FIG. 13. The perspective view which shows the plug connector which the socket connector of FIG. 1 carries out conductive contact. The perspective view which shows the bottom face side of the plug connector of FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the state which fits the socket connector of FIG. 2 with the plug connector of FIG. The perspective view which shows the fitting structure which consists of the socket connector of FIG. 1 and the plug connector of FIG. The top view which shows the fitting structure of FIG. The bottom view which shows the fitting structure of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the fitting structure of FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  In the present specification, claims, and drawings, the width direction (the arrangement direction of the socket terminals 6) along the longitudinal direction of the socket connector 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 is the X direction, and the front and rear direction along the short direction is Y. In the following description, the height direction of the socket connector 1 is the Z direction, the plane side of the socket connector 1 in the height direction Z is “upper side”, and the bottom side of the socket connector 1 is “lower side”. In addition, description of an up-down direction and the front-back direction does not limit the use direction of the socket connector 1 of this invention.

Embodiment [FIGS. 1 to 23]:
The socket connector 1 as a “connector” of the present embodiment includes a socket terminal 6 that electrically connects a plug connector 2 as a “connection object” and a linear conductor 5 such as an electric wire. The socket connector 1 includes a socket housing 3 and a plurality of socket terminals 6. The linear conductor 5 includes a conductive portion 5a made of a conductive metal and an insulating coating 5b that covers the conductive portion 5a.

[Socket housing]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the socket housing 3 is made of an insulating resin and formed as a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The socket housing 3 includes a socket housing main body 4, a bridge portion 4 a 2, and a retainer 7.

[Socket housing body]
The socket housing main body 4 includes a top surface portion 4a, a bottom surface portion 4f, a side wall portion 4b, and a terminal accommodating portion 4c.

  The top surface portion 4 a is disposed on the upper side in the socket housing 3. The top surface portion 4a has a protrusion 4a1, and a bridge portion 4a2 protrudes from the upper surface thereof. The protrusion 4a1 protrudes upward and engages with the lock portion 11a3 of the plug connector 2. The bridge portion 4a2 includes two leg portions 4a4 disposed on both sides in the width direction X of the unlocking piece 4a3 and a horizontal portion 4a5 that connects the leg portions 4a4. Further, the horizontal portion 4a5 is arranged so as to bridge the upper side of the unlocking piece 4a3 along the width direction X. By arranging such a bridge portion 4a2, it is possible to prevent unintentional contact with the unlocking piece 4a3. In addition, when the lock release piece 4a3 is pulled upward due to an erroneous operation, the deformation can be controlled by the bridge portion 4a2, so that it is difficult to cause breakage or the like.

  The bottom surface portion 4 f is disposed on the lower side in the socket housing 3. The bottom surface portion 4f has a bottom surface side protruding portion 4f1 that protrudes downward from the opposite side on the side of the insertion port 4c1 described later in the front-rear direction Y. In a state where the socket connector 1 is fitted to the plug connector 2, the operator can easily remove the socket connector 1 from the plug connector 2 by hooking a finger on the bottom-side protruding portion 4 f 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, the terminal accommodating portion 4 c is a space penetrating the socket housing 3 along the front-rear direction Y, and the socket terminals 6 are accommodated one by one. A plurality of terminal accommodating portions 4 c are arranged in parallel along the width direction X. Particularly in the present embodiment, such a row of terminal accommodating portions 4c is provided in two upper and lower stages. The terminal accommodating portion 4c has an insertion port 4c1 into which the socket terminal 6 is inserted. An insertion groove 4c2 is provided along the front-rear direction Y, which is the insertion direction of the socket terminal 6, from the insertion port 4c1 on one end side in the width direction X on the lower end side of the terminal accommodating portion 4c.

  The insertion groove 4c2 is formed in a size and shape that allows a positioning protrusion 8b of the socket terminal 6 to be described later to be inserted. The insertion groove 4c2 has a step portion 4c3 that extends the groove width on the back side, and a lance 4d extends from the step portion 4c3. By providing such a stepped portion 4c3, a displacement space S in which the lance 4d can be sufficiently elastically deformed along the width direction X (the arrangement direction of the socket terminals 6) is formed (see FIGS. 15 and 16).

  The lance 4d is inside the insertion groove 4c2 and has a cantilever shape extending from the insertion port 4c1 side to the back side of the terminal accommodating portion 4c. The lance 4d has an elastic piece 4d1 and a locking projection 4d2. The elastic piece 4d1 is pressed by the socket terminal 6 and elastically deformed along the width direction X when the socket terminal 6 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 4c. The locking projection 4d2 is provided on the free end side of the elastic piece 4d1, and projects toward the inside of the insertion groove 4c2. The locking protrusion 4d2 is locked to the locked portion 8a4 of the box portion 8a of the socket terminal 6 inserted in the terminal accommodating portion 4c to prevent the socket terminal 6 from coming off.

[Retainer]
The retainer 7 is made of an insulating resin and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape along the width direction X as shown in FIG. And it inserts in the socket housing main body 4 from the retainer insertion port 4e provided in the bottom face of the socket housing main body 4. FIG. The retainer 7 is provided with a plurality of terminal insertion holes 7 a through which the socket terminals 6 are inserted along the width direction X. Each terminal insertion hole 7 a is provided with a locking portion 7 b that protrudes upward and is locked to the socket terminal 6 on the rear side and the lower side. The locking portion 7b has an inclined portion 7b1 that is inclined so as to increase from the near side in the insertion direction toward the far side. When the socket terminal 6 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 7a of the retainer 7, the socket terminal 6 is guided toward the back side along the inclined portion 7b1. Similarly, a locking portion 7 b is provided on the upper surface of the retainer 7.

(Socket terminal)
The socket terminal 6 is formed by bending a single conductive metal plate, and has a contact connection portion 8 and a linear conductor connection portion 9 as shown in FIGS.

  The contact connection portion 8 includes a box portion 8a as a “cylindrical main body portion”, a positioning protrusion 8b, a bent portion 8c, and an elastic contact piece 8d.

  The box portion 8a has a substantially rectangular tube shape and has a top wall portion 8a1 and a bottom wall portion 8a2. Further, the box portion 8a has a connection space 8a3 into which the plug contact portion 10a of the plug terminal 10 is inserted, and a latched portion 7b of the retainer 7 is engaged at the rear end of the box portion 8a. A stop 8a4 is provided. A first contact portion 8a6 that protrudes toward the connection space 8a3 is provided on the inner surface 8a5 of the top wall portion 8a1. In particular, the ceiling wall portion 8a1 of the present embodiment has two first contact portions 8a6 along the front-rear direction Y.

  The positioning protrusion 8b protrudes downward from the bottom wall 8a2. Specifically, it is formed by protruding a metal plate forming the bottom wall portion 8a2 downward and further bending it into a substantially inverted U shape. Such positioning protrusions 8b are provided to be elastically deformable.

  The bent portion 8c is a plate-like piece connected to the positioning protrusion 8b, and is formed by bending in the width direction X from the end of the positioning protrusion 8b along the height direction Z.

  The elastic contact piece 8d is provided to be connected to the distal end side of the bent portion 8c, and extends toward the inside of the connection space 8a3. The elastic contact piece 8d is formed in a curved shape having a substantially bent shape that is a small arc shape protruding from the base end side toward the tip end side toward the central axis of the box portion 8a. A second contact portion 8d1 is provided at a portion of the elastic contact piece 8d that protrudes most into the connection space 8a3. The second contact portion 8d1 is disposed between the two first contact portions 8a6, and is in electrical contact with the plug contact portion 10a between the first contact portion 8a6. Further, the elastic contact piece 8d is provided with a first contact portion 8d2 as a “contact portion” on the tip side of the second contact portion 8d1, and the plug contact portion 10a and the first contact portion 8a6. In contact with the inner surface 8a5 of the bottom wall portion 8a2 of the box portion 8a. Further, a second contact portion 8d3 is provided on the base end side of the elastic contact piece 8d with respect to the second contact portion 8d1, and similarly to the first contact portion 8a6, the plug contact portion 10a and the second contact portion 8d3 are provided. The first contact portion 8a6 is in contact with the inner surface 8a5 of the bottom wall portion 8a2 in a state of being in conductive contact.

  The linear conductor connection portion 9 includes a crimping portion 9a and a clamp portion 9b.

  The caulking portion 9a includes a bottom portion 9a1 provided along the extending direction of the linear conductor 5, and a fixing piece 9a2 that presses the conductive portion 5a against the bottom portion 9a1. The fixing pieces 9a2 protrude one by one from the plate edges on both sides along the front-rear direction Y of the bottom portion 9a1, and they face each other. The fixed piece 9a2 is bent and the conductive portion 5a of the linear conductor 5 is pressed against the bottom portion 9a1, so that the linear conductor 5 is fixed to the socket terminal 6. The bottom 9a1 is provided with a plurality of substantially rectangular recesses 9a3 along the width direction X, and the oxide film of the conductive portion 5a can be broken by the corners of the recesses 9a3.

  The clamp portions 9b are provided so as to protrude one by one from the plate edges on both sides along the front-rear direction Y of the bottom portion 9a1. The socket terminal 6 is fixed to the linear conductor 5 by bending the two clamp pieces 9b1 and pressing them against the insulating coating 5b of the linear conductor 5.

[Plug connector]
The plug connector 2 includes a plug housing 11 and a plurality of plug terminals 10.

[Plug housing]
The plug housing 11 is made of an insulating resin and is provided in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as shown in FIGS. It has a top wall part 11a, a bottom wall part 11b, a back wall part 11c, and a side wall part 11d, and is further formed by a top wall part 11a, a bottom wall part 11b, a back wall part 11c, and a side wall part 11d. A fitting chamber 11e, an accommodating space 11e1, and an opening edge 11f for inserting the socket connector 1 into the fitting chamber 11e.

  The top wall portion 11 a is disposed on the upper side of the plug housing 11. It is the top wall part 11a, Comprising: The opening edge 11f in the front-back direction Y has several relief recessed part 11a1 arrange | positioned along the width direction X. As shown in FIG. Especially in this embodiment, the top wall part 11a has two escape recessed parts 11a1. The relief recess 11a1 is disposed at the same position as the two leg portions 4a4 of the bridge portion 4a2 of the socket connector 1 in the width direction X, and the leg portion 4a4 fits into the relief recess 11a1 when fitted to the socket connector 1. It is accommodated inside (see FIG. 21). Therefore, by providing such a relief recess 11a1, the length in the front-rear direction Y of the fitting structure F in which the socket connector 1 and the plug connector 2 are fitted can be further shortened.

Further, between the two escape recesses 11a1, a projecting piece 11a2 that protrudes in the front-rear direction Y toward the opening edge 11f is formed. Such a protruding piece 11a2 is in a fitted state and is disposed directly below the horizontal portion 4a5 of the bridge portion 4a2 provided in the socket housing 3. A lock portion 11a3 that is engaged with the protrusion 4a1 of the socket connector 1 is provided on the lower surface of the top wall portion 11a (the surface exposed to the accommodation space 11e1) on the base end side of the protrusion 11a2. Further, by fitting the concavo-convex shape formed by the two relief recesses 11a1 and the projecting piece 11a2 and the leg 4a4 of the socket connector 1, the twisting can be suppressed. Furthermore, if the lock portion 11a3 is provided on the plate edge of the top wall portion 11a without providing the protruding piece portion 11a2, the length of the lock portion 11a3 in the front-rear direction Y (the thickness of the lock portion 11a3 in the front-rear direction Y). Becomes shorter. Therefore, the lock portion 11a3 is weak against the load in the front-rear direction Y. On the other hand, the protrusion 11a2 is provided as in this embodiment, and the lock 11a3 is provided on the base end side thereof, so that the length of the protrusion 11a2 in the front-rear direction Y is the length of the lock 11a3. The length of Y can be further increased. Therefore, it can be set as the lock part 11a3 which is hard to be damaged even if it receives the load of the front-back direction Y.
Further, the projecting piece portion 11a2 extends to a position where the tip end portion 11a4 is flush with the rear end portion of the top wall portion 11a where the escape recess 11a1 and the projecting piece portion 11a2 are not provided. As a result, in the fitted state with the plug connector 2, the tip end portion 11a4 of the projecting piece portion 11a2 is disposed closer to the opening edge 11f in the front-rear direction Y than the horizontal portion 4a5 of the bridge portion 4a2. Therefore, the operator can confirm that the fitting operation has been completed by visually observing that the tip end portion 11a4 of the projecting piece portion 11a2 is disposed closer to the opening edge 11f than the horizontal portion 4a5.

  The side wall part 11d is connected to both ends in the width direction X of the top wall part 11a, and a guide groove 11d1 along the front-rear direction Y is formed on the surface of the side wall part 11d on the housing space 11e1 side. The guide groove 11d1 has a shape along the outer diameter of the protrusion 4b1 of the socket connector 1, and when the socket connector 1 is inserted into the fitting chamber 11e, the protrusion 4b1 is inserted inside the guide groove 11d1. Guided.

  The bottom wall portion 11b is disposed on the lower side of the plug housing 11, and as shown in FIG. 22, a removal recess 11b1 is formed on the front side (the side of the opening edge 11f in the front-rear direction Y). When the socket connector 1 and the plug connector 2 are fitted, the front end side of the socket housing 3 is exposed to the outside through the removal recess 11b1. Therefore, when the socket connector 1 is removed from the plug connector 2, an operator can easily touch the bottom surface side protruding portion 4f1 of the socket housing 3, and the bottom surface side protruding portion 4f1 can be easily pulled by a finger. Extraction work can be performed.

  The back wall portion 11c is connected to the top wall portion 11a, the side wall portion 11d, and the bottom wall portion 11b, and is disposed at the front end (the back side in the insertion direction of the socket connector 1). Further, the back wall portion 11c holds a plurality of plug terminals 10.

[Plug terminal]
The plug terminal 10 is a pin-like terminal, and includes a board connecting portion 10b, a housing fixing portion 10c, and a plug contact portion 10a. The housing fixing portion 10c penetrates the back wall portion 11c along the front-rear direction Y. A plug contact portion 10a described later is disposed inside the fitting chamber 11e, and the board connecting portion 10b is disposed outside. . Moreover, since the socket connector 1 has the row | line | column of the socket terminal 6 of the upper and lower two steps, the plug connector 2 is provided with two types of plug terminals 10 from which the height of the plug contact part 10a differs correspondingly.

[Fixing method of wire conductor to socket terminal]
The linear conductor 5 is fixed to the linear conductor connecting portion 9 of the socket terminal 6. Specifically, the front end side of the insulating coating 5b is aligned with the clamp piece 9b1, and at the same time, the conductive portion 5a exposed from the insulating coating 5b at the front end of the linear conductor 5 is used as the crimping portion 9a of the socket terminal 6. Position. Thereafter, the clamp piece 9b1 is bent and held toward the insulating coating 5b, and the fixed piece 9a2 is bent and pressed toward the conductive portion 5a. Thus, the attachment of the linear conductor 5 to the socket terminal 6 is completed (see FIG. 11).

[Description of how to attach the socket terminal to the socket housing]
First, the retainer 7 is pushed down and moved to an insertable position (see FIG. 14A). Thereafter, the contact connection portion 8 of the socket terminal 6 is inserted into the insertion port 4c1 of the socket housing 3 (see FIGS. 12A and 12B). In a state where the retainer 7 is in the insertable position, since the locking portion 7b of the retainer 7 is disposed outside the terminal accommodating portion 4c, the socket terminal 6 can be smoothly inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 4c. Since the locking portion 7b of the retainer 7 has the inclined portion 7b1, even if the positioning protrusion 8b or the box portion 8a of the socket terminal 6 comes into contact with the locking portion 7b, a situation occurs where the insertion is stopped due to being caught. It has become difficult.

  As described above, the socket housing 3 has the insertion groove 4c2 along the front-rear direction Y on the lower end side of the terminal accommodating portion 4c. The insertion groove 4c2 is formed from the insertion port 4c1 to the back side of the terminal accommodating portion 4c. Further, since the contact connecting portion 8 is provided with a positioning protrusion 8b that protrudes along the height direction Z, the contact connecting portion 8 is aligned with the insertion groove 4c2 with the side where the positioning protrusion 8b is provided facing downward. Then, the contact connecting portion 8 can be inserted into the insertion port 4c1. By providing such an insertion groove 4c2, the socket terminal 6 can be inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 4c in a regular direction. The tip of the contact connecting portion 8 of the lower socket terminal 6 passes through the terminal insertion hole 7a of the retainer 7 and is inserted into the back side of the terminal accommodating portion 4c. The tip of the contact connection portion 8 of the upper socket terminal 6 passes through the upper side of the locking portion 7b provided at the upper portion of the terminal insertion hole 7a of the retainer 7 and is inserted into the back side of the terminal accommodating portion 4c.

  As described above, the elastic piece 4d1 of the lance 4d can be elastically deformed along the width direction X, and is provided so as to be inclined in the width direction X with respect to the front-rear direction Y. Since the locking projection 4d2 enters the inside from the side of the insertion groove 4c2, the elastic piece 4d1 of the lance 4d is directed outward from the insertion groove 4c2 when the insertion groove 4c2 is pressed against the locking projection 4d2. Elastically deforms along the width direction X. As described above, the lance 4d extends from the step portion 4c3 that expands the groove width of the insertion groove 4c2, and the lance 4d can be elastically deformed in the displacement space S (FIGS. 15 and 16). reference). Thus, the insertion operation of the socket terminal 6 into the terminal accommodating portion 4c can be performed smoothly. In addition, this allows the insertion groove 4c2 and the displacement space S to communicate with each other, so that the socket housing 3 can be further downsized as compared with the case where they are provided separately. Since the elastic piece 4d1 is biased toward the inside of the insertion groove 4c2, when the positioning protrusion 8b enters toward the back side of the terminal accommodating portion 4c and passes through the locking protrusion 4d2, the locking protrusion 4d2 Returns to the position inside the insertion groove 4c2. When the socket terminal 6 is pulled in the removal direction in this state, the rear end of the positioning protrusion 8b comes into contact with the locking projection 4d2 and is prevented from coming off. As described above, the lance 4d is elastically deformed not in the height direction Z but in the width direction X, so that the size can be reduced in the height direction Z.

  Thereafter, the retainer 7 is pushed up and moved to the locking position (see FIG. 14B). Thereby, the latching | locking part 7b of the retainer 7 enters the inside of the terminal accommodating part 4c. When the socket terminal 6 is pulled in the removal direction in this state, the locking portion 7b comes into contact with the locked portion 8a4 provided at the rear end of the box portion 8a and is prevented from coming off. Therefore, since the socket terminal 6 of the present embodiment has the lance 4d and the retainer 7 being double-detached, the socket terminal 6 can be more securely fixed to the socket housing 3. In this state, the lower end of the retainer 7 is flush with the lower surface of the socket housing 3. Therefore, it can be visually confirmed that the retainer 7 has been firmly moved to the locking position. If the socket terminal 6 is not firmly inserted to the back side of the terminal accommodating portion 4c, the locking portion 7b of the retainer 7 is caught by the bottom wall portion 8a2 of the box portion 8a and pushed up to the locking position. I can't. In this case, since the lower end of the retainer 7 protrudes downward from the socket housing 3, such an unlocked state can be confirmed visually.

[Description of mating operation between socket connector and plug connector]
The plug connector 2 is mounted on the board P. At that time, as shown in FIG. 23, the plug connector 2 is arranged so that the removal recess 11 b 1 is flush with the end face P 1 of the substrate P. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the socket connector 1 is inserted into the opening edge 11f of the plug connector 2 fixed to the substrate P, and the contact connection portion 8 of the socket terminal 6 and the plug contact portion 10a are brought into conductive contact. . At that time, the plug contact portion 10 a is inserted into a connection space 8 a 3 provided inside the box portion 8 a of the socket terminal 6. Thereby, since the plug contact portion 10a is surrounded by the box portion 8a, it is difficult for the plug contact portion 10a to drop out of the connection space 8a3, so that the plug contact portion 10a is surely in conductive contact with the first contact portion 8a6 and the second contact portion 8d1. be able to.

  After that, the plug contact portion 10a is guided to the back side of the connection space 8a3 by the elastic contact piece 8d having a curved shape, and the plug contact portion 10a presses the first contact portion 8a6, and the second contact portion 8d1. Push the gap between them and go in between. At this time, the elastic contact piece 8d having the second contact portion 8d1 is pressed downward, but the first contact portion 8d2 provided on the distal end side and the second contact portion provided on the proximal end side. The portion 8d3 contacts the inner surface 8a5 of the bottom wall portion 8a2, whereby the displacement of the second contact portion 8d1 is restricted (see FIG. 23). Therefore, the contact pressure of the second contact portion 8d1 with respect to the plug contact portion 10a can be further increased as compared with the case where the second contact portion 8d1 is displaced without limit. As a result, the first contact portion 8a6 and the second contact portion 8d1 can be reliably brought into conductive contact with the plug contact portion 10a.

  Further, as described above, the elastic contact piece 8d is connected to the positioning protrusion 8b via the bent portion 8c. Therefore, the bent portion 8c and the positioning protrusion 8b can be elastically deformed in conjunction with the elastic deformation of the elastic contact piece 8d. Therefore, when the first contact portion 8a6 is pressed by the plug contact portion 10a in this way, not only the elastic contact piece 8d but also the bent portion 8c and the positioning projection portion 8b bend, whereby the stress can be dispersed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of breakage and damage due to stress concentration on the elastic contact piece 8d.

  Thereafter, when the socket connector 1 is further moved into the fitting chamber 11e of the plug connector 2, the protrusion 4a1 of the socket connector 1 is locked to the lock portion 11a3 of the plug connector 2. At that time, since a click feeling is felt at hand, it can be confirmed that the socket connector 1 is securely inserted into the fitting chamber 11e of the plug connector 2. Thus, the fitting operation between the socket connector 1 and the plug connector 2 is completed.

[Explanation of extraction method]
When the socket connector 1 is removed from the plug connector 2, first, the lock release piece 4a3 of the socket housing 3 is pressed downward. By doing so, the protrusion 4a1 of the socket housing 3 is lowered, and is separated from the lock portion 11a3 of the plug connector 2 to be unlocked. In the present embodiment, since the removal recess 11b1 of the plug connector 2 is arranged along the end face P1 of the substrate P, the operator can easily access the socket connector 1 exposed from the removal recess 11b1 or the bottom side protrusion 4f1. You can hook your fingertip. Therefore, the socket connector 1 can be easily removed from the plug connector 2 so as to sandwich the socket connector 1 from above and below by coming into contact with the lock release piece 4a3 and the bottom surface side protruding portion 4f1. Even when the removal recess 11b1 is disposed on the substrate P not along the end face P1 of the substrate P, it can be removed by contacting the socket housing 3 exposed from the plug connector 2.

  The socket connector 1 of the present embodiment includes the lance 4d that is elastically deformed along the width direction X as described above. Therefore, unlike the case of elastic deformation along the height direction Z, there is no need to provide a displacement space for the lance 4d in the height direction Z, and thus the size in the height direction Z can be reduced. Such a socket connector 1 can also contribute to miniaturization of household electrical equipment and in-vehicle electrical equipment.

Variations:
In the above embodiment, the example in which the elastic contact piece 8d is formed in a curved shape having a substantially bent shape having a small curved shape has been described. On the other hand, it is good also as the elastic contact piece 8d which has a big curved shape. By carrying out like this, since the 2nd contact part 8d1 can be made to contact more strongly with respect to the plug contact part 10a, the contact pressure can be raised more.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the example which the positioning protrusion part 8b protrudes toward the downward side from the box part 8a was shown. On the other hand, it is good also as a positioning protrusion part which protrudes toward the width direction X. FIG. By doing so, the socket housing 3 can be further reduced in height.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Socket connector 2 Plug connector 3 Socket housing 4 Socket housing main body 4a Top surface part 4a1 Projection part 4a2 Bridge part 4a3 Unlocking piece 4a4 Leg part 4a5 Horizontal part 4b Side wall part 4b1 Projection part 4c Terminal accommodating part 4c1 Insertion slot 4c2 Insertion slot 4c2 4c3 Stepped portion 4d Lance 4d1 Elastic piece 4d2 Locking protrusion 4e Retainer insertion port 4f Bottom surface portion 4f1 Bottom surface protruding portion 5 Linear conductor 5a Conductive portion 5b Insulation coating 6 Socket terminal 7 Retainer 7a Terminal insertion hole 7b Locking portion 7b1 Inclined portion 7b1 8 Contact connection portion 8a Box portion 8a1 Top wall portion 8a2 Bottom wall portion 8a3 Connection space 8a4 Locked portion 8a5 Inner surface 8a6 First contact portion 8b Positioning projection 8c Bending portion 8d Elastic contact piece 8d1 Second contact portion 8d2 First 1 contact portion 8d3 second contact portion 9 linear Body connecting part 9a Crimper part 9a1 Bottom part 9a2 Fixing piece 9a3 Recessed part 9b Clamping part 9b1 Clamping part 10 Plug terminal 10a Plug contact part 10b Substrate connecting part 10c Housing fixing part 11 Plug housing 11a Ceiling wall part 11a1 Escape recessed part 11a3 Projection part 11a3 Part 11a4 Tip part 11b Bottom wall part 11b1 Removal recess 11c Back wall part 11d Side wall part 11d1 Guide groove 11e Fitting chamber 11e1 Accommodating space 11f Open edge F Fitting structure P Substrate P1 End face S of substrate S Displacement space

Claims (7)

A plurality of terminals having contact portions that are in conductive contact with the connection object;
A housing having a terminal accommodating portion for accommodating the terminal;
In the connector provided with a lance in which the terminal accommodating portion of the housing prevents the terminal from coming off,
The lance includes an elastic piece that is elastically deformed in a terminal arrangement direction by a terminal inserted into the terminal accommodating portion, and a locking protrusion that is formed on the elastic piece and is locked to the terminal to prevent the terminal from coming off. Connector. The terminal accommodating portion of the housing has a terminal insertion opening and an insertion groove extending from the insertion opening to the terminal insertion direction.
The connector according to claim 1, wherein the terminal has a protruding portion that is inserted along the insertion groove from the insertion port when the terminal is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion. The insertion groove has a step portion that expands the groove width in the arrangement direction of the terminals,
The connector according to claim 2, wherein the elastic piece of the lance is formed such that a base end is connected to a step portion and extends in a terminal insertion direction. The locking projection of the lance protrudes into the insertion groove,
4. The connector according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the elastic piece of the lance elastically supports the displacement of the locking projection between the inside and the outside of the insertion groove. The terminal is made of a series of metal pieces,
A cylindrical main body accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion;
The projecting portion projecting outward from the cylindrical main body portion;
5. The elastic contact piece according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic contact piece extending from the protruding portion toward the inside of the cylindrical main body portion along the insertion direction of the terminal into the terminal accommodating portion and having the contact portion. Connector. The connector according to claim 5, wherein the elastic contact piece has a curved shape protruding toward the central axis of the cylindrical main body portion between one end side connected to the protruding portion and the other end side opposite thereto. The connector according to claim 6, wherein the elastic contact piece has a contact portion with the inner surface of the cylindrical main body portion on the other end side.

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