JP2021086766A - Connector pair, wire harness with connector, and board unit - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a connector pair, a wire harness with a connector, and a board unit that are multi-pole and easy to fit male and female connectors.SOLUTION: A connector pair includes a female connector and a male connector. The female connector includes a plurality of female terminals and a housing on the female side. The male connector includes a plurality of male terminals and a housing on the male side. The number of the female terminals and the number of the male terminals are 40 or more, respectively. In a state in which the male connector and the female connector are not fitted, the minimum distance between points in which the male terminals are respectively inserted in the female terminals is 0.6 time or more and 0.9 time or less the thickness of one male terminal, and the force when one male terminal is inserted into one female terminal is 1.6 N or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present disclosure relates to connector pairs, wire harnesses with connectors, and board units.

As described in Patent Document 1, a male connector and a female connector are used as the electrical connecting member. The male connector includes a plurality of male terminals and a housing that holds the plurality of male terminals. The female connector includes a plurality of female terminals and a housing that holds the plurality of female terminals.

Patent Document 1 discloses a female connector further including a lever and a retainer. The lever uses the principle of leverage to reduce the force when fitting the plurality of male terminals and the plurality of female terminals, thereby reducing the burden on the operator. The retainer is used to detect the suitability of the insertion position of the female terminal with respect to the housing of the female connector.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-133375

It is desired to increase the number of terminals provided in the male connector and the female connector, that is, the number of so-called poles.

The larger the number of poles, the greater the force when fitting the male connector and the female connector. The greater the force at the time of fitting, the greater the burden on the operator. Therefore, the lever described above is required. However, the female connector provided with the lever tends to be large. Miniaturization is desired for in-vehicle applications and the like. Therefore, when the lever is provided, it is difficult to further increase the number of poles. Therefore, it is desired that the male connector and the female connector can be easily fitted even if the number of poles is large.

Therefore, one of the purposes of the present disclosure is to provide a connector pair in which a male connector and a female connector can be easily fitted while having multiple poles. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a wire harness with a connector and a substrate unit that can easily fit a male connector and a female connector while having multiple poles.

The connector pair of the present disclosure is
Equipped with a female connector and a male connector,
The female connector includes a plurality of female terminals and a housing on the female side.
The male connector includes a plurality of male terminals and a housing on the male side.
The number of female terminals and the number of male terminals are 40 or more, respectively.
In a state where the male connector and the female connector are not fitted, the minimum distance between the female terminals where the male terminals are inserted is 0.6 times or more the thickness of one male terminal. 9 times or less,
The force when inserting one male terminal into one female terminal is 1.6 N or less.

The wire harness with a connector of the present disclosure is
With the connector pair of the present disclosure,
Equipped with multiple wires,
Each of the plurality of electric wires is connected to each of the plurality of female terminals.

The substrate unit of the present disclosure is
With the connector pair of the present disclosure or the wire harness with the connector of the present disclosure,
Equipped with a printed wiring board
One end of each of the male terminals is connected to each of the female terminals.
The other end of each of the male terminals is connected to the printed wiring board.

The connector pair of the present disclosure, the wire harness with the connector of the present disclosure, and the substrate unit of the present disclosure are multi-pole, but the male connector and the female connector can be easily fitted together.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a female connector among the connector pairs of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the male connector and the female connector are not fitted in the connector pair of the first embodiment, and the male connector is a state in which the male connector is cut by the II-II cutting line shown in FIG. The connector shows a state of being cut by the II-II cutting line shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a male connector and a female connector are fitted in the connector pair of the first embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view of the female connector of the connector pair of the first embodiment as viewed from the connection side with the male connector in the fitting direction. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the female connector of the connector pair of the first embodiment cut by the VV cutting line shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a process of manufacturing a female connector among the connector pairs of the first embodiment, and shows a side of the female connector on which a gate is arranged. FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a process of manufacturing a female connector among the connector pairs of the first embodiment, and shows a state in which the female connector is cut by the VII-VII cutting line shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a seal ring portion provided on the female connector among the connector pairs of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an attachment provided on the female connector among the connector pairs of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a rear view of the connector pair of the first embodiment, which is a state before the attachment is attached to the housing of the female connector, as viewed from the insertion side of the female terminal in the fitting direction. FIG. 11 is a rear view of the state in which the attachment is attached to the housing of the female connector shown in FIG. 10 as viewed from the insertion side of the female terminal in the fitting direction. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a male connector among the connector pairs of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a front view of the male connector of the connector pair of the first embodiment as viewed from the connection side with the female connector in the fitting direction. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the male terminal and the female terminal by enlarging the region surrounded by the broken line circle shown in FIG.

[Explanation of Embodiments of the present disclosure]
In the following description, the force when inserting one male terminal into one female terminal may be referred to as a set of insertion forces.
The maximum load when fitting the male connector and the female connector is sometimes called the fitting load.
The state in which the male connector and the female connector are not fitted is sometimes called a non-connected state.
The state in which the male connector and the female connector are fitted together is sometimes called a connected state.
In the disconnected state, when the storage space of the male terminal of one female terminal is viewed from the direction in which the male terminal is inserted, the minimum internal dimension of the part that comes into contact with the male terminal is defined as the minimum distance between the female terminals. I may call it.

The present inventors have studied various configurations capable of reducing the above-mentioned fitting load in a multi-pole connector pair having 40 or more poles. Here, when designing a male connector and a female connector, there are many items that can be changed. For example, for each of the male connector and the female connector, items such as the component material, shape, size, etc. of the terminal, and the shape, size, etc. of the housing can be mentioned. The size is typically the size in the unconnected state.

The present inventors have focused on a set of male and female terminals. For example, if the minimum distance between the female terminals described above is large, the insertion force of the set described above tends to be small. As a result, the above-mentioned fitting load tends to be small. However, if the minimum distance between the female terminals is too large, the contact between the male terminal and the female terminal becomes insufficient. As a result, there is a concern that the contact resistance will increase. In particular, in applications where vibration is applied during use, such as in-vehicle applications, the contact between the male terminal and the female terminal tends to be unstable. However, the present inventors, if the insertion force of the set is a specific magnitude and the minimum distance between the female terminals is a specific magnitude, the fitting load is reduced and the male terminal and the female terminal are female. It was found that the terminals can be stably in contact with each other. The connector pair of the present disclosure is based on the above findings.
First, the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

(1) The connector pair according to one aspect of the present disclosure is
Equipped with a female connector and a male connector,
The female connector includes a plurality of female terminals and a housing on the female side.
The male connector includes a plurality of male terminals and a housing on the male side.
The number of female terminals and the number of male terminals are 40 or more, respectively.
In a state where the male connector and the female connector are not fitted, the minimum distance between the female terminals where the male terminals are inserted is 0.6 times or more the thickness of one male terminal. 9 times or less,
The force when inserting one male terminal into one female terminal is 1.6 N or less.

Although the connector pair of the present disclosure has a multi-pole number of 40 or more, the above-mentioned set of insertion forces is as small as 1.6 N or less, so that the fitting load can be reduced. Therefore, in the connector pair of the present disclosure, the male connector and the female connector can be easily fitted together, and the burden on the operator can be reduced. Since it is easy to fit the male connector and the female connector, the fitting lever can be omitted from the connector pair of the present disclosure.

Further, in the connector pair of the present disclosure, since the minimum distance between the female terminals described above satisfies the above-mentioned specific range, it is possible to maintain a good contact state between the male terminal and the female terminal even if vibration or the like is received during use. .. Therefore, the connector pair of the present disclosure can construct a connection structure having a low contact resistance.

(2) As an example of the connector pair of the present disclosure,
Examples thereof include a form in which the maximum load when fitting the male connector and the female connector is 99.5 N or less.

In the above embodiment, the number of poles is as large as 40 or more, but the fitting load is as small as 99.5 N or less. Therefore, the male connector and the female connector are easily fitted. Therefore, in the above form, the fitting lever can be typically omitted.

(3) As an example of the connector pair of the present disclosure,
Examples of the female connector include a form in which the fitting lever is not provided.

The above embodiment has the same number of poles and is smaller than a connector pair having a fitting lever. Alternatively, the above embodiment can have a larger number of poles if it has the same size as a connector pair having a fitting lever.

(4) As an example of the connector pair of the present disclosure,
Each of the female terminal and the male terminal includes a base material and a plating layer covering at least a part of the surface of the base material.
The plating layer includes a surface layer and an inner layer.
The constituent material of the surface layer is pure tin.
The constituent material of the inner layer is an alloy containing tin and copper.
Examples thereof include a form in which the alloy is partially exposed from the surface layer.

In the above embodiment, it is easy to obtain a pair of a male terminal and a female terminal having the above-mentioned set of insertion force of 1.6 N or less.

(5) As an example of the connector pair of the present disclosure,
The female connector includes a main body portion that holds the plurality of female terminals, and a seal ring portion that is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion.
Examples thereof include a form in which the maximum thickness of the seal ring portion is 1.5 mm or less.

Here, in the female connector having 40 or more poles, the peripheral length of the seal ring portion tends to be longer than in the case where the number of poles is as small as less than 40. Due to the long circumference of the seal ring portion, the frictional force when fitting the male connector and the female connector tends to increase. As a result, the fitting load tends to increase. The seal ring portion in the above form is not too thick. Therefore, the above-mentioned form is unlikely to cause an increase in the fitting load due to the seal ring portion.

(6) As an example of the connector pair of the present disclosure,
The female connector does not have a retainer
The female-side housing includes a main body that holds the plurality of female terminals, and a plurality of lances and a plurality of detection holes provided in the main body.
The tips of the plurality of lances are fitted into recesses provided in the female terminals, respectively.
Each of the plurality of detection holes is provided with an opening provided on the end surface of the main body portion on the connection side with the male connector.
Examples of the inner peripheral surface forming each of the plurality of detection holes include a part of the outer peripheral surface of the female terminal and a part of the outer peripheral surface of the lance portion.

The above-mentioned form has the same number of poles and is smaller than a connector pair having a retainer. Alternatively, the above-mentioned form can have a larger number of poles when it has the same size as a connector pair having a retainer. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the suitability of the insertion position of the female terminal can be detected by using the detection hole as described later.

(7) As an example of the connector pair of the present disclosure,
In a state where the female side housing is viewed in a plan view in the axial direction of the female terminal, the smallest rectangle including the female side housing is taken.
The length of the female side housing along the long side direction of the rectangle is 63 mm or less.
Examples thereof include a form in which the length of the female side housing along the short side direction of the rectangle is 30 mm or less.

Although the above-mentioned form has a multi-pole number of 40 or more, it is small.

(8) As an example of the connector pair of the present disclosure,
The female-side housing includes a main body that holds the plurality of female terminals.
In a cross section obtained by cutting the main body portion in a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the female terminal, the smallest rectangle including the main body portion is taken.
The plurality of female terminals are arranged at intervals along the long side direction of the rectangle, and are arranged at intervals in the short side direction of the rectangle.
Examples thereof include a form in which the maximum value of the distance between the female terminals adjacent to each other in the long side direction in the main body portion is 2.5 mm or less.

Although the above-mentioned form has a multi-pole number of 40 or more, it is small in that the length along the long side direction tends to be short.

(9) As an example of the connector pair of (8) above,
Examples thereof include a form in which the maximum value of the distance between the female terminals adjacent to each other in the short side direction in the main body portion is 3.6 mm or less.

The above form is smaller in that not only the length along the long side direction described above but also the length along the short side direction is likely to be shortened. The female connector in the above embodiment can realize a size of 63 mm or less × 30 mm or less as described in (7) above, for example, while ensuring insulation between adjacent female terminals, although it depends on the size of the female terminals.

(10) As an example of the connector pair of the present disclosure,
The female-side housing includes a main body portion for holding the plurality of female terminals and a hood portion.
The hood portion has a square tubular shape that surrounds the outer periphery of the main body portion and is closed on the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector.
In the hood portion, the corner portion between the first side wall portion provided with the gate mark and the second side wall portion adjacent to the first side wall portion includes a thick portion and a thin wall portion.
In the corner portion, the thin-walled portion includes an end surface on the connection side with the male connector and a connection side with the male connector along the ridge line direction of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion. Of the opposite end faces, it is provided from one end face to an intermediate position that does not reach the other end face.
The thick portion is provided in a U shape at the corner portion so as to surround the thin portion.
The inner peripheral surface of the corner portion may be a uniform surface having no unevenness.

Although the above-mentioned form has a large number of poles of 40 or more, it is excellent in manufacturability in that the housing on the female side can be easily molded with high accuracy. In particular, as described in (8) and (9) above, even when the distance between adjacent female terminals is small, the female side housing is molded with high accuracy. Although the details will be described later, by providing a thick portion at the corner portion formed near the gate, it is possible to secure a large pressure at which the fluid, which is the raw material of the housing, is introduced into the mold from the gate. As a result, the fluid easily flows from the thick portion forming portion in the mold to the forming portion side of the main body portion. Therefore, each of the polar holes in which the female terminal is arranged in the main body is molded with high accuracy.

(11) As an example of the connector pair of the present disclosure,
The male side housing includes a male side hood portion.
The male-side hood portion surrounds the area of the plurality of male terminals on the connection side with the female terminal.
Examples thereof include a form in which the minimum thickness of the hood portion on the male side is 1.6 mm or more.

The hood portion of the male connector in the above form has excellent rigidity and is unlikely to bend even when subjected to vibration during use. Although such a form has a multi-pole number of 40 or more, it is excellent in vibration resistance. Therefore, the above-described embodiment can easily maintain the connected state even in applications where vibration is applied during use such as in-vehicle applications.

(12) As an example of the connector pair of the present disclosure,
The male side housing includes a male side hood portion.
The male-side hood portion surrounds the area of the plurality of male terminals on the connection side with the female terminal.
The inner peripheral shape of the hood portion on the male side is a horizontally long rectangular shape.
Of the inner peripheral surfaces of the hood portion on the male side, two surfaces along the short side direction may each have ribs protruding in opposite directions.

In the above form, the rigidity of the hood portion on the male side is excellent due to the ribs. Further, in the above form, by using the rib as a guide, it is easy to properly fit the male connector and the female connector. Therefore, the above-mentioned form is excellent in connection workability of the connector pair.

(13) As an example of the connector pair of the present disclosure,
The female connector further includes an attachment.
The female-side housing includes a main body that holds the plurality of female terminals, and a mounting portion that attaches the attachment to the side of the main body into which the female terminals are inserted.
The main body has a plurality of polar holes and has a plurality of polar holes.
The number of polar holes is greater than the number of female terminals,
The attachment includes, among the plurality of polar holes, a closing pin that closes a predetermined number of the polar holes, and a plurality of through holes that communicate with the remaining polar holes.
Examples thereof include a form in which the female terminal is inserted into each of the remaining polar holes.

In the above form, the number of poles to be used can be easily changed by attaching the attachment to the housing on the female side. Here, conventionally, a dummy pin has been inserted into a polar hole that is not used by an operator. Therefore, the operator may mistakenly place the dummy pin in the pole hole to be used. In the above embodiment, the closing pin of the attachment and the through hole can be arranged at the same time with respect to the polar hole of the main body on the female side. Therefore, the above-mentioned misplacement of the dummy pin does not occur.

(14) The wire harness with a connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure is
With any one of the connector pairs (1) to (13) above,
Equipped with multiple wires,
Each of the plurality of electric wires is connected to each of the plurality of female terminals.

The wire harness with a connector of the present disclosure makes it easy to fit a male connector and a female connector. Further, the wire harness with a connector of the present disclosure can maintain a good contact state between the male terminal and the female terminal.

(15) The substrate unit according to one aspect of the present disclosure is
The connector pair according to any one of (1) to (13) above, or the wire harness with a connector according to (14) above.
Equipped with a printed wiring board
One end of each of the male terminals is connected to each of the female terminals.
The other end of each of the male terminals is connected to the printed wiring board.

The board unit of the present disclosure can easily fit a male connector and a female connector. Further, the substrate unit of the present disclosure can maintain a good contact state between the male terminal and the female terminal.

(16) As the substrate unit of the present disclosure,
The printed wiring board may include a control circuit that controls at least one of fuel injection and engine ignition of the engine.

In the above form, even if the engine receives vibration during use, the contact state between the male terminal and the female terminal can be maintained satisfactorily.

[Details of Embodiments of the present disclosure]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same names.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, the connector pair of the first embodiment, the wire harness with the connector of the first embodiment, and the substrate unit of the first embodiment will be described in order with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14.
The drawings may be simplified or some configurations may be omitted.
2 and 3 are vertical cross-sectional views obtained by cutting the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 provided in the connector pair 1 of the first embodiment in a plane parallel to the fitting direction of the male connector 3 and the female connector 2, respectively. is there. The fitting direction is substantially parallel to the axial direction of the female terminal 20 and the axial direction of the polar hole 225 in which the female terminal 20 is arranged. Further, the fitting direction is substantially parallel to the axial direction of the polar hole 325 in which the male terminal 30 is arranged. The fitting direction is the left-right direction in FIGS. 2 and 3.
2 and 3 show a state in which the female terminal 20 is housed in the upper and lower two polar holes 225 among the three polar holes 225 illustrated in the female connector 2. The female terminal 20 is not shown for the central electrode hole 225. Further, the female terminal 20 is shown only in FIGS. 2 and 3, and is omitted in other drawings.
In FIGS. 4 and 6, only the housing 21 of the female connector 2 is shown by a solid line.

(Overview)
The connector pair 1 of the first embodiment includes a female connector 2 and a male connector 3 as shown in FIG. The female connector 2 includes a plurality of female terminals 20 and a housing 21 on the female side. The male connector 3 includes a plurality of male terminals 30 and a housing 31 on the male side. As shown in FIG. 3, when the housings 21 and 31 are fitted and the tip of each male terminal 30 is inserted to a predetermined position of each female terminal 20, each male terminal 30 and each female terminal 20 come into contact with each other. To do. As a result, the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 are mechanically and electrically connected. The printed wiring board 8 shown in FIG. 3 is typically connected to the end of each male terminal 30 opposite to the tip. The electric wire 7 shown in FIG. 3 is typically connected to the end of each female terminal 20 on the side opposite to the connection side with the male terminal 30. Such a connector pair 1 is used as a member for electrically connecting the printed wiring board 8 and an electronic / electrical device (not shown) connected to the electric wire 7.

In particular, in the connector pair 1 of the first embodiment, the number of female terminals 20 and the number of male terminals 30, that is, the number of poles is 40 or more. The state that is not fitted and the male connector 3 and the female connector 2, i.e. in the non-connected state, the thickness of the minimum gap C ₂ is one of the male terminals 30 of the portion where the male terminal 30 in the female terminal 20 is inserted It is 0.6 times or more and 0.9 times or less of _{t 3 (Fig. 2).} Further, the force when one male terminal 30 is inserted into one female terminal 20, that is, the set of insertion force is 1.6 N or less. Although the connector pair 1 of the first embodiment is a multi-pole connector pair, the fitting load can be reduced.
Hereinafter, first, the female connector 2 and the male connector 3 will be described in order. After that, a set of insertion force and fitting load will be described in order.

(Connector pair)
<Female connector>
The female connector 2 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11.
As shown in FIG. 1, the female connector 2 is a block-shaped member including a plurality of female terminals 20 (FIG. 2) and a housing 21. Each female terminal 20 is mainly used as an electrical connecting member. The housing 21 integrally holds a plurality of female terminals 20 and electrically insulates adjacent female terminals 20 from each other. Further, the housing 21 is mainly used as a mechanical connecting member.

As shown in FIG. 2, the female connector 2 of this example further includes a seal ring portion 4 (see also FIG. 8 described later) and a waterproof plug 6 described later. The seal ring portion 4 and the waterproof plug 6 are held in the housing 21. Such a female connector 2 is used as a waterproof connector.

The female connector 2 of this example further includes an attachment 5 described later (see also FIG. 9 described later). The attachment 5 is used to change the number of pole holes 225 according to the number of poles of the female terminal 20.

In addition, the female connector 2 of this example does not have a fitting lever (see also FIG. 1). Further, the female connector 2 of this example does not have a retainer.

<Female terminal>
Each of the female terminals 20 is a conductive member obtained by bending a plate piece having a predetermined shape into a predetermined shape. The constituent material of the plate piece is a conductive material such as metal. The female terminals 20 all have the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given by taking one female terminal 20 as an example.

"Construction"
The area on one end side of the female terminal 20 is a connection point with the male terminal 30. The region on the other end side of the female terminal 20 is a connection point with the electric wire 7. The connection point with the male terminal 30 is fitted into a polar hole 225 provided in the main body 22 of the housing 21, which will be described later. In this example, the tip of the lance portion 252 provided on the main body portion 22 to be described later is fitted into the recess provided in the female terminal 20. By these fittings, the female terminal 20 is held in the housing 21.

The connection point with the male terminal 30 typically includes a square tubular tubular portion and at least one spring piece 205 arranged inside the tubular portion. The male terminal 30 inserted through the opening of the tubular portion presses the spring piece 205, and the spring piece 205 urges the male terminal 30 (FIG. 3). The urging force of the spring piece 205 keeps the female terminal 20 and the male terminal 30 firmly in contact with each other. The recess into which the lance portion 252 is fitted is typically formed by partially cutting out a plate piece constituting the tubular portion.

In this example, of the four inner surfaces of the tubular portion, the spring piece 205 is provided on the upper surface side in FIG. The spring piece 205 of this example is configured by folding a band piece extending from the upper surface toward the inside of the tubular portion. The male terminal 30 is sandwiched between the spring piece 205 and the inner surface of the tubular portion facing the spring piece 205, and the lower surface in FIG. 2 (FIG. 3).

The number, shape, etc. of the spring pieces 205 can be changed as appropriate. Although not shown, for example, the female terminal 20 may have two spring pieces arranged to face each other, and both spring pieces may sandwich the male terminal 30. In a structure in which the male terminal 30 is sandwiched between one spring piece 205 and the inner surface of the above-mentioned tubular portion as in this example, it is considered that the insertion force and the fitting load of one set are likely to be small.

The connection point with the electric wire 7 typically includes a wire barrel portion that holds the conductor 70 of the electric wire 7 and an insulation barrel portion that holds the electrically insulating layer 71 of the electric wire 7. The wire barrel portion and the insulation barrel portion are formed so as to wrap the electric wire 7 by a section integrated with the above-mentioned tubular portion.

《Constituent material》
The female terminal 20 typically includes a base material 200 and a plating layer 201 that covers at least a part of the surface of the base material 200, as shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an enlarged region near the surface of the female terminal 20 and the male terminal 30. The surface state of the male terminal 30 will be described later.

The constituent material of the base material 200 is typically pure copper or a copper alloy.

Pure copper contains 99.9% by mass or more of copper (Cu), and the balance is composed of unavoidable impurities.
The copper alloy contains additive elements, the balance of which is composed of Cu and unavoidable impurities, and is an alloy containing the largest amount of Cu. Examples of the additive element include tin (Sn), phosphorus (P), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe) and the like. The total content of the added elements is, for example, 0.05% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less. Specific examples of the copper alloy include phosphor bronze containing Sn and P, brass containing Zn, and iron-containing copper containing Fe.

The plating layer 201 preferably contains a tin layer made of pure tin. Pure tin is soft and easily deformed. Therefore, the female terminal 20 provided with the tin layer tends to reduce the contact resistance with the male terminal 30.

Further, in addition to the tin layer, the plating layer 201 preferably contains an alloy layer made of an alloy containing tin and copper on the base material 200 side of the tin layer. The alloy layer is harder than the tin layer. Therefore, the female terminal 20 provided with the alloy layer can easily reduce the insertion force of the set.

In addition, the plating layer 201 may be provided with a base layer (not shown) on the base material 200 side of the above-mentioned tin layer or alloy layer. Examples of the constituent material of the base layer include nickel, nickel alloy, and the like.

In particular, the plating layer 201 includes a surface layer 202 and an inner layer 203, the constituent material of the surface layer 202 is pure tin, the constituent material of the inner layer 203 is an alloy containing tin and copper, and the above alloy is from the surface layer 202. It is preferably partially exposed. In this case, in the plating layer 201, the interface between the surface layer 202 and the inner layer 203 is not linear, but is uneven as illustrated in FIG. In the plating layer 201 having a specific two-layer structure, the contact resistance between the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 tends to be lowered due to the surface layer 202 made of pure tin. The inner layer 203 made of the alloy makes the male terminal 30 slippery when the male terminal 30 is inserted into the female terminal 20. By partially exposing the alloy, the male terminal 30 becomes more slippery. As a result, the insertion force of a set tends to be low. It is preferable that the male terminal 30, which will be described later, also has a similar plating layer 301.

The plating layer 201 having the specific two-layer structure described above may be formed, for example, as follows. After forming a tin layer made of pure tin on the surface of the base material 200 containing Cu, heat treatment is performed. By this heat treatment, Sn in the region on the base material 200 side in the tin layer and Cu in the base material 200 are alloyed. As a result, the plating layer 201 having the above two-layer structure is formed. For the manufacturing conditions of the plating layer 201, known conditions and the like can be referred to. For example, a copper layer may be provided on the surface of the base material 200, and then a tin layer may be provided.

Of the base material 200, it is preferable that the contact portion with the male terminal 30 is provided with the plating layer 201. The portion of the base material 200 other than the portion in contact with the male terminal 30 may not be covered with the plating layer 201. Alternatively, the entire surface of the base material 200 may be covered with the plating layer 201.

The female terminal 20 of this example includes the above-mentioned plating layer 201 having a specific two-layer structure on the inner surface of the cylinder portion and the surface of the spring piece 205.

"number"
The number of female terminals 20 provided in the female connector 2 is 40 or more. The number of female terminals 20 can be appropriately selected depending on the application of the female connector 2 and the like. The number of female terminals 20 in this example is 48. The number of female terminals 20 may be, for example, 49 or more, 50 or more, 51 or more, 54 or more.

《Minimum interval》
In the unconnected state, the minimum distance C ₂ (FIG. 2) of the female terminals 20 satisfies 0.6 times or more and 0.9 times or less _{the thickness t 3 of one male terminal 30.} The minimum interval C ₂ is the minimum value among the intervals at the positions where the male terminal 30 is housed and the male terminal 30 is in contact with the female terminal 20 in the unconnected state. That is, the minimum distance C ₂ is the minimum distance between the above-mentioned male terminals 30 in one female terminal 20. In this example, the minimum distance C ₂ is the minimum distance between the above-mentioned spring piece 205 and the inner surface of the tubular portion.

When the minimum interval C ₂ is 0.9 times or less the thickness t ₃ , the female terminal 20 is surely in contact with the male terminal 30. Further, the female terminal 20 can be constructed in a state in which the male terminal 30 is pressurized in a direction approaching the male terminal 30. Therefore, the contact resistance between the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20, and thus the contact resistance between the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 tends to be low. Further, even if the female connector 2 is used for in-vehicle use where vibration is applied during use, the contact state between the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 is likely to be maintained. From the viewpoint of maintaining the above-mentioned contact state, the minimum interval C ₂ may be 0.89 times or less, 0.88 times or less, and 0.87 times or less the _{thickness t 3.}

If the minimum interval C ₂ is 0.6 times or more the thickness t _{3 , the minimum interval C 2} is not too narrow. Therefore, the male terminal 30 can be easily inserted into the female terminal 20. The larger the minimum interval C _{2, the} easier it is to insert the male terminal 30 into the female terminal 20, and the smaller the insertion force of the set. From the viewpoint of improving the insertion workability, the minimum interval C ₂ may be 0.61 times or more, 0.62 times or more, and 0.63 times or more the _{thickness t 3.} When the minimum interval C ₂ is 0.7 times or more and 0.72 times or more the thickness t _{3, the insertion workability is further improved.} The minimum interval C _{2 in} this example is 0.75 times the thickness t _3.

The minimum interval C ₂ may be adjusted so that the insertion force of a set is 1.6 N or less. The minimum interval C ₂ may be changed, for example, according to the shape / size of the above-mentioned tubular portion, the shape / size / number / arrangement state of the spring piece 205, and the like.

<housing>
"Overview"
The housing 21 is typically a molded body made of a resin composition. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the housing 21 is an integral body including a main body portion 22 and a hood portion 23.

The main body 22 is a block-shaped portion that holds a plurality of female terminals 20. The hood portion 23 is a bottomed tubular portion provided on the outer periphery of the main body portion 22. A space is provided between the main body portion 22 and the hood portion 23 into which the hood portion 33 of the male connector 3, which will be described later, is fitted (FIG. 3).

In this example, the main body 22 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. In particular, the main body 22 has a horizontally long rectangular parallelepiped shape (see also FIGS. 4 and 5). The hood portion 23 has a square tubular shape corresponding to the main body portion 22.

Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 2, the seal ring portion 4 is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 22. Further, in this example, the housing 21 is provided with a mounting portion 24 on the side where the female terminal 20 is inserted in the main body portion 22. The mounting portion 24 is a tubular portion integrated with the main body portion 22. The waterproof plug 6 and the attachment 5 are fitted inside the mounting portion 24.

《Constituent material》
Examples of the constituent material of the housing 21, the constituent material of the attachment 5, and the constituent material of the housing 31 of the male connector 3 described later include an electrically insulating material such as a resin composition.

An example of a resin that is the main component of a resin composition is a thermoplastic resin. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC) and the like. The resin composition may contain various fillers in addition to the main resin. Examples of the filler include glass fiber and the like. The constituent materials of the housings 21, 31 and attachment 5 of this example are resin compositions mainly composed of PBT. The housings 21 and 31 and the attachment 5 may be manufactured by various molding methods such as injection molding.

《Main body》
The main body 22 includes a plurality of polar holes 225 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. Each pole hole 225 penetrates from the end surface 221 of the main body 22 on the connection side with the male connector 3 to the end surface 222 on the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector 3 (FIG. 2). Each pole hole 225 has a shape and a size corresponding to the outer shape of the female terminal 20, and has the same shape and the same size. In this example, each polar hole 225 is a rectangular parallelepiped hole.

The connection side of the female connector 2 with the male connector 3 is the diagonally lower left side in FIG. 1 and the left side in FIG. The side of the female connector 2 opposite to the connection side with the male connector 3 is an obliquely upper right side in FIG. 1 and a right side in FIG. Hereinafter, the end face 221 on the connection side with the male connector 3 may be referred to as the first end face 221. Further, the end surface 222 on the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector 3 may be referred to as a second end surface 222. The second end face 222 is the end face of the main body 22 on the side where the female terminal 20 is inserted.

In this example, the number of polar holes 225 is greater than the number of female terminals 20 and is greater than 40. Therefore, in the housing 21 of this example, the number of polar holes 225 used can be reduced according to the number of female terminals 20. The number of polar holes 225 in this example is 54. The number of unused pole holes 225 is 6. In FIGS. 4 and 5, of the 54 polar holes 225, 6 unused polar holes 225 are cross-hatched.

A female terminal 20 is inserted into each of the polar holes 225 to be used. For example, a dummy pin (not shown) is inserted into each of the unused pole holes 225 to close the pole hole 225. In this example, when the attachment 5 is attached to the housing 21, the closing pin 51 (FIG. 9) closes the unused pole hole 225 (see FIG. 11 described later). The female connector 2 is excellent in waterproofness by closing the unused polar holes 225.

The plurality of polar holes 225 are provided in the main body 22 so that the plurality of female terminals 20 are arranged with respect to the main body 22 at a predetermined interval. Typically, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a plurality of polar holes 225 are provided in the main body 22 so that the main body 22 has a grid-like end face 221 and a cross section. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, when the housing 21 is viewed in a plan view in the axial direction of the female terminal 20, the smallest rectangle including the housing 21 is taken. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, in a cross section obtained by cutting the main body 22 in a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the female terminal 20, the smallest rectangle including the main body 22 is taken. The plurality of female terminals 20 are arranged at intervals along the long side direction of the rectangle, and are arranged at intervals in the short side direction of the rectangle. In this example, 18 polar holes 225 are arranged at equal intervals in the long side direction. Further, the three polar holes 225 are arranged at equal intervals in the short side direction. That is, the 54 polar holes 225 are arranged in 3 rows × 18 columns. The 48 female terminals 20 used are 3 rows × 16 columns, specifically, 3 rows × 5 columns, 3 rows × 6 columns, 3 rows × 5 columns, except for the above-mentioned 6 unused pole holes 225. Line up in three groups.

The long side direction of the above-mentioned rectangle is the left-right direction in FIGS. 4 and 5. The short side direction of the above-mentioned rectangle is the vertical direction in FIGS. 4 and 5. Further, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the female connector 2 cut along a plane orthogonal to the above-mentioned fitting direction.

The distance between the adjacent female terminals 20 is substantially equal to the distance between the adjacent pole holes 225. The interval is adjusted so that a predetermined insulation distance is secured between the adjacent female terminals 20. Typically, the interval is adjusted by the thickness of the wall portion that partitions the adjacent polar holes 225 in the main body portion 22. The spacing does not have to be uniform along the axial direction of the polar holes 225. The larger the maximum value of the interval, including the case where the size is not uniform, the higher the electrical insulation between the adjacent female terminals 20. However, the larger the maximum value of the interval, the larger the outer dimension of the main body 22 tends to be. As a result, the female connector 2 tends to be large. On the other hand, the smaller the interval is within the range in which the insulation distance can be secured, the smaller the outer dimension of the main body 22 tends to be. Alternatively, if the outer dimensions of the main body 22 are constant, the number of polar holes 225 can be increased.

_{For example, in the cross section of the female connector 2 shown in FIG. 5, the maximum value of the distance C 2W} between the female terminals 20 adjacent to each other in the long side direction of the main body 22 is 2.5 mm or less. When the maximum value of the interval C _2W is 2.5 mm or less, the width of the main body 22 and the width W of the female connector 2 (FIG. 4) tend to be small. In this respect, the female connector 2 tends to be small. _{The interval C 2W} shown in FIG. 5 is an example and is not necessarily the maximum value.

The smaller the maximum value of the above-mentioned interval C _{2W in} the long side direction, the smaller the width W of the female connector 2 tends to be. From the viewpoint of miniaturization of the female connector 2, _{the maximum value of the interval C 2W} may be, for example, 1.5 mm or less, 1.3 mm or less, 1.2 mm or less, 1.1 mm or less. When the maximum value of the interval C _2W is 1.0 mm or less, the width W of the female connector 2 is further smaller. In this example, the maximum value of the _{interval C 2W is 0.40 mm.}

As shown in FIG. 4, the width W of the female connector 2 is the smallest rectangle that includes the housing 21 as described above when the female connector 2 is viewed in a plan view in the axial direction of the female terminal 20. It is the length along the long side direction of the rectangle. The height H of the female connector 2, which will be described later, is a length along the short side direction of this rectangle.

_{For example, in the cross section of the female connector 2 shown in FIG. 5, the maximum value of the distance C 2H} between the female terminals 20 adjacent to each other in the short side direction of the main body 22 is 3.6 mm or less. When the maximum value of the interval C _2H is 3.6 mm or less, the height of the main body 22 and the height H of the female connector 2 (FIG. 4) tend to be small. In this respect, the female connector 2 tends to be small. _{The interval C 2H} shown in FIG. 5 is an example and is not necessarily the maximum value.

The smaller the maximum value of the above-mentioned interval C _{2H in} the short side direction, the smaller the height H of the female connector 2 tends to be. From the viewpoint of miniaturization of the female connector 2, _{the maximum value of the interval C 2H} may be, for example, 3.5 mm or less, 3.0 mm or less, 2.5 mm or less, 2.0 mm or less. When the maximum value of the interval C _2H is 1.5 mm or less, 1.3 mm or less, and 1.2 mm or less, the height H of the female connector 2 is further smaller. In this example, _{the maximum value of the interval C 2H} is 1.15 mm, which is larger than the maximum value of the _{interval C 2W.}

The lower limit of the above-mentioned intervals C _2W and C _2H is not particularly limited as long as the above-mentioned insulation distance can be secured. The smaller the intervals C _2W and C _2H , the more difficult it is for the fluid, which is the raw material of the housing 21, to flow in the mold in the manufacturing process of the housing 21. At this point, the manufacturability of the housing 21 is reduced. From the viewpoint of manufacturability, the _{minimum values of the intervals C 2W} and C _2H may be, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 0.2 mm or more.

_{Of the plurality of intervals C 2W} arranged in the long side direction, the maximum values of some of the intervals C _{2W may be different.} Alternatively, the maximum value of some of the intervals C _{2H may be different among the plurality of intervals C 2H} arranged in the short side direction. Alternatively, _{the maximum value of all intervals C 2W and} the maximum value of all intervals C _2H may be equal.

《Detection hole》
The housing 21 of this example includes a plurality of detection holes 25 and a plurality of lance portions 252 (FIGS. 2 and 3) provided in the main body portion 22 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. Each of the detection holes 25 and the lance portion 252 is used to detect the suitability of the insertion position of the female terminal 20 with respect to the main body portion 22 instead of the retainer. Each detection hole 25 has the same structure, the same shape, and the same size. Each lance portion 252 has the same structure, the same shape, and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given by taking one detection hole 25 and one lance portion 252 as an example.

As shown in FIG. 4, the main body 22 includes the polar holes 225 and the detection holes 25 side by side in the short side direction described above. The polar hole 225 and the detection hole 25 are opened in the first end surface 221. That is, the detection hole 25 includes an opening 250 provided in the first end face 221. As shown in FIG. 2, the lance portion 252 has a cantilever-supported spring piece shape and partitions the polar hole 225 and the detection hole 25. The free end of the lance portion 252 does not reach the first end face 221. Therefore, a part of the female terminal 20 can protrude toward the detection hole 25 between the first end surface 221 and the free end of the lance portion 252.

When the insertion position of the female terminal 20 with respect to the pole hole 225 is appropriate, the tip end portion of the lance portion 252 is fitted into the concave portion of the tubular portion of the female terminal 20 as described above. Further, a part of the female terminal 20 projects toward the detection hole 25 side between the above-mentioned first end surface 221 and the free end of the lance portion 252. The inner peripheral surface forming the detection hole 25 includes a part of the outer peripheral surface of the protruding female terminal 20 and a part of the outer peripheral surface of the lance portion 252.

When detecting the suitability of the insertion position of the female terminal 20 by using the detection hole 25 and the lance portion 252, a device including a detection pin and a probe pin (not shown) and an electric circuit is used. The detection pin is inserted into the detection hole 25. The probe pin is inserted into the tubular portion of the female terminal 20. A probe pin and an electric wire 7 to which a female terminal 20 is mounted are connected to the electric circuit.

The detection pin is made of an electrically insulating material such as resin. The probe pin is made of a conductive material. Examples of the conductive material include metals such as copper. The probe pin is fixed to the detection pin. The electric circuit includes a connection portion with a probe pin, a connection portion with an electric wire 7, a power supply, and a display unit such as a light bulb. The display unit indicates that the electric circuit is in a conductive state. For example, a light bulb lights up.

The detection pin and the probe pin are arranged so that the tip of the detection pin protrudes from the tip of the probe pin in the insertion direction into the detection hole 25. The protruding state of both pins satisfies the following conditions. When the insertion position of the female terminal 20 with respect to the polar hole 225 is appropriate, the probe pin inserted into the tubular portion of the female terminal 20 comes into contact with the female terminal 20. If the insertion position is inappropriate, the detection pin comes into contact with the tip of the lance portion 252 or the like. Due to this contact, the lance portion 252 prevents the detection pin from being inserted into the depth of the detection hole 25. As a result, the probe pin arranged at the position retracted from the detection pin cannot contact the female terminal 20.

The detection procedure will be described below.
The tip of the detection pin is inserted into the detection hole 25. As the detection pin moves, the probe pin also moves to the female terminal 20 side.
When the detection pin is inserted all the way into the detection hole 25 without being hindered by the lance portion 252, the probe pin is inserted into the tubular portion of the female terminal 20 and comes into contact with the tubular portion. As a result, the electric circuit connected to the probe pin becomes conductive via the female terminal 20 and the electric wire 7. By operating the display unit, it is detected that the insertion position of the female terminal 20 is appropriate. At the same time, it is also detected that the female terminal 20 and the electric wire 7 are conductive.
If the detection pin contacts the lance portion 252 and cannot be inserted into the detection hole 25, the probe pin cannot contact the female terminal 20. Therefore, it is detected that the insertion position of the female terminal 20 is inappropriate.

A known technique may be used as the detection method and device using the detection pin and the probe pin.

《Food part》
As shown in FIG. 1, the hood portion 23 surrounds the outer circumference of the main body portion 22. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the hood portion 23 has a bottomed tubular shape in which the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector 3 is closed.

Specifically, the hood portion 23 includes a peripheral wall portion and a bottom wall portion. The peripheral wall portion covers the outer periphery of the main body portion 22 except for the region near the first end surface 221 of the main body portion 22. The region of the main body 22 near the first end surface 221 is not covered by the peripheral wall portion and protrudes from the hood portion 23. The bottom wall portion is erected on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 22 to support the peripheral wall portion. The bottom wall portion provides a space between the inner peripheral surface 238 of the peripheral wall portion and the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 22. The hood portion 33 of the male connector 3 is inserted into this space (FIG. 3). In this example, as shown in FIG. 4, the space is a horizontally long rectangular frame in a plan view of the female terminal 20 from the axial direction.

Further, in this example, the thickness of the peripheral wall portion of the hood portion 23 is not uniform but different. In particular, the thickness of the corner portion 233 is non-uniform. Specifically, the peripheral wall portion of the hood portion 23 includes a first side wall portion 231 and a second side wall portion 232 and a corner portion 233. The second side wall portion 232 is adjacent to the first side wall portion 231. The corner portion 233 connects the first side wall portion 231 and the second side wall portion 232. Further, the corner portion 233 includes a thick-walled portion 235 and a thin-walled portion 236 (see also FIGS. 1 and 5).

In this example, the first side wall portion 231 is a portion along the short side direction of the smallest rectangle including the housing 21 described above. A gate mark 230 is provided on one of the first side wall portions 231 of the two first side wall portions 231 (FIG. 1). The second side wall portion 232 is a portion along the long side direction of the rectangle. Further, in this example, of the four corners, the upper two corners 233 in FIGS. 4 and 5 include a thick portion 235 and a thin portion 236. The upper two corners 233 have the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given by taking one corner portion 233 as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the thin-walled portion 236 is provided at the corner portion 233 along the ridge line direction of the first side wall portion 231 and the second side wall portion 232. The thin-walled portion 236 of this example is provided at the corner portion 233 from the end surface 239 (FIG. 6) on the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector 3 to an intermediate position not reaching the end surface 234 on the connection side with the male connector 3. Be done. The thick portion 235 is provided at the corner portion 233 in a U shape so as to surround the thin portion 236. So to speak, the thin-walled portion 236 is a groove that opens on the outer peripheral surface of the thick-walled portion 235, and is a groove that further opens on the end surface 239 and closes on the end surface 234. Of the inner peripheral surface 238 of the hood portion 23, the portion corresponding to the corner portion 233 is a uniform surface having no unevenness (see also FIGS. 4 and 5). Therefore, when the distance from the inner peripheral surface 238 to the outer peripheral surface of the corner portion 233 is taken as the thickness, the thickness of the thick portion 235 is thicker than the thickness of the thin portion 236 (FIG. 5).

Since the corner portion 233 connected to the first side wall portion 231 having the gate mark 230 includes the thick portion 235 and the thin wall portion 236, the housing 21 can be easily formed with high accuracy. Hereinafter, the reason why the housing 21 can be molded with high accuracy will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the housing 21 as viewed from the second end surface 222 side so that the first side wall portion 231 provided with the gate mark 230 and the corner portion 233 connected to the side wall portion 231 are located in front of the housing 21. It is a figure.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the housing 21 is cut in a plane parallel to the axial direction of the polar hole 225. In the housing 21, the region on the diagonally lower left side shown in FIG. 7 was cut near the boundary between the first side wall portion 231 having the gate mark 230 and the thick portion 235 by a broken line shown by a alternate long and short dash line in FIG. Indicates the state. In the housing 21, the region on the diagonally upper right side shown in FIG. 7 shows a state in which the portion of the main body 22 having the polar hole 225 is cut by the cutting line.

The fluid, which is the raw material of the housing 21, is introduced into a cavity of a mold (not shown) through a gate (not shown) in a state of being pressurized to a predetermined pressure. In this example, the mold cavity includes a portion where the main body portion 22 is formed, a portion where the hood portion 23 is formed, and a portion where the mounting portion 24 is formed. The portion forming the hood portion 23 includes a portion forming the peripheral wall portion and a portion forming the bottom wall portion. The locations where the peripheral wall portion is formed include a portion where the first side wall portion 231 is formed, a portion where the second side wall portion 232 is formed, a portion where the corner portion 233 is formed, that is, a portion where the thick portion 235 is formed, and a portion where the thick portion 235 is formed. A portion for forming the thin portion 236 is provided.

The above-mentioned fluid introduced into the mold from the gate flows from the portion forming the first side wall portion 231 of the mold toward the portion forming the corner portion 233 and the portion forming the main body portion 22. .. Specifically, as shown by the black arrow a1 in FIG. 6, the fluid is a portion forming a thick portion 235 from the gate through a portion forming one first side wall portion 231 in the mold. Then, it flows to a portion forming a region near the boundary between the corner portion 233 and the first side wall portion 231. A part of the fluid comes into contact with the convex portion forming the portion forming the thin-walled portion 236 in the mold. Therefore, as shown by the black arrow a2, a part of the fluid is located at a position forming the bottom wall portion in the mold along the ridge line direction of the first side wall portion 231 and the second side wall portion 232. It flows toward. As shown by the black arrow a3, the other portion of the fluid is a portion forming the thick portion 235 in the mold, and forms a region on the end surface 234 (FIG. 1) side on the connection side with the male connector 3. It flows toward the place where you want to.

A part of the above-mentioned fluid toward the portion forming the bottom wall portion in the mold forms the portion forming the thin-walled portion 236, the portion forming the thick-walled portion 235, and the bottom wall portion in the mold. Surrounded by places. As a result, the fluid flows toward the portion forming the main body 22 in the mold as shown by the black arrow a4 while maintaining a high pressure.

As shown by the black arrow in FIG. 7, the above-mentioned fluid toward the portion forming the main body portion 22 in the mold is located at the portion forming the other first side wall portion 231 while forming the polar hole 225. It flows toward.

The portion where the thick portion 235 is formed in the mold is preferably provided so that the difference between the width and cross-sectional area of this portion and the inner diameter and cross-sectional area of the opening of the gate is small. The smaller the difference, the higher the pressure of the above-mentioned fluid discharged from the gate is maintained. The higher the pressure of the fluid, the easier it is for the fluid to be filled tightly even in a narrow space in the mold. The narrow portion is typically a wall portion of the main body portion 22 that partitions adjacent polar holes 225. In this example, the thickness of the wall portion along the long side direction corresponds to the _{interval C 2W.} The thickness of the wall portion along the short side direction corresponds to the _{interval C 2H.} The inner peripheral surface of the wall portion constitutes the polar hole 225.

The inner diameter and cross-sectional area of the gate opening are substantially equal to the inner diameter and cross-sectional area of the gate mark 230. The planar shape of the gate and the gate mark 230 is typically a circular shape. In FIG. 1 and the like, the gate mark 230 is shown larger than the actual size.

In this example, the portion forming the corner portion 233 in the mold is not one space having a uniform size, but is divided into a portion forming the thick portion 235 and a portion forming the thin portion 236. There is. _{Therefore, the difference between the width W 235} (FIG. 1) and the cross-sectional area of the portion forming the thick portion 235 in the mold and the inner diameter and the cross-sectional area of the opening of the gate is small. Since the above difference is small, when the above-mentioned fluid is flowing in the mold, the pressure of the above-mentioned fluid is extreme as compared with the case where the portion forming the corner portion 233 is the above-mentioned one space. It is easy to suppress the decrease. That is, the fluid tends to have a high pressure. Therefore, the fluid tends to flow from the portion forming the corner portion 233 toward the portion forming the main body portion 22. Further, even if the number of the polar holes 225 is as large as 40 or more, and even if the intervals C _2W and C _2H of the adjacent polar holes 225 are narrow, the fluid is filled in the mold without any gap. As a result, the main body 22 is molded with high precision.

Further, in this example, there is only one gate for introducing the fluid. Further, the shape and size of the corner portion 233 on the gate side and the shape and size of the corner portion 233 on the opposite side to the gate side are the same. Therefore, the size of the portion of the mold that forms the corner portion 233 away from the gate is about the same as the size of the portion that forms the corner portion 233 near the gate. Since the size of the flow path of the fluid is about the same, the fluid can easily flow even at a portion of the mold that forms a corner portion 233 away from the gate.

《Mounting part》
As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting portion 24 of this example is a tubular portion extending along the axial direction of the pole hole 225 from the second end surface 222 of the main body portion 22 (FIGS. 6 and 7). See also). The mounting portion 24 constitutes a space for accommodating the waterproof plug 6 and the attachment 5.

In this example, the thickness of the internal angle portion 240 of the mounting portion 24 is locally thick. The inner corner portion 240 is a corner portion formed by the second end surface 222 of the main body portion 22 and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion 24. The inner corner portion 240 has a locally thick portion because the corner portion is flattened. Since the inner corner portion 240 is locally thick, the above-mentioned fluid easily flows between the portion forming the mounting portion 24 and the portion forming the main body portion 22 in the mold.

The mounting portion 24 of this example is a tubular body that is continuous in the circumferential direction, but the shape and the like of the mounting portion 24 can be appropriately changed as long as the waterproof plug 6 and the attachment 5 can be held.

<< Other configurations >>
In addition, the hood portion 23 includes a lock mechanism (not shown) that meshes with the hood portion 33 of the male connector 3. The locking mechanism may include, for example, a claw portion provided on the hood portion 33 on the male side and a recess provided on the hood portion 23 on the female side. Illustration of the claws and recesses is omitted. By fitting the claws into the recesses, the hoods 23 and 33 are firmly fixed to each other. The recess is provided in a portion of the hood portion 23 on the female side other than the above-mentioned corner portion 233, for example, in the second side wall portion 232. Further, the hood portion 23 has a recess inside the first side wall portion 231 (FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 12, which will be described later, a protrusion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion 33 on the male side along the short side direction is fitted into the recess. Further, the hood portion 23 has a groove portion on the inner peripheral surface of the region on the corner portion 233 side in the second side wall portion 232 (FIG. 1). A ridge provided on the upper surface of the male hood 33 shown in FIG. 12 is fitted into each groove.

<Seal ring part>
Hereinafter, the seal ring portion 4 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 2 and 8.
The seal ring portion 4 is attached to the main body portion 22 as shown in FIG. 2 and contributes to enhancing the water stopping property between the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 (see also FIG. 3).

The seal ring portion 4 of this example is an integral body including an annular portion 40 and a mounting portion 42 (FIG. 8).
The annular portion 40 is a portion of the main body portion 22 of the housing 21 that is mounted on the outer periphery of the region on the second end surface 222 side. Therefore, the outer circumference of the annular portion 40 is covered with the hood portion 23. The mounting portion 42 is a portion for fixing the seal ring portion 4 to the housing 21.

In this example, the annular portion 40 has a horizontally long rectangular frame shape corresponding to the outer shape of the main body portion 22 (FIG. 8). Further, the annular portion 40 does not have a uniform thickness in a cross section obtained by cutting the annular portion 40 in a plane parallel to the axial direction of the ring. The region of the annular portion 40 arranged on the first end surface 221 side of the main body portion 22 includes a portion thicker than the region arranged on the second end surface 222 side. The cross-sectional shape of this thick portion is M-shaped. In the connected state, the above-mentioned M-shaped portion is pressed by the hood portion 33 of the male connector 3 and comes into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 33 (FIG. 3). That is, the M-shaped portion is a contact portion with the hood portion 33 on the male side.

The thickness of the annular portion 40 can be appropriately selected within a range in which a predetermined water stoppage can be ensured. Of the annular portion 40, the thicker the contact portion of the male connector 3 with the hood portion 33, the more the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 22 on the female side and the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 33 on the male side form the annular portion 40. Easy to crush. As a result, the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 22 on the female side and the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 33 on the male side are in close contact with each other. Therefore, the water stopping property is enhanced. From the viewpoint of improving water stopping property, the maximum thickness t ₄ of the annular portion 40 is, for example, 0.5 mm or more, 0.8 mm or more, 1.0 mm or more.

The maximum thickness t ₄ of the annular portion 40 is the thickness of the annular portion 40 in an uncompressed state. Further, the maximum thickness t ₄ is the thickness of the thickest portion of the annular portion 40 in contact with the hood portion 33 of the male connector 3. In this example, M-shaped portion of the above has a maximum thickness t _4.

The thinner the annular portion 40, the smaller the fitting load tends to be. The maximum thickness t ₄ of the annular portion 40 is, for example, 1.5 mm or less. If the maximum thickness t ₄ is 1.5 mm or less, the annular portion 40 is fitted even if the circumferential length of the annular portion 40 is long due to the long outer peripheral length of the main body portion 22 due to the large number of polar holes 225. The increase in load tends to be small. From the viewpoint of reducing the fitting load, the maximum thickness t ₄ may be 1.45 mm or less and 1.40 mm or less. The maximum thickness t ₄ of this example is 1.35 mm.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 8, the mounting portions 42 are provided at locations along the short side direction in the annular portion 40, respectively. Each mounting portion 42 includes a claw portion. The claws of each mounting portion 42 are fitted into mounting holes 245 (FIGS. 5, 6 and 7) provided in the housing 21 (see also FIG. 10 described later). The seal ring portion 4 is fixed to the housing 21 by hooking the claw portion on the bottom wall portion of the hood portion 23.

Examples of the constituent materials of the seal ring portion 4 and the waterproof stopper 6 described later include materials having excellent water stopping properties such as a rubber composition. Silicone rubber and the like are examples of rubber that is the main component of the rubber composition.

<Waterproof plug>
Hereinafter, the waterproof plug 6 will be described mainly with reference to FIG.
The waterproof plug 6 is fitted inside the mounting portion 24 and contributes to enhancing the water stopping property of the female connector 2.

The waterproof plug 6 of this example is a plate-shaped member having a predetermined thickness, and is arranged in contact with the second end surface 222 of the main body portion 22. The waterproof plug 6 is provided with the same number of holding holes 65 as the number of polar holes 225. In this example, the number of holding holes 65 is 54. In the state where the waterproof plug 6 is arranged in the housing 21, each holding hole 65 is provided so as to correspond to the arrangement position of each pole hole 225, and communicates with each pole hole 225.

An electric wire 7 is inserted through each holding hole 65. A female terminal 20 connected to the electric wire 7 is inserted into each pole hole 225 of the main body 22 communicating with each holding hole 65. The inner peripheral surface forming each holding hole 65 is in close contact with each electric wire 7. Therefore, it is prevented that water or the like is transmitted to the female terminal 20 side via the electric wire 7. Further, the housing 21 and the waterproof plug 6 are mutually positioned by the continuous female terminal 20 and the electric wire 7.

In this example, the end face of the waterproof plug 6 on the main body 22 side and the end face on the side opposite to the main body 22 side are horizontally long rectangular shapes (see FIG. 10 described later). In a state where the waterproof plug 6 is not fitted in the mounting portion 24, the length in the long side direction and the length in the short side direction of the waterproof plug 6 are the length in the long side direction and the length in the short side direction of the mounting portion 24. Slightly larger than that. Therefore, when the waterproof plug 6 is fitted into the mounting portion 24, the outer peripheral surface of the waterproof plug 6 comes into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion 24. Due to this close contact, the waterproof plug 6 is held in the housing 21.

In this example, each holding hole 65 penetrates from the end surface of the waterproof plug 6 on the main body 22 side to the end surface on the opposite side. Further, in this example, each holding hole 65 has the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given by taking one holding hole 65 as an example.

The holding hole 65 is a hole having a circular cross section cut in a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the holding hole 65. The inner diameter of the holding hole 65 is not uniform but different along the axial direction. Each opening-side region of the holding hole 65 has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of one electric wire 7. Therefore, it is easy to insert the electric wire 7 and the female terminal 20 into the holding hole 65. The axially intermediate region of the holding hole 65 includes a portion having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of one electric wire 7. Therefore, the inner peripheral surface forming the holding hole 65 can be brought into close contact with the electric wire 7.

<attachment>
Hereinafter, the attachment 5 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11.
The attachment 5 is a member that can be attached to and detached from the housing 21 of the female connector 2. The attachment 5 is used when the number of polar holes 225 provided in the housing 21 is reduced according to the number of female terminals 20 used.

Specifically, the attachment 5 includes at least one closing pin 51 and a plurality of through holes 55. The closing pin 51 closes a predetermined number of polar holes 225 among the plurality of polar holes 225, and reduces the number of available polar holes 225. Each through hole 55 is provided so as to communicate with the remaining pole hole 225 that is not blocked by the closing pin 51. Each of the remaining pole holes 225 is a pole hole 225 to be used. Female terminals 20 are inserted into the remaining polar holes 225 (FIG. 2). An electric wire 7 connected to the female terminal 20 is inserted into each through hole 55 (FIG. 2).

In this example, the attachment 5 includes a plate-shaped main body 50 having a predetermined thickness. The main body 50 is arranged in contact with the end surface of the waterproof plug 6 (FIG. 2). The end face of the main body 50 on the waterproof plug 6 side and the end face on the side opposite to the waterproof plug 6 side are horizontally long rectangular shapes corresponding to the second end face 222 of the main body 22. The thickness of the main body 50 is such that the main body 50 does not protrude from the mounting 24 when the waterproof plug 6 and the attachment 5 are arranged inside the mounting portion 24 (FIG. 2).

The main body 50 includes the same number of closing pins 51 as the number of unused pole holes 225, and the same number of through holes 55 as the number of used pole holes 225. Each closing pin 51 projects from the end surface of the main body 50 on the waterproof plug 6 side toward the waterproof plug 6 side. Each through hole 55 penetrates from the end surface of the main body 50 on the waterproof plug 6 side to the end surface on the opposite side.

Each closing pin 51 and each through hole 55 are provided so as to correspond to the arrangement position of each holding hole 65 of the waterproof plug 6 in a state where the attachment 5 is attached to the housing 21. When the attachment 5 is attached to the housing 21, each closing pin 51 is inserted into each holding hole 65 corresponding to each pole hole 225 not used in the waterproof plug 6. As a result, each closing pin 51 closes the opening on the side where the female terminal 20 is inserted, that is, the opening provided in the second end surface 222 in each unused pole hole 225. Each through hole 55 communicates with each holding hole 65 corresponding to each pole hole 225 used in the waterproof plug 6. As a result, each through hole 55 also communicates with each pole hole 225 to be used.

In this example, each closing pin 51 has the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given by taking one closing pin 51 as an example.

The closing pin 51 is generally in the shape of a round bar having a uniform outer diameter. The edge of the closing pin 51 is rounded off. Therefore, the closing pin 51 is easily inserted into the holding hole 65 of the waterproof plug 6.

The outer diameter of the closing pin 51 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of one electric wire 7. Therefore, when the closing pin 51 is inserted into the holding hole 65 of the waterproof plug 6, it comes into close contact with the inner peripheral surface forming the holding hole 65. This adhesion enhances water stopping. Further, due to this close contact, the closing pin 51 also functions as an attachment portion of the attachment 5 to the waterproof plug 6.

The protruding length of the closing pin 51 can be appropriately selected. The protruding length is a length along the axial direction of the closing pin 51, and is a length from the end surface of the main body 50 on the waterproof plug 6 side to the tip of the closing pin 51. In this example, the protruding length is slightly larger than the thickness of the waterproof plug 6. That is, the protruding length is longer than the length of the holding hole 65 of the waterproof plug 6. Therefore, in the state where the attachment 5 is attached to the housing 21, the tip of the closing pin 51 protrudes from the end surface of the waterproof plug 6 on the main body 22 side and is inserted into the unused pole hole 225. That is, the holding hole 65 of the waterproof plug 6 corresponding to the unused pole hole 225 is completely closed by the closing pin 51. Therefore, the water stopping property is enhanced.

The number of closing pins 51 can be selected according to the number of polar holes 225 to be used in a range smaller than the number of polar holes 225 provided in the main body 22. In this example, the number of pole holes 225 used is 48 and the number of closing pins 51 is 6, but it can be changed. For example, the number of closing pins 51 may be 1, 2 to 5, or 7 or more.

In this example, each through hole 55 has the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given by taking one through hole 55 as an example. An electric wire 7 is inserted through the through hole 55. Therefore, the through hole 55 has a size through which the electric wire 7 can be inserted. Further, a female terminal 20 connected to the electric wire 7 is inserted into the pole hole 225 of the main body 22 communicating with the through hole 55. The housing 21, the waterproof plug 6, and the attachment 5 are positioned with each other by the continuous female terminal 20 and the electric wire 7.

The arrangement of the closing pin 51 and the through hole 55 in the main body 50 is not particularly limited as long as the number of polar holes 225 to be used can be secured. In this example, the six closing pins 51 are divided into three, and are provided at symmetrical positions about the bisector in the long side direction of the main body 50. Further, the three closing pins 51 are arranged in a straight line along the short side direction of the main body 50. This sequence is exemplary and can be modified as appropriate.

In addition, the main body portion 50 includes one protrusion 57 and a plurality of claw portions 58. Both the protrusion 57 and the plurality of claw portions 58 project from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 50.

The protrusion 57 is fitted into a recess 237 (FIG. 10) provided in the mounting portion 24 (FIG. 11). The recess 237 is formed by partially cutting out the opening edge of the mounting portion 24 and a region in the vicinity thereof. By using the protrusion 57 as a handle, the operator can easily arrange the attachment 5 on the mounting portion 24.

In this example, the main body 50 includes four claws 58. The outer peripheral surface of the main body 50 includes two portions along the long side direction. Two claw portions 58 are provided at locations along the long side direction at intervals in the long side direction. Each claw portion 58 is fitted into a hole (not shown) provided in the mounting portion 24. The attachment 5 is fixed to the housing 21 by hooking each claw portion 58 on the inner peripheral surface of the hole of the mounting portion 24.

The case where the attachment 5 is not used will be described.
In this case, the attachment 5 is not attached to the attachment portion 24 of the housing 21. Therefore, the number of polar holes 225 remains the same as the number provided in the main body 22. In this example, the number of polar holes 225 remains 54. As shown in FIG. 10, when the waterproof plug 6 is arranged in the housing 21, the number of polar holes 225 corresponds to the number of holding holes 65 of the waterproof plug 6 and remains 54. By arranging the female terminal 20 (FIG. 2) in each pole hole 225, the female connector 2 can be used as a 54-pole connector. Note that FIG. 10 mainly shows the housing 21 and the waterproof plug 6.

The case where the attachment 5 is used will be described.
In this case, the attachment 5 is attached to the attachment portion 24 of the housing 21. Specifically, the closing pin 51 of the attachment 5 is inserted into each of the predetermined holding holes 65 of the holding holes 65 of the waterproof plug 6. Further, the main body portion 50 is arranged in the mounting portion 24, and the protrusion 57 and the claw portion 58 are fitted into the recess 237 and the hole (not shown) of the mounting portion 24, respectively. When the attachment 5 is attached, the number of available polar holes 225 is reduced to the number of through holes 55 of the attachment 5 as shown in FIG. In this example, the number of available pole holes 225 is reduced from 54 to 48. The female connector 2 is provided with female terminals 20 (FIG. 2) by arranging female terminals 20 (FIG. 2) in the polar holes 225 communicating with the holding holes 65 through the remaining holding holes 65 that are not blocked by the closing pins 51. It can be used as a 48-pole connector. Note that FIG. 11 mainly shows the housing 21 and the attachment 5.

A plurality of types of attachments 5 having different numbers of closing pins 51 and through holes 55 may be prepared. In this case, the attachment 5 having the number of closing pins 51 corresponding to the number of unused pole holes 225 and the number of through holes 55 corresponding to the number of used pole holes 225 is selected and attached to the housing 21. For example, the number of available polar holes 225 can be easily changed.

<Outer dimensions>
The female connector 2 includes 40 or more polar holes 225 as described above. In this respect, it can be said that the female connector 2 tends to be large. However, the female connector 2 of this example is small in the following points.
(1) The female connector 2 does not have a fitting lever.
(2) The female connector 2 does not have a retainer.
(3) The polar holes 225 are arranged in multiple stages in both the long side direction and the short side direction of the main body portion 22.
(4) The maximum values _{of the intervals C 2W} and C _2H of the adjacent female terminals 20 in the main body 22 are small.
(5) The main body 22 has a horizontally long rectangular shape.

As an outer dimension of the small female connector 2, for example, the width W of the housing 21 is 63 mm or less. Further, for example, the height H of the housing 21 is 30 mm or less. If the width W is 63 mm or less and the height H is 30 mm or less, the female connector 2 is further smaller. In this example, height H <width W.

The female connector 2 having a width W of 63 mm or less is smaller than a conventional female connector having 40 or more polar holes and a fitting lever. From the viewpoint of further miniaturization, the width W may be 62.5 mm or less, 62.0 mm or less, and 61.5 mm or less.

The female connector 2 having a height H of 30 mm or less is smaller than a conventional female connector having 40 or more polar holes and a fitting lever. From the viewpoint of further miniaturization, the height H may be 29.5 mm or less, 29.0 mm or less, and 28.5 mm or less.

The lower limit values of the width W and the height H may be selected according to _{the number of pole holes 225, the maximum values of the intervals C 2W} , C _{2H, and the like.} Although it depends on the number of polar holes 225, _{the maximum values of the intervals C 2W} , C _2H , etc., for example, the width W may be 45 mm or more. Further, the height H is 15 mm or more. In this example, the width W is 48 mm. The height H is 25 mm.

<Assembly procedure of female connector>
The female connector 2 of this example is constructed as follows, for example.
(1) In the female connector 2, the seal ring portion 4 is inserted between the main body portion 22 and the hood portion 23, and the seal ring portion 4 is attached to the outer periphery of the main body portion 22.
(2) Each female terminal 20 to which the electric wire 7 is connected is inserted into each through hole 55 of the attachment 5 and each holding hole 65 of the waterproof plug 6 in this order. The attachment 5 may be attached to the waterproof plug 6 in advance.
(3) With the waterproof plug 6 and the attachment 5 inserted around the outer circumference of the electric wire 7, each female terminal 20 is inserted to a predetermined position of each pole hole 225 provided in the main body 22 of the female connector 2.
(4) The waterproof plug 6 and the attachment 5 are fitted into the mounting portion 24 of the female connector 2 in this order.
(5) After inserting the female terminal 20, the appropriateness of the insertion position of the female terminal 20 is confirmed by using the detection hole 25 as described above. If it is inappropriate, the position of the female terminal 20 is corrected.

<Male connector>
The male connector 3 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.
As shown in FIG. 12, the male connector 3 is a member in which a plurality of male terminals 30 are held in a bottomed tubular housing 31. Each male terminal 30 is mainly used as an electrical connecting member. The housing 31 integrally holds a plurality of male terminals 30, and electrically insulates adjacent male terminals 30 from each other. Further, the housing 31 is mainly used as a mechanical connecting member.

<Male terminal>
Each of the male terminals 30 is a rod-shaped conductive member made of a conductive material such as metal. All the male terminals 30 have the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given using one male terminal 30 as an example.

"Construction"
The area on one end side of the male terminal 30 is a connection point with the female terminal 20 (FIG. 3). The region on the other end side of the male terminal 30 is, for example, a connection point with a printed wiring board 8 or the like (FIG. 3). The intermediate portion of the male terminal 30 is press-fitted into the polar hole 325 provided in the main body portion 32 of the housing 31, which will be described later (FIG. 2). By this press fitting, the male terminal 30 is held in the housing 31. Further, the male terminal 30 is L-shaped by bending the middle portion of the male terminal 30 (FIGS. 2 and 3).

《Constituent material》
The male terminal 30 typically includes a base material 300 and a plating layer 301 that covers at least a part of the surface of the base material 300, as shown in FIG.

The plating layer 301 of this example has the same configuration as the plating layer 201 of the female terminal 20. That is, the plating layer 301 includes a surface layer 302 made of pure tin and an inner layer 303 made of an alloy containing tin and copper, and the alloy is partially exposed from the surface layer 302. In this case, in the plating layer 301, the interface between the surface layer 302 and the inner layer 303 is not linear, but is uneven as illustrated in FIG. Since the plating layer 301 of the male terminal 30 and the plating layer 201 of the female terminal 20 are made of the same constituent material and have the above-mentioned specific two-layer structure, when the male terminal 30 is inserted into the female terminal 20, the male terminal 30 is inserted into the female terminal 20. The terminal 30 is slippery. As a result, the insertion force of the set tends to be small. As a result, the fitting load tends to be small. For details of the base material 300 and the plating layer 301, refer to the section of << constituent material >> of the female terminal 20.

In the region on one end side of the base material 300 to which the female terminal 20 is connected, it is preferable that the contact portion with the female terminal 20 is provided with a plating layer 301. In this example, the base material 300 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Of the four surfaces constituting the outer peripheral surface of the base material 300, two facing surfaces come into contact with the female terminal 20. Therefore, the plating layer 301 may be provided on the two facing surfaces of the base material 300.

In the region on the other end side of the base material 300 to which the printed wiring board 8 or the like is connected, it is preferable that the connection portion with the printed wiring board 8 or the like is provided with the plating layer 301. At the connection point with the printed wiring board 8 or the like, the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the base material 300 may be covered with the plating layer 301.

"size"
_{Of the male terminals 30, the thickness t 3} (FIGS. 13 and 2) of the region on one end side to which the female terminals 20 are connected is selected according to the size of the cylinder portion of the female terminals 20 and the minimum spacing C _2. Good. For example, the thickness t ₃ of the male terminal 30 may be 0.3 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less.

The thickness t ₃ of the male terminal 30 is a size along a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the male terminal 30, and is along the direction in which the male terminal 30 is sandwiched between the spring pieces 205 of the female terminal 20 and the like. It is the size. The axial direction of the male terminal 30 is the direction along the axial direction of the pole hole 325, and is the left-right direction in FIG. Further, the thickness t ₃ is a size along the vertical direction in FIGS. 13 and 2 in the region on one end side of the male terminal 30 to which the female terminal 20 is connected.

"number"
The number of male terminals 30 provided in the male connector 3 is the same as the number of female terminals 20, and is 40 or more. In this example, the number of male terminals 30 is 48. The number of male terminals 30 may be selected according to the number of female terminals 20.

<housing>
"Overview"
The housing 31 is typically a molded body made of a resin composition. Further, the housing 31 is an integral body including a main body portion 32 and a hood portion 33 (FIG. 2). The main body 32 is a plate-shaped portion that holds a plurality of male terminals 30 (FIG. 2). The hood portion 33 is a tubular portion erected from the inner end surface of the main body portion 32 located on the connection side with the female connector 2. So to speak, the housing 31 has a bottomed tubular shape with the main body 32 as the bottom.

《Main body》
The main body 32 includes a plurality of polar holes 325. Each pole hole 325 penetrates from the inner end surface of the main body 32 to the outer end surface located on the side opposite to the connection side with the female connector 2 (FIG. 2). A male terminal 30 is press-fitted and penetrated into each pole hole 325. Therefore, the region on one end side of each male terminal 30 projects from the inner end surface of the main body 32. The region on the other end side of each male terminal 30 projects from the outer end surface of the main body 32.

The connection side of the male connector 3 with the female connector 2 is on the right side in FIG. The side of the male connector 3 opposite to the connection side with the female connector 2 is the left side in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 13, the main body 32 of this example has a horizontally long rectangular shape when viewed in the fitting direction. The male terminals 30 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the long side direction and the short side direction of the main body 32, respectively, corresponding to the arrangement of the female terminals 20 in the female connector 2. In this example, the 48 male terminals 30 are arranged in three groups of 3 rows × 16 columns, specifically, 3 rows × 5 columns, 3 rows × 6 columns, and 3 rows × 5 columns. The long side direction of the main body 32 is the left-right direction in FIG. The short side direction of the main body 32 is the vertical direction in FIG.

The outer dimension of the male terminal 30 is smaller than the outer dimension of the tubular portion of the female terminal 20. Therefore, among the intervals between the adjacent male terminals 30, the interval along the long side direction is typically larger than the _{interval C 2W.} Of the intervals between the adjacent male terminals 30, the interval along the short side direction is typically larger than the _{interval C 2H.} The outer dimension of the male terminal 30 is a length in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the male terminal 30 in a cross section obtained by cutting the male terminal 30 in a plane orthogonal to the fitting direction. The outer dimension of the female terminal 20 is a length in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the female terminal 20 in a cross section obtained by cutting the female terminal 20 in the above plane. In FIGS. 13 and 5, the lengths in the orthogonal directions include the length in the vertical direction and the length in the horizontal direction. In the male terminal 30, a direction of a length the orthogonal is the thickness t _3.

《Food part》
As shown in FIG. 12, the hood portion 33 surrounds a region on the connection side of the plurality of male terminals 30 with the female terminals 20. Therefore, the area on one end side of each male terminal 30 is covered with the hood portion 33. The region on the other end side of each male terminal 30 is exposed without being covered by the hood portion 33 (see also FIG. 2).

The main body 22 of the female connector 2 is inserted into the internal space of the hood 33 (FIG. 3). Further, the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion 33 is covered with the hood portion 23 of the female connector 2 (FIG. 3). Therefore, the inner peripheral shape of the hood portion 33 on the male side corresponds to the outer peripheral shape of the main body portion 22 on the female side. The outer peripheral shape of the hood portion 33 on the male side corresponds to the inner peripheral shape of the hood portion 23 on the female side. In this example, as shown in FIG. 13, the inner peripheral shape of the hood portion 33 is a horizontally long rectangular shape when viewed in the axial direction of the polar hole 325 (FIG. 2).

The thickness of the hood portion 33 can be appropriately selected. Minimum thickness _{t 33} of the receptacle 33 include for example 1.6mm or. Here, when the hood portion 33 has a horizontally long rectangular shape as in this example, if the thickness of the portion of the hood portion 33 along the long side direction is too thin, the rigidity of the hood portion 33 tends to decrease. .. If the minimum thickness t ₃₃ is 1.6 mm or more, the rigidity of the hood portion 33 tends to increase. As a result, the vibration resistance of the male connector 3 is enhanced. From the viewpoint of improving the rigidity, the minimum thickness t ₃₃ may be 1.65 mm or more, 1.70 mm or more, and 1.75 mm or more.

The upper limit of the minimum thickness t ₃₃ of the hood portion 33 is not particularly limited. The smaller the minimum thickness t ₃₃ , the smaller the outer dimensions of the hood portion 33. As a result, the male connector 3 tends to be small. From the viewpoint of miniaturization of the male connector 3, the minimum thickness t ₃₃ may be 3.0 mm or less, 2.8 mm or less, and 2.5 mm or less. In this example, the minimum thickness t ₃₃ is 1.6 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.

"rib"
In this example, of the inner peripheral surfaces 338 of the hood portion 33, two surfaces along the short side direction each include ribs 331 projecting in opposite directions. The two surfaces along the short side direction are the left surface and the right surface in FIG. The rib 331 projects in the left-right direction in FIG. In this example, of the inner peripheral surfaces 338, two surfaces along the long side direction also have ribs 332 protruding in opposite directions. The two surfaces along the long side direction are the upper surface and the lower surface in FIG. The rib 332 projects in the vertical direction in FIG. By providing the ribs 331 and 332, the rigidity of the hood portion 33 can be increased.

Further, the ribs 331 and 332 can be used as a guide when fitting the hood portion 33 on the male side and the main body portion 22 of the female connector 2. Here, when the male side hood portion 33 and the female side main body portion 22 have a horizontally long rectangular shape as described above, the female side with respect to the two surfaces along the long side direction of the male side hood portion 33. It is easy to enter the hood portion 33 on the male side in a state where the main body portion 22 is tilted so as to intersect. The ribs 331 facing each other narrow the movable range of the main body 22 on the female side inside the hood 33 on the male side. Therefore, by using the rib 331 on the short side as a guide, the above-mentioned inclination is prevented. In this example, since the rib 332 on the long side can also be used as a guide, the above-mentioned inclination can be further easily prevented. As a result, the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 are properly fitted.

The shape and size of the ribs 331 and 332 can be appropriately selected. In this example, the ribs 331 and 332 have the same shape and the same size. Therefore, the following description will be given by taking one rib 331 as an example.

The rib 331 is an elongated rectangular parallelepiped protrusion as shown in FIG. 12 (see also FIG. 2).
The protruding height of the rib 331 from the inner peripheral surface 338 is such that the rib 331 and the main body 22 on the female side do not come into contact with each other in the connected state. That is, the protruding height is slightly smaller than the distance between the inner peripheral surface 338 of the male side hood portion 33 and the outer peripheral surface of the female side main body portion 22 in the connected state. For this point, refer to the rib 332 and the main body 22 in FIG.
The rib 331 is provided along the axial direction of the hood portion 33 in a range from a position inside the opening edge of the hood portion 33 to the main body portion 32. Therefore, the length of the rib 331 along the axial direction of the hood portion 33 is shorter than the length of the hood portion 33 along the axial direction. The length of the rib 331 and the length of the hood 33 may be the same. That is, the rib 331 may be provided so as to extend from the opening edge of the hood portion 33 to the main body portion 32.

Among the inner peripheral surfaces 338 of the hood portion 33, the number of ribs 331, the arrangement position, and the like on each surface along the short side direction can be appropriately selected. In this example, the number of ribs 331 on the short side is 2. Further, the distance between the adjacent ribs 331 is about 1/3 of the length of the surface along the short side direction (FIG. 2).

Among the inner peripheral surfaces 338 of the hood portion 33, the number of ribs 332, the arrangement position, and the like on each surface along the long side direction can be appropriately selected. In this example, the number of ribs 332 described above is 6 or 7. For example, the seven ribs 332 on the lower surface side are arranged at equal intervals (FIG. 13).

<A set of insertion force>
In the connector pair 1 of the first embodiment, the insertion force of a set is 1.6 N or less. A set of insertion force is a load required to insert the male terminal 30 to a predetermined position in the tubular portion of the female terminal 20. Details of the method for measuring a set of insertion forces will be described in a test example described later.

If the insertion force of a set of the male terminal 30 provided in the male connector 3 and the female terminal 20 provided in the female connector 2 is 1.6 N or less, even if the number of poles is 40 or more, the connector pair is 1. , The fitting load tends to be small. The fitting load is mainly the total insertion force expressed by the product of a set of insertion forces and the number of poles. For example, if the number of poles is 40, the total insertion force is 1.6 N or less × 40 = 96 N or less. Therefore, the fitting load tends to be 96 N or less.

The smaller the insertion force of a set, the smaller the fitting load tends to be. From the viewpoint of reducing the fitting load, the insertion force of the set is preferably 1.58 N or less, 1.55 N or less, and 1.50 N or less. The insertion force of one set is more preferably 1.45 N or less and 1.40 N or less.

If the insertion force of the set is too small, there is a concern that the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 are not sufficiently in contact with each other. For example, in an application where vibration is applied during use such as an in-vehicle application, the contact state may become unstable due to the vibration. From the viewpoint of ensuring a good contact state, the insertion force of a set is preferably 0.8 N or more and 1.0 N or more.

When the insertion force of a set is 0.8 N or more and 1.6 N or less and 1.0 N or more and 1.5 N or less, the fitting load is reduced and the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 are in good contact with each other. Is secured.

<Matching load>
When fitting the male connector 3 and the female connector 2, the connection between the male terminals 30 provided in the male connector 3 and the female terminals 20 provided in the female connector 2 and the connections between the housings 21 and 31 are used. It is necessary to fix it with a lock mechanism. Therefore, a combined force of the above-mentioned total insertion force, the frictional force between the male side hood portion 33 and the seal ring portion 4, and the above-mentioned frictional force of the locking mechanism is required. The fitting load is the maximum load when the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 are fitted, and is represented by the maximum value of the combined force described above. Details of the method for measuring the fitting load will be described in a test example described later.

The total insertion force described above accounts for approximately 75% or more of the fitting load. Therefore, in order to reduce the fitting load, it is effective to reduce the insertion force of the set as described above.

In the connector pair 1 of the first embodiment, the fitting load is, for example, 99.5 N or less. When the fitting load is 99.5 N or less, the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 are easily fitted. For example, the operator can easily connect the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 without the fitting lever. The smaller the fitting load, the less the burden on the operator. From the viewpoint of reducing the burden on the operator, the fitting load is preferably 99 N or less, 98 N or less, and 97 N or less. When the fitting load is 96 N or less and 95 N or less, the burden on the operator is further reduced. Further, the smaller the fitting load and the larger the number of poles, the smaller the insertion force of the set tends to be. That is, it can be said that the connector pair 1 having a small fitting load and a large number of poles includes a pair of a male terminal 30 and a female terminal 20 having a small insertion force.

If the fitting load is too small, there is a concern that the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 are not sufficiently connected. For example, in applications where vibration is applied during use, such as in-vehicle applications, the contact state between the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 and the connection state of the housings 31 and 21 may become unstable due to the vibration. From the viewpoint of ensuring a good connection state, the fitting load is preferably 75 N or more and 80 N or more, although it depends on the number of poles and the like.

When the fitting load is 75 N or more and 99.5 N or less and 80 N or more and 96 N or less, the burden on the operator is reduced and a state in which the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 are well connected is ensured.

Incidentally, a pair of insertion force, for example, cylindrical section shape and size of the female terminal 20 and the like, the shape, size, number, arrangement, minimum interval C _2, etc. of the spring piece 205, the thickness of the male terminal 30 and the like can be adjusted by t _3, and the like. The fitting load may be adjusted according to, for example, the number of poles, a set of insertion forces, the maximum thickness t ₄ of the seal ring portion 4, the shapes and sizes of the housings 21 and 31 and the like.

(Wire harness with connector)
Hereinafter, the wire harness 10 with a connector according to the first embodiment will be described mainly with reference to FIG.
The wire harness 10 with a connector of the first embodiment includes the connector pair 1 of the embodiment and a plurality of electric wires 7. Each electric wire 7 is connected to each of the female terminals 20 provided in the female connector 2.

Each electric wire 7 includes a conductor 70 and an electrically insulating layer 71. The electrical insulating layer 71 covers the outer periphery of the conductor 70. The conductor 70 is typically composed of a conductive material such as copper, aluminum, or an alloy thereof. The electrically insulating layer 71 is typically composed of an electrically insulating material such as a resin.

Each electric wire 7 is attached to each female terminal 20 in advance. Then, each of the female terminals 20 to which the electric wires 7 are connected is arranged in the respective pole holes 225 of the female connector 2, so that each electric wire 7 is integrally held by the female connector 2. In this example, each electric wire 7 is held by the housing 21 of the female connector 2 in a state of being held by the waterproof plug 6 and the attachment 5.

(Board unit)
Hereinafter, the substrate unit 100 of the embodiment will be described mainly with reference to FIG.
The board unit 100 of the first embodiment includes a connector pair 1 of the first embodiment, or a wire harness 10 with a connector of the first embodiment, and a printed wiring board 8. One end of each of the male terminals 30 is connected to each of the female terminals 20. The other end of each of the male terminals 30 is connected to the printed wiring board 8. As described above, the electric wire 7 is connected to the end of each female terminal 20 on the side opposite to the connection side with the male terminal 30. Each electric wire 7 and the printed wiring board 8 are electrically connected via the connector pair 1.

The printed wiring board 8 may include, for example, a control circuit 80. The control circuit 80 is constructed by a wiring pattern provided on the printed wiring board 8 and various electronic / electromagnetic components connected to the wiring pattern. The detailed illustration of the control circuit 80 is omitted. The control circuit 80 may control electronic / electrical equipment (not shown) connected to each electric wire 7.

The printed wiring board 8 includes, for example, a control circuit 80 that controls at least one of fuel injection and engine ignition of the engine. The board unit 100 including such a printed wiring board 8 is called an engine control unit.

(Main effect)
Although the connector pair 1 of the first embodiment has a multi-pole number of 40 or more, the insertion force of a set is 1.6 N or less, so that the fitting load can be reduced. The connector pair 1 of this example can also reduce the fitting load by the following (1) to (3). In the connector pair 1 of this example, the fitting load is 99.5 N or less. Since the fitting load is small, the connector pair 1 of the first embodiment can easily fit the male connector 3 and the female connector 2. Therefore, the burden on the worker is reduced.

(1) The number of spring pieces 205 provided in the female terminal 20 is one.
(2) Both the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 are provided with plating layers 301,201 having the above-mentioned specific two-layer structure. Therefore, the insertion force of a set tends to be smaller.
(3) The maximum thickness t ₄ of the seal ring portion 4 satisfies 1.5 mm or less. Therefore, the frictional force between the male side housing 31 and the female side housing 21 tends to be small.

Further, in the connector pair 1 of the first embodiment, the minimum distance C ₂ of the female terminals 20 satisfies 0.6 times or more and 0.9 times or less of the thickness t _{3 of the male terminals 30.} Therefore, even if vibration or the like is received during use, the state in which the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 are in contact with each other is well maintained. Such a connector-to-one can construct a connection structure having a low contact resistance. Further, such a connector pair 1 is suitable for in-vehicle use.

Further, the connector pair 1 of this example exerts the following effects (a) to (h).
(A) Since the fitting load is small, the fitting lever can be omitted. Therefore, the number of parts of the female connector 2 is small. Since the retainer is not provided, the number of parts of the female connector 2 is small.
(B) By omitting the fitting lever, the number of poles is the same, and the size can be reduced as compared with the connector pair having the fitting lever. Since it does not have a retainer, it can be miniaturized. Further, the female connector 2 is small because the maximum value of the interval C _{2W in} the long side direction is 2.5 mm or less and _{the maximum value of the interval C 2H in the short side direction is 3.6 mm or less.} The outer dimensions of the female connector 2 of this example satisfy a width W of 63 mm or less and a height of 30 mm or less.
Alternatively, the number of poles can be increased if the size is the same as that of the connector pair having at least one of the fitting lever and the retainer. For example, the number of poles can be more than 48.
(C) By omitting the fitting lever, the fitting time between the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 tends to be shortened. From this point, the connector pair 1 of the first embodiment can be expected to improve the connection workability between the male connector 3 and the female connector 2.

(D) Since the female connector 2 includes the seal ring portion 4 and the waterproof plug 6, it is excellent in water stopping property.
(E) In the housing 21 on the female side, the corner portion 233 located near the gate mark 230 includes a thick portion 235 and a thin portion 236. Therefore, the above-mentioned fluid easily flows in the manufacturing process of the housing 21. Since the corner portion 233 away from the gate also includes the thick portion 235 and the thin wall portion 236, and the inner corner portion 240 of the housing 21 includes a locally thick portion, the fluid can easily flow. From these points, the female connector 2 is excellent in manufacturability.
(F) In the female connector 2, the number of pole holes 225 can be easily reduced according to the number of poles by the attachment 5. Further, if the attachment 5 is used, the polar hole 225 to be used will not be accidentally closed. From these points, the female connector 2 is excellent in assembly workability.

_{(G) The minimum thickness t 33} of the hood portion 33 on the male side satisfies 1.6 mm or more. Therefore, the hood portion 33 has excellent rigidity. Since the ribs 331 and 332 are provided, the hood portion 33 has excellent rigidity. Even if vibration or the like is received during use, the connection state between the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 is maintained in good condition. From this point as well, the connector pair 1 is suitable for in-vehicle use.
(H) The ribs 331 and 332 provided on the hood portion 33 on the male side can be used as a guide when fitting the male connector 3 and the female connector 2. Therefore, the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 are likely to be properly fitted.

Since the wire harness 10 with a connector of the first embodiment and the board unit 100 of the first embodiment include the connector pair 1 of the first embodiment, it is easy to fit the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 as described above. Further, even if vibration or the like is received during use, the state in which the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 are in contact with each other is maintained as described above.

In particular, when the substrate unit 100 is an engine control unit, although it is vibrated by the engine during use, the connection state between the male terminal 30 and the female terminal 20 is well maintained as described above.

[Test Example 1]
For a multi-pole connector pair, a set of insertion force and fitting load was measured.

(Sample No. 1)
Sample No. The connector pair of 1 generally corresponds to the connector pair 1 of the above-described first embodiment.
Sample No. The number of poles in one connector pair is 48.
Below, the sample No. The specifications of 1 connector pair are shown.

<Female connector>
The female connector includes 48 female terminals and one housing. Further, the female connector includes one seal ring portion, one waterproof plug, and one attachment, and does not include a retainer and a fitting lever.

《Female terminal》
-The constituent material of the base material is a copper alloy.
-The surface of the base material is covered with a plating layer. The plating layer includes a surface layer made of pure tin and an inner layer made of an alloy containing tin and copper, and the alloy is partially exposed from the surface layer. Here, a pure tin layer was formed on the front and back surfaces of a plate made of a copper alloy, and then heat treatment was performed to form a plating layer having the above-mentioned specific two-layer structure. A female terminal was produced by appropriately cutting and molding a copper alloy plate provided with this plating layer.
-The number of spring pieces is one.
The minimum distance C ₂ of the female terminals is 0.75 times _{the thickness t 3 of the male terminals.} The minimum interval C ₂ is 0.47 mm.

"housing"
-The constituent material of the housing is a resin composition mainly composed of PBT.
-A recess is provided as a lock mechanism.
-The number of polar holes is 54. The attachment reduces the number of polar holes used to 48.
-Of the intervals between adjacent female terminals, _{the maximum value of the interval C 2W in} the long side direction is 0.40 mm. The maximum value of the interval C _{2H in} the short side direction is 1.15 mm. The width W of the housing is 60 mm. The height H of the housing is 27.4 mm.

<< Other >>
_{The maximum thickness t 4} of the seal ring portion is 1.3 mm.

<Male connector>
The male connector includes 48 male terminals and one housing.

《Male terminal》
-The constituent material of the base material is brass.
-The surface of the base material is covered with the above-mentioned specific two-layered plating layer, similar to the female terminal. Here, a pure tin layer was formed on the front and back surfaces of a plate made of brass, and then heat treatment was performed to form a plating layer having the above-mentioned specific two-layer structure. A male terminal was produced by cutting a brass plate provided with this plating layer into a predetermined shape. Male terminals were manufactured by the so-called pre-plating method.
-The thickness t ₃ of the male terminal is 0.63 mm.

"housing"
-The constituent material of the housing is a resin composition mainly composed of PBT.
-A claw is provided as a lock mechanism.
The minimum thickness t ₃₃ of the hood portion is 1.8 mm.

(Sample No. 101)
Sample No. The connector pair of 101 has sample No. 1 except for the following two points (I) and (II). Same as 1.
(I) The method of manufacturing the male terminal is different. Sample No. In 101, the sample No. After cutting the brass plate described in 1 into a predetermined terminal shape, a plating layer was formed. Male terminals were manufactured by the so-called post-plating method.
_{(II) The minimum thickness t 33} of the hood portion on the male side is different. Sample No. The minimum thickness t ₃₃ in 101 is 1.4 mm.

(Measuring method of fitting load)
The fitting load is measured as follows.
Fix the male connector so that the tips of the 48 male terminals face upward. The female connector is pressed against the male connector to fit the male connector and the female connector. The female connector is displaced from above with respect to the male connector fixed below. This displacement is performed until the male side housing and the female side housing are fixed by the locking mechanism. In the state of being fixed by the lock mechanism, each male terminal is inserted to a predetermined position of each female terminal. Further, the tip of the hood on the male side is inserted all the way to the back of the hood on the female side. Further, the main body portion on the female side is inserted deep into the hood portion on the male side.

Measure the load until it is fixed by the lock mechanism. Here, the load of 5 times is measured, and the average value of the loads of 5 times is obtained. The average value of this load is used as the fitting load.

The load can be measured by using a commercially available device such as an autograph or a pull / push gauge that can measure the load. The displacement speed of the female connector is selected from the range of 25 m / min or more and 100 m / min or less. In this example, it is 50 m / min. The above-mentioned device and displacement speed are similarly applied to a set of methods for measuring an insertion force, which will be described later.

(Measuring method of a set of insertion force)
A set of insertion forces is measured as follows.
Remove the locking mechanism on the male and female connectors. Also, remove the seal ring from the female connector.
The number of female terminals provided in the female connector is set to 2, and female terminals are not arranged in the other polar holes. The two female terminals are arranged symmetrically on the main body on the female side. For example, the two female terminals are arranged at each end in the long side direction in the main body on the female side.
Like the female connector, the male connector has two male terminals, and no male terminals are arranged in the other polar holes. The two male terminals are arranged in the main body on the male side corresponding to the arrangement positions of the female terminals. For example, the two male terminals are arranged at each end in the long side direction in the main body on the male side.
Fix the male connector so that the tips of the two male terminals face upward. The female connector is pressed against the male connector, and each male terminal is inserted into the cylinder portion of each female terminal. The female connector is displaced from above with respect to the male connector fixed below. This displacement is performed until each male terminal is inserted into a predetermined position of each female terminal.

Measure the load until each male terminal is inserted into a predetermined position of each female terminal. Here, the load of 5 times is measured, and the average value of the loads of 5 times is obtained. Further, this average value is divided by 2 to obtain the load at the set of male and female terminals. This load is a set of insertion forces.

Sample No. For the 101 connector pair, the set of insertion forces was 1.9 N. Further, the fitting load was 115 N.

On the other hand, sample No. For one connector pair, the set of insertion forces was 1.5N. Further, the fitting load was 94 N. Sample No. The insertion force of one set is the sample No. It is about 20% lower than the insertion force of a set of 101. Therefore, the sample No. The fitting load of 1 is the sample No. It is considered that the load was smaller than the fitting load of 101.

From the above, it was shown that in a multi-pole connector pair having 40 or more poles, the fitting load is small when the insertion force of the pair is 1.6 N or less.

[Test Example 2]
Sample No. prepared in Test Example 1. The vibration resistance of the hood portion of the male connector was evaluated for one connector pair.

The vibration resistance was evaluated as follows.
Attach a wire of the specified length to the end of each female terminal. Fit the male connector and the female connector. The male connector is fixed to the first holding portion and the second holding portion is fixed so that 48 electric wires extending from the male connector, the female connector, and the female connector are lined up between the first holding portion and the second holding portion. Forty-eight electric wires are fixed to the holding part of. The fixed length of the electric wire passed between the holding portions is 100 mm. Adjust the height of each holding part so that the axis of each wire is along the horizontal direction. The height here is the length along the vertical direction. Both holding parts are arranged on the exciter, and the vibrating machine applies vibration to both holding parts.

The vibration conditions are shown below.
A commercially available vibration exciter is used to apply vibration.
The vibration waveform is random.
The effective value (rms) of the vibration acceleration is 5G.
The vibration frequency is in the range of 50 Hz to 2000 Hz.
The test temperature is 85 ° C.
The vibration direction is the vertical direction. That is, it is a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the electric wire passed between both holding portions.

A laser displacement meter is placed above the male connector and the female connector, respectively, to measure the displacement amount (mm) of the male connector and the displacement amount (mm) of the female connector in a state where vibration is applied. Here, the position before the vibration is applied is defined as the initial position, and the amount of deviation from the initial position is defined as the displacement amount. From the measurement results of each laser displacement meter, the maximum value of the relative positional deviation between the male connector and the female connector is obtained. The maximum value of this displacement is called the relative displacement. For comparison, a connector pair having 39 poles and a minimum thickness of the hood portion on the male side of 1.4 mm, so to speak, a conventional connector pair was prepared, and the relative displacement amount was examined in the same manner.

Sample No. The relative displacement amount in 1 was 0.07 mm. Sample No. The relative displacement amount of 1 is about the same as that of the conventional connector pair. Sample No. In No. 1, although the number of poles is larger than that of the conventional connector pair, it is considered that the rigidity of the hood portion on the male side is increased because _{the minimum thickness t 33 of the hood portion on the male side is 1.8 mm.} As a result, it is considered that the housing of the male connector and the housing of the female connector were maintained in a properly connected state even when subjected to vibration, and the relative displacement amount was likely to be small. In addition, sample No. In No. 1, when the minimum thickness of the hood portion on the male side is 1.4 mm, the above-mentioned relative displacement amount is 0.098 mm.

From the above, it was shown that in a multi-pole connector pair having 40 or more poles, the rigidity is excellent if the minimum thickness of the hood portion of the male connector is 1.5 mm or more.

The present invention is not limited to these examples, and is indicated by the scope of claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

For example, in Test Example 1 and Embodiment 1, regarding the female terminal and the male terminal, the composition, shape, size, etc. of the base material, the composition, formation range, structure, etc. of the plating layer, the number of poles, the number of pole holes, and the arrangement state Etc., the maximum values of the intervals C _2W and C _2H can be changed as appropriate. Further, for the female connector and the male connector, the shape and size of the housing can be changed as appropriate.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the attachment 5 may be omitted. When the female connector 2 is a non-waterproof connector, the seal ring portion 4 and the waterproof plug 6 may be omitted. If these are omitted, the female side housing 21 is even smaller.

Alternatively, in the first embodiment, the thin-walled portion 236 of the hood portion 23 in the female connector 2 may be provided in the opposite direction to that of the first embodiment. That is, the thin-walled portion 236 may be provided at the corner portion 233 from the end surface 234 on the connection side with the male connector 3 to an intermediate position not reaching the end surface 239 on the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector 3.

1 connector to 2 female connector 20 female terminal, 21 housing, 22 main body, 23 hood 24 mounting part, 25 detection hole 200 base material, 201 plating layer, 202 surface layer, 203 inner layer 205 spring piece 221,222 end face, 225 poles Hole 230 Gate mark, 231,232 Side wall 233 Corner, 234, 239 End face, 235 Thick part, 236 Thin part 237 Recessed part, 238 Inner peripheral surface 240 Inner corner part, 245 Mounting hole 250 Opening, 252 Lance part 3 Male Connector 30 Male terminal, 31 Housing, 32 Main body, 33 Hood part 300 Base material, 301 Plating layer, 302 Surface layer, 303 Inner layer 325 Polar holes 331, 332 ribs, 338 Inner peripheral surface 4 Seal ring part 40 Circular part, 42 Mounting Part 5 Attachment 50 Main body, 51 Closing pin, 55 Through hole 57 Protrusion, 58 Claw part 6 Waterproof plug, 65 Holding hole 7 Electric wire, 70 Conductor, 71 Electrical insulation layer 8 Printed wiring board, 80 Control circuit 10 Wire harness with connector 100 Board unit C ₂ minimum spacing, C _2W , C _2H spacing t ₃ thickness, t ₃₃ minimum thickness, t ₄ maximum thickness W width, H height a1 to a4 black arrow

Claims (16)

Equipped with a female connector and a male connector,
The female connector includes a plurality of female terminals and a housing on the female side.
The male connector includes a plurality of male terminals and a housing on the male side.
The number of female terminals and the number of male terminals are 40 or more, respectively.
In a state where the male connector and the female connector are not fitted, the minimum distance between the female terminals where the male terminals are inserted is 0.6 times or more the thickness of one male terminal. 9 times or less,
The force when inserting one male terminal into one female terminal is 1.6 N or less.
Connector pair. The connector pair according to claim 1, wherein the maximum load when fitting the male connector and the female connector is 99.5 N or less. The connector pair according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the female connector does not include a fitting lever. Each of the female terminal and the male terminal includes a base material and a plating layer covering at least a part of the surface of the base material.
The plating layer includes a surface layer and an inner layer.
The constituent material of the surface layer is pure tin.
The constituent material of the inner layer is an alloy containing tin and copper.
The connector pair according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the alloy is partially exposed from the surface layer. The female connector includes a main body portion that holds the plurality of female terminals, and a seal ring portion that is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion.
The connector pair according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the maximum thickness of the seal ring portion is 1.5 mm or less. The female connector does not have a retainer
The female-side housing includes a main body that holds the plurality of female terminals, and a plurality of lances and a plurality of detection holes provided in the main body.
The tips of the plurality of lances are fitted into recesses provided in the female terminals, respectively.
Each of the plurality of detection holes is provided with an opening provided on the end surface of the main body portion on the connection side with the male connector.
One of claims 1 to 5, wherein the inner peripheral surface constituting each of the plurality of detection holes includes a part of the outer peripheral surface of the female terminal and a part of the outer peripheral surface of the lance portion. The connector pair described in. In a state where the female side housing is viewed in a plan view in the axial direction of the female terminal, the smallest rectangle including the female side housing is taken.
The length of the female side housing along the long side direction of the rectangle is 63 mm or less.
The connector pair according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the length of the female housing along the short side direction of the rectangle is 30 mm or less. The female-side housing includes a main body that holds the plurality of female terminals.
In a cross section obtained by cutting the main body portion in a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the female terminal, the smallest rectangle including the main body portion is taken.
The plurality of female terminals are arranged at intervals along the long side direction of the rectangle, and are arranged at intervals in the short side direction of the rectangle.
The connector pair according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the maximum value of the distance between the female terminals adjacent to each other in the long side direction in the main body is 2.5 mm or less. The connector pair according to claim 8, wherein the maximum value of the distance between the female terminals adjacent to each other in the short side direction in the main body portion is 3.6 mm or less. The female-side housing includes a main body portion for holding the plurality of female terminals and a hood portion.
The hood portion has a square tubular shape that surrounds the outer periphery of the main body portion and is closed on the side opposite to the connection side with the male connector.
In the hood portion, the corner portion between the first side wall portion provided with the gate mark and the second side wall portion adjacent to the first side wall portion includes a thick portion and a thin wall portion.
In the corner portion, the thin-walled portion includes an end surface on the connection side with the male connector and a connection side with the male connector along the ridge line direction of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion. Of the opposite end faces, it is provided from one end face to an intermediate position that does not reach the other end face.
The thick portion is provided in a U shape at the corner portion so as to surround the thin portion.
The connector pair according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the corner portion is a uniform surface having no unevenness. The male side housing includes a male side hood portion.
The male-side hood portion surrounds the area of the plurality of male terminals on the connection side with the female terminal.
The connector pair according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the minimum thickness of the hood portion on the male side is 1.6 mm or more. The male side housing includes a male side hood portion.
The male-side hood portion surrounds the area of the plurality of male terminals on the connection side with the female terminal.
The inner peripheral shape of the hood portion on the male side is a horizontally long rectangular shape.
The connector pair according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein each of the two inner peripheral surfaces of the hood portion on the male side along the short side direction has ribs protruding in opposite directions. The female connector further includes an attachment.
The female-side housing includes a main body that holds the plurality of female terminals, and a mounting portion that attaches the attachment to the side of the main body into which the female terminals are inserted.
The main body has a plurality of polar holes and has a plurality of polar holes.
The number of polar holes is greater than the number of female terminals,
The attachment includes, among the plurality of polar holes, a closing pin that closes a predetermined number of the polar holes, and a plurality of through holes that communicate with the remaining polar holes.
The connector pair according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the female terminal is inserted into each of the remaining polar holes. The connector pair according to any one of claims 1 to 13.
Equipped with multiple wires,
Each of the plurality of electric wires is connected to each of the plurality of female terminals.
Wire harness with connector. The connector pair according to any one of claims 1 to 13, or the wire harness with a connector according to claim 14.
Equipped with a printed wiring board
One end of each of the male terminals is connected to each of the female terminals.
The other end of each of the male terminals is connected to the printed wiring board.
Board unit. The board unit according to claim 15, wherein the printed wiring board includes a control circuit that controls at least one of fuel injection and engine ignition of the engine.

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