阅读说明：本技术 连接器 (Connector with a locking member ) 是由 松浦纯弥 于 2019-02-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：检测短路用端子零件是否适当地安装。阴侧连接器(F)具备：端子安装部(21),形成于阴侧壳体(20)；短路用端子零件(30),安装于端子安装部(21)内；锁臂(24),形成于阴侧壳体(20),在半嵌合状态下通过与阳侧壳体(10)的干涉而能够向端子安装部(21)侧弹性移位；以及组装检测部(29),形成于锁臂(24),在短路用端子零件(30)不当地组装于端子安装部(21)的情况下,通过在阴侧壳体(20)和阳侧壳体(10)的嵌合过程中与短路用端子零件(30)干涉,从而能够检测出短路用端子零件(30)的不当的组装状态。(Whether or not the short-circuit terminal fitting is properly mounted is detected. The female-side connector (F) is provided with: a terminal mounting portion (21) formed on the female housing (20); a short-circuit terminal fitting (30) mounted in the terminal mounting portion (21); a lock arm (24) formed on the female housing (20) and capable of being elastically displaced toward the terminal attachment portion (21) by interference with the male housing (10) in a half-fitted state; and an assembly detection unit (29) which is formed in the lock arm (24) and which, when the short-circuit terminal fitting (30) is improperly assembled to the terminal attachment unit (21), can detect an improper assembly state of the short-circuit terminal fitting (30) by interfering with the short-circuit terminal fitting (30) during the process of fitting the female housing (20) and the male housing (10).)

1. A connector is characterized by comprising:

a connector housing capable of being fitted to a mating housing and brought into a normal fitting state through a half-fitting state in a fitting process;

a terminal mounting portion formed on the connector housing;

a short-circuit terminal fitting mounted in the terminal mounting portion;

a lock arm formed in the connector housing and elastically displaceable toward the terminal mounting portion by interference with the mating housing in the half fitted state; and

and an assembly detection portion formed in the lock arm and configured to be capable of detecting an improper assembly state of the short-circuit terminal fitting by interfering with the short-circuit terminal fitting during fitting of the connector housing and the mating housing when the short-circuit terminal fitting is mounted to the terminal mounting portion in an improper posture.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the short-circuit terminal fitting includes a short-circuit elastic piece and a pair of protective wall portions that are disposed so as to face each other with the short-circuit elastic piece interposed therebetween,

wherein the assembly detection portion is displaced along an inner surface of the protective wall portion in accordance with the elastic displacement of the lock arm when the short-circuit terminal fitting is mounted in an appropriate posture,

when the short-circuit terminal fitting is improperly assembled, the elastic displacement of the lock arm is restricted by the interference of the assembly detector with the protective wall.

3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the short-circuit spring elastically contacts a pair of detection terminals provided in the mating housing in the normally fitted state to short-circuit the pair of detection terminals,

the lock arm includes a pressing portion that pushes the short-circuit elastic member to a short-circuit release position where the short-circuit elastic member is not in contact with the pair of detection terminals in the half fitted state, and elastically returns to a lock position in the normal fitted state to be released from the short-circuit elastic member,

the pressing portion presses a central portion of the short circuit elastic member in a direction in which the pair of protective wall portions face each other.

4. The connector according to claim 3, wherein in a state where the lock arm is not elastically displaced, an opposing interval between the assembly detection portion and the short-circuit elastic member is set larger than an opposing interval between the pressing portion and the short-circuit elastic member.

5. The connector according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a pair of wiping elastic members are formed in the short-circuit terminal fittings so as to be aligned with a clearance therebetween, the pair of wiping elastic members slide on the pair of detection terminals in a process of fitting the mating housing and the connector housing, and are separated from the detection terminals by a flat short-circuit release portion formed in the mating housing in the normal fitting state,

the clearance is an entrance path of a reinforcing rib protruding from the short-circuit release portion in a plate thickness direction of the short-circuit release portion.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a connector.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses a connector device having a function of detecting a fitting state of a female connector and a male connector. The female-side connector has: a female-side housing formed with a lock arm; and a short-circuit terminal fitting attached to the female housing. The male-side connector includes a male-side housing and a pair of detection terminals attached to the male-side housing. In a state where both connectors are half fitted, the lock arm is elastically deflected by interference with the lock portion of the male housing, and a pair of elastic contact pieces provided in the short-circuit terminal fitting are elastically displaced to a retreated position where the pair of detection terminals are not in contact by being pressed by the elastically deflected lock arm. When both connectors are in a normal fitting state, the lock arm is elastically restored to be engaged with the lock portion, and the pair of elastic contact pieces are elastically restored to short-circuit the pair of detection terminals in accordance with the elastic restoration of the lock arm. Therefore, the fitting state of both the connectors can be detected based on whether or not the pair of detection terminals are short-circuited by the short-circuit terminal fitting.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the above-described connector device, when the short-circuiting terminal fitting is mounted in an improper inclined posture with respect to the female housing, the positional relationship between the pair of elastic contact pieces is not matched in the direction of approaching and separating the elastic contact pieces and the detection terminals. Therefore, when both connectors are normally fitted and the pair of detection terminals and the pair of elastic contact pieces are elastically contacted, there occurs a problem that contact pressures of the pair of elastic contact pieces with respect to the detection terminals are different.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to detect whether or not a short-circuiting terminal fitting is properly mounted.

Means for solving the problems

The present invention is characterized by comprising:

a connector housing capable of being fitted to a mating housing and brought into a normal fitting state through a half-fitting state in a fitting process;

a terminal mounting portion formed on the connector housing;

a short-circuit terminal fitting mounted in the terminal mounting portion;

a lock arm formed in the connector housing and elastically displaceable toward the terminal mounting portion by interference with the mating housing in the half fitted state; and

and an assembly detection portion formed in the lock arm and configured to be capable of detecting an improper assembly state of the short-circuit terminal fitting by interfering with the short-circuit terminal fitting during fitting of the connector housing and the mating housing when the short-circuit terminal fitting is mounted to the terminal mounting portion in an improper posture.

Effects of the invention

When the short-circuiting terminal fitting is mounted to the terminal mounting portion in an improper posture, the assembly detection portion interferes with the short-circuiting terminal fitting in the process of fitting the mating housing and the connector housing. According to the present invention, whether or not the short-circuiting terminal fitting is properly mounted can be detected based on whether or not the assembly detecting portion interferes with the short-circuiting terminal fitting.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a rear view showing a state in which a lock arm is not elastically deflected in the connector of embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a front sectional view showing a state where the lock arm is not elastically deflected.

Fig. 3 is a front sectional view showing a state where the lock arm is elastically deflected.

Fig. 4 is a front cross-sectional view showing a state in which the inclination of the short-circuit terminal fitting is detected.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the short-circuiting terminal fitting.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to X-X showing a state where the female-side connector and the male-side housing are normally fitted.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to X-X showing a state where the female-side connector and the male-side housing are half fitted.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to X-X showing a state where the inclination of the short-circuit terminal fitting is detected in the process of fitting the female connector and the male connector.

Fig. 9 is a rear cross-sectional view showing a contact state between the wiping elastic member of the short-circuit terminal fitting and the short-circuit releasing portion of the mating connector.

Detailed Description

In the present invention, the short-circuit terminal fitting may include a short-circuit spring and a pair of protective wall portions that are arranged to face each other with the short-circuit spring interposed therebetween, the assembly detection portion may be displaced so as to be along an inner surface of the protective wall portion in accordance with the elastic displacement of the lock arm when the short-circuit terminal fitting is properly mounted, and the elastic displacement of the lock arm may be restricted by interference of the assembly detection portion with the protective wall portion when the short-circuit terminal fitting is improperly mounted.

According to this configuration, the space sandwiched by the pair of protective wall portions, that is, the internal space of the short-circuiting terminal fitting can be effectively utilized as a space for displacing the assembly detecting portion when the lock arm is elastically displaced. Therefore, the connector housing can be made smaller than a case where a displacement space for the assembly detection portion is secured outside the short-circuit terminal fitting.

In the present invention, the short-circuit elastic member may be brought into elastic contact with a pair of detection terminals provided in the housing on the other side in the normally fitted state to short-circuit the pair of detection terminals, the lock arm may include a pressing portion that pushes the short-circuit elastic member to a short-circuit release position where the short-circuit elastic member is not in contact with the pair of detection terminals in the half fitted state, and elastically returns to a lock position in the normally fitted state to be released from the short-circuit elastic member, and the pressing portion may press a central portion of the short-circuit elastic member in a direction opposite to the pair of protection wall portions.

According to this configuration, since the pressing portion presses the central portion of the short-circuit elastic member in the opposing direction of the pair of protective wall portions, the short-circuit elastic member does not tilt when elastically deformed by the pressing force of the pressing portion. The lock arm is unlikely to be inclined due to the elastic reaction force of the short-circuit elastic member, so that it is possible to avoid erroneous detection of the fitting state due to the inclination of the lock arm.

In the present invention, in a state where the lock arm is not elastically displaced, an opposing interval between the assembly detector and the short-circuit elastic member may be set larger than an opposing interval between the pressing portion and the short-circuit elastic member. According to this structure, the assembly detection portion can be prevented from interfering with the short-circuit elastic member.

In the present invention, a pair of wiping elastic members that come into sliding contact with the pair of detection terminals during fitting of the mating housing and the connector housing and that are separated from the detection terminals by a flat short-circuit release portion formed in the mating housing in the normally fitted state may be formed in the short-circuit terminal fitting so as to be juxtaposed with a clearance that becomes an entrance path of a reinforcing rib protruding from the short-circuit release portion in a plate thickness direction of the short-circuit release portion. According to this structure, the rigidity of the short-circuit releasing portion can be increased by the clearance provided between the pair of wiping elastic members.

< example 1>

Hereinafter, embodiment 1 embodying the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 9. The electrical connector device of embodiment 1 includes a female-side connector F (connector described in claims) and a male-side connector M that can be fitted to the female-side connector F, and has a fitting detection function for detecting a fitted state of both the connectors F, M.

In the following description, the left side in fig. 6 to 8 is defined as the front with respect to the front-rear direction of the female-side connector F, and the right side in fig. 6 to 8 is defined as the front with respect to the front-rear direction of the male-side connector M. The vertical direction is defined as upward and downward as the directions shown in fig. 1 to 9. The left-right direction is defined as the left and right directions as shown in fig. 1 to 4 and 9.

< Male-side connector M >

As shown in fig. 6 to 8, the male-side connector M includes a male-side housing 10 (a mating-side housing in the claims) made of synthetic resin and a pair of detection terminals 16 provided on the male-side housing 10. The male housing 10 includes a wall-shaped terminal holding portion 11 and a square-cylindrical cover portion 12 protruding forward of the male housing 10 from an outer peripheral edge of the terminal holding portion 11. A projecting locking portion 13 is formed on the lower surface of the upper wall portion constituting the cover portion 12.

The terminal holding portion 11 is formed with a short-circuit releasing portion 14 in a form cantilevered forward (in the same direction as the mating direction of the male connector M with respect to the female connector F) from the front surface. As shown in fig. 9, the short-circuit releasing portion 14 is made of a synthetic resin material and has a flat plate shape with its plate thickness direction directed in the vertical direction (the direction orthogonal to the fitting direction of the both housings 10 and 20). A reinforcing rib 15 for improving the rigidity of the short-circuit releasing portion 14 is integrally formed in the short-circuit releasing portion 14. The reinforcing ribs 15 protrude downward (in the plate thickness direction of the short-circuit releasing portion 14) from the center portion in the left-right direction of the lower surface of the short-circuit releasing portion 14. The reinforcing ribs 15 extend in the longitudinal direction of the short-circuit releasing portion 14 (the direction parallel to the fitting and removal direction of the connectors F, M).

The pair of detection terminals 16 is attached to the male housing 10 in a state of penetrating the terminal holding portion 11. The detection connecting portion 17 of the pair of detection terminals 16 surrounded by the cover portion 12 is cantilevered forward in the same manner as the short-circuit releasing portion 14. The pair of detection connection portions 17 are arranged in parallel with a space therebetween in the left-right direction (the direction orthogonal to the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 20). The upper surface of the short-circuit releasing portion 14 is in close contact with the lower surfaces of the pair of detection connecting portions 17 in a surface contact state. The front end portions (protruding end portions) of the pair of detection connecting portions 17 protrude forward from the front ends of the short-circuit releasing portion 14 and the reinforcing rib 15. In a state where both the housings 10 and 20 are normally fitted, the lower surfaces of the distal end portions of the pair of detection connecting portions 17 contact a short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 described later, and the pair of detection terminals 16 are short-circuited by the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30.

< female-side connector F >

The female-side connector F includes a female-side housing 20 (connector housing according to the claims) made of synthetic resin and one short-circuit terminal fitting 30. A terminal mounting portion 21 for mounting the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 is formed at the upper end portion of the female housing 20. The terminal mounting portion 21 has a housing recess 22, and the housing recess 22 has a groove shape that opens on the upper surface (outer surface) and both front and rear surfaces of the female housing 20. The housing recess 22 houses therein a short-circuit terminal fitting 30. A pair of left and right press-fitting portions (not shown) are formed at the front end portions of the left and right inner surfaces of the housing recess 22. A pair of left and right grooves 23 extending in the front-rear direction are formed on both left and right inner surfaces of the housing recess 22.

A lock arm 24 disposed to face an upper surface (terminal mounting portion 21) of the female housing 20 is integrally formed. Lock arm 24 is supported by upper surface of female housing 20 at leg 25 at its tip, and is held in a locked posture in a direction parallel to the upper surface of female housing 20 and the fitting direction of both housings 10 and 20. The lock arm 24 is elastically displaceable in the unlocking direction (direction approaching the terminal mounting portion 21) with the leg portion 25 as a fulcrum. The direction of elastic displacement of lock arm 24 is substantially orthogonal to the fitting/removing direction of both connectors F, M.

An unlocking operation portion 26 is formed at a rear end portion of the upper surface of lock arm 24, and unlocking operation portion 26 is used for pressing lock arm 24 in an unlocking direction. Lock projection 27 is formed on the upper surface of lock arm 24 forward of lock release operation portion 26. A lower surface of lock arm 24 (a surface on the opposite side of lock release operation portion 26 and lock projection 27 in the elastic displacement direction of lock arm 24) faces an upper surface opening portion of accommodation recess 22.

A projecting pressing portion 28 is formed on the lower surface of lock arm 24. Pressing portion 28 is disposed at the center of lock arm 24 in the lateral direction (the direction orthogonal to both the fitting direction of both housings 10 and 20 and the elastic displacement direction of lock arm 24). Pressing portion 28 is disposed slightly forward of the rear end of lock arm 24 in the front-rear direction.

A pair of assembly detectors 29 that are laterally symmetrical and protrude downward (in the fitting/removing direction) are formed on the lower surface of lock arm 24. The pair of assembly detectors 29 are disposed at intervals in the left-right direction and are located at both left and right ends of the lock arm 24. The pair of assembly detection portions 29 are disposed at positions adjacent to the pressing portions 28 in the rear direction in the front-rear direction. When lock arm 24 is in the initial state (state in which it is not elastically displaced), the lowermost end of assembly detector 29 is located above the lowermost end of pressing portion 28.

The left side surface of assembly detector 29 on the left side is formed by a plane parallel to the elastic displacement direction of lock arm 24, and is continued flush with the left outer side surface of lock arm 24. The right side surface of assembly detector 29 on the left side is constituted by a plane inclined with respect to the elastic displacement direction of lock arm 24. As shown in fig. 2 to 4, the front view shape of the left assembly detection unit 29 is a non-isosceles trapezoid in which the width dimension (left-right dimension) gradually decreases from the base end portion side (upper end side) toward the protruding end side (lower end side) in the protruding direction.

The right side surface of right assembly detector 29 is formed of a flat surface parallel to the elastic displacement direction of lock arm 24, and is flush-continuous with the right outer side surface of lock arm 24. The left side surface of assembly detector 29 on the right side is constituted by a plane inclined with respect to the elastic displacement direction of lock arm 24. As shown in fig. 2 to 4, the assembly detecting portion 29 on the right side has a front view shape of a non-isosceles trapezoid in which the width dimension (left-right dimension) gradually decreases from the base end portion side (upper end side) toward the protruding end side (lower end side) in the protruding direction.

The short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 is a single member formed by bending a metal plate material punched out into a predetermined shape. As shown in fig. 5, the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 includes a substrate portion 31, a pair of bilaterally symmetrical protective wall portions 32, a rear wall portion 33, a short-circuiting elastic member 36, and a pair of bilaterally symmetrical wiping elastic members 41. In a state where the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 is mounted in an appropriate form on the terminal mounting portion 21 (in the housing recess 22), the substrate portion 31 is assembled in a surface-contact state on the inner bottom surface of the housing recess 22.

The pair of left and right protective walls 32 extend upward substantially perpendicularly from both left and right side edges of the substrate portion 31, and are formed from the front end to the rear end of the substrate portion 31. The rear wall portion 33 extends in a cantilevered manner substantially perpendicularly from the rear end edge of either one of the left and right protective wall portions 32 to the rear end edge of the other protective wall portion 32. The space defined by the base plate portion 31, the left and right protective walls 32, and the rear wall 33 serves as an elastic material housing space 34. The elastic piece housing space 34 constitutes an internal space of the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30, and is open to the front and upper sides of the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30.

A pair of left and right contact portions 35 for detection are formed on the left and right protective wall portions 32. The pair of detection contact portions 35 are disposed at rear end portions of upper edge portions (edge portions facing the lower surface of lock arm 24 in the direction of elastic displacement of lock arm 24) of both right and left protective wall portions 32. Detection contact portion 35 is disposed at substantially the same position as assembly detection portion 29 of lock arm 24 in the front-rear direction. In a state where lock arm 24 is not elastically displaced, assembly detector 29 is located above detection contact 35. The left-right distance between the pair of detection contact portions 35 (the distance between the inner surfaces of the pair of protective wall portions 32) is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the distance between the outer surfaces of the pair of assembly detection portions 29.

The short-circuit spring 36 is composed of one folded portion 37 and a pair of spring contact pieces 38 that are bilaterally symmetrical, and is housed in the spring housing space 34. The folded portion 37 extends upward from the rear end edge of the base plate portion 31 and has a curved plate shape of a substantially semicircular arc shape in side view. A pressure receiving portion 39 is formed at an extending end edge portion of the folded portion 37, and the pressure receiving portion 39 constitutes an uppermost end portion of the short circuit elastic member 36. The pair of elastic contact pieces 38 are cantilevered obliquely downward and forward from the pressure receiving portion 39. The elastic contact piece 38 has a valley shape bent at an obtuse angle so that the central portion in the front-rear direction becomes the lowermost end in a side view. The extended end (tip) of the elastic contact piece 38 serves as a contact portion 40 for contacting the detection terminal 16.

Pressure receiving portion 39 is disposed at substantially the same position as pressing portion 28 of lock arm 24 in the front-rear direction and at substantially the same position as pressing portion 28 in the left-right direction. In a state where lock arm 24 is not elastically displaced, pressing portion 28 is located above pressure receiving portion 39. In a state where lock arm 24 is not elastically displaced, the vertical facing interval between pressing portion 28 and pressure receiving portion 39 (short-circuit elastic element 36) is set smaller than the vertical facing interval between assembly detecting portion 29 and folded portion 37 (short-circuit elastic element 36).

The pair of wiping elastic members 41 are housed in the elastic member housing space 34 in a form in which the plate portion of the substrate portion 31 is cut and raised upward. The wiping elastic member 41 is cantilevered in a shape extending obliquely upward and forward from the central portion in the front-rear direction of the substrate portion 31, and is disposed forward of the short circuit elastic member 36. The pair of elastic wiping members 41 are arranged in parallel with a clearance 42 between the elastic wiping members 41.

Press-fitting blades 43 that are serrated in side view are formed at the front end portions of the upper edge portions of the left and right protective wall portions 32. The short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 is assembled to the terminal mounting portion 21 by being inserted into the housing recess 22 from the rear of the female housing 20. At the final stage of the assembly process, the pair of left and right press-fitting blades 43 are press-fitted so as to be recessed into the pair of left and right press-fitting portions of the housing recess 22, and the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 is fixed in the housing recess 22. In addition, in a state where the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 is mounted in the housing recess 22, the locking piece 44 formed on the protective wall 32 is fitted into the groove 23 on the inner surface of the housing recess 22, whereby improper assembly of the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30, that is, a large inclination in the left-right direction is restricted.

When the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 is mounted on the terminal mounting portion 21 in an appropriate posture, the pair of assembly detection portions 29 are positioned in a region (elastic material housing space 34) between the pair of protective wall portions 32 in the left-right direction. On the other hand, when the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 is mounted on the terminal mounting portion 21 in an improper posture in which it is inclined, for example, to either the left or right, a step is generated between the pair of protective wall portions 32, and the detection contact portion 35 formed on the higher protective wall portion 32 is positioned at a position where it can interfere with the assembly detection portion 29 by being displaced inward in the left-right direction.

Next, a fitting process of the female-side connector F (female-side housing 20) and the male-side connector M (male-side housing 10) when the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 is mounted to the terminal mounting portion 21 in an appropriate posture will be described. When the female housing 20 is fitted into the hood 12, the lower surface of the detection connection 17 of the detection terminal 16 comes into sliding contact with the wiping elastic member 41, and foreign matter adhering to the detection connection 17 is removed. In the process of sliding the detection connecting portion 17 against the wiping elastic member 41, the lock projection 27 of the lock arm 24 abuts against the lock portion 13 of the cover portion 12, and therefore the lock arm 24 is elastically displaced downward (in the unlocking direction approaching the terminal mounting portion 21). The pressing portion 28 presses the pressure receiving portion 39 of the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 downward with the elastic displacement of the lock arm 24, so that the short-circuit elastic member 36 is elastically deformed. At this time, the pressing portion 28 presses the left-right direction center portion of the pressure receiving portion 39 (short circuit elastic piece 36).

As shown in fig. 7, when the lock projection 27 is positioned directly below the lock portion 13 and the amount of elastic displacement of the lock arm 24 becomes maximum, both the connectors F, M (both the housings 10 and 20) are in a half-fitted state before the normal fitted state. In the half fitted state, the contact portion 40 of the short-circuit elastic material 36 is retracted downward so as not to interfere with the detection connecting portion 17. Further, the short circuit of the pair of detection terminals 16 is released by the tip portion of the detection connection portion 17 entering to a position above the contact portion 40 and the short circuit release portion 14 entering between the wiping elastic member 41 and the detection connection portion 17. As shown in fig. 3, the pair of assembly detectors 29 are housed in the elastic material housing space 34 so as to be displaced downward along the inner surfaces of the pair of protective walls 32.

When both connectors F, M are properly fitted, lock arm 24 is elastically restored upward as shown in fig. 8, and therefore pressure receiving portion 39 is released from the pressing of pressing portion 28, and short-circuit elastic element 36 is elastically restored. As the short-circuit spring 36 elastically returns, the pair of contact portions 40 are displaced upward and elastically contact the lower surfaces of the pair of detection terminals 16 (detection connection portions 17), and therefore the pair of detection terminals 16 are in a short-circuited state. Therefore, whether or not both of the connectors F, M are in the normal mating state can be detected based on whether or not the pair of detection terminals 16 are short-circuited.

When the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 is attached to the terminal attachment portion 21 in an improper posture such as being inclined to either the left or right side and a difference in height occurs between the left and right protective wall portions 32, the female-side connector F and the male-side connector M cannot be properly fitted. That is, as shown in fig. 4, when lock arm 24 is elastically displaced toward the other side in the process of fitting both connectors F, M in a state where short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 is inclined in a direction to fall to the left side and right-side protective wall 32 is higher than left-side protective wall 32, right-side assembly detector 29 is in an interference state in which it abuts right-side detection contact 35 from above until the amount of elastic displacement of lock arm 24 becomes maximum.

In order to achieve the normal mating state of both the connectors F, M, it is necessary to pass through the half-mating state. However, as shown in fig. 8, since the elastic displacement of lock arm 24 is restricted by interference of assembly detection portion 29 with detection contact portion 35, lock projection 27 and lock portion 13 still interfere in the front-rear direction, and both connectors F, M cannot be half fitted.

In a state before both the connectors F, M reach the half-fitted state, the detection connecting portion 17 is in contact with the wiping elastic member 41, and therefore the pair of detection terminals 16 are in a short-circuited state as in the normal fitted state. However, since the female housing 20 projects largely outward of the cover 12, it can be visually confirmed that both the connectors F, M are not properly fitted. In this way, the fitting operation of the both connectors F, M cannot be performed until the normal fitting state is reached, and the installation of the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 in an inclined state can be detected.

As described above, the female-side connector F constituting the electrical connector device of the present embodiment 1 includes the female-side housing 20 and the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30, and the female-side housing 20 can be fitted to the male-side housing 10 and can be brought into the normal fitting state through the half-fitting state in the fitting process. A terminal mounting portion 21 is formed in the female housing 20, and a short-circuit terminal fitting 30 is mounted in the terminal mounting portion 21. A lock arm 24 is formed in the female housing 20, and the lock arm 24 can be elastically displaced toward the terminal attachment portion 21 by interference with the male housing 10 in a half-fitted state. Lock arm 24 is formed with an assembly detector 29.

When the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 is mounted on the terminal mounting portion 21 in an improper posture in which it is inclined leftward and rightward, the improper assembly state of the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 can be detected by the interference of the assembly detecting portion 29 with the protective wall portion 32 of the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 during the fitting of the female housing 20 and the male housing 10. Specifically, further elastic displacement of lock arm 24 can be restricted by interference of assembly detection portion 29 and protective wall portion 32 of terminal fitting for short circuit 30. Therefore, whether the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 is properly attached can be detected based on whether the lock arm 24 can be properly elastically displaced in the process of fitting the male housing 10 and the female housing 20.

The short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 includes a short-circuiting spring 36 and a pair of protective walls 32, and the pair of protective walls 32 are disposed so as to face each other in the left-right direction with the short-circuiting spring 36 interposed therebetween. When the mounting posture of the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 is appropriate, the assembly detection portion 29 is displaced so as to be along the inner surface of the protective wall portion 32 in accordance with the elastic displacement of the lock arm 24. On the other hand, when the short-circuit terminal fitting 30 is improperly assembled at an inclination, the elastic displacement of the lock arm 24 can be restricted by the interference of the assembly detector 29 with the detection contact portion 35 at the upper end of the protective wall portion 32. According to this configuration, the elastic piece housing space 34 sandwiched by the pair of protective wall portions 32, that is, the internal space of the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 can be effectively utilized as a space for displacing the assembly detector 29 when the lock arm 24 is elastically displaced. Therefore, the female housing 20 can be made smaller than a case where a displacement space for the assembly detection unit 29 is secured outside the short-circuit terminal fitting 30.

In the normally fitted state, the short-circuit spring 36 elastically contacts the pair of detection terminals 16 provided on the male housing 10, thereby short-circuiting the pair of detection terminals 16. Lock arm 24 has pressing portion 28 capable of abutting against short-circuit elastic member 36. When both connectors F, M are half fitted, pressing portion 28 pushes short-circuit elastic piece 36 to a short-circuit release position where it cannot contact with a pair of detection terminals 16. When both the connectors F, M are properly fitted, the pressing portions 28 are elastically restored to the locking positions and released from the short-circuit elastic members 36.

Since the pressing portion 28 presses the center portion of the short-circuit elastic member 36 in the opposing direction (left-right direction) of the pair of protective wall portions 32, the short-circuit elastic member 36 does not incline to the left or right when elastically deformed by the pressing force of the pressing portion 28. Since short-circuit spring 36 is not inclined to the left or right, locking arm 24 receiving the elastic reaction force of short-circuit spring 36 is not inclined to the left or right. Therefore, the following can be avoided: although the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 is mounted in an appropriate posture without being inclined to the left or right, the assembly detecting portion 29 interferes with the detecting contact portion 35 due to the left or right inclination of the lock arm 24. This can prevent erroneous detection of the fitting state due to inclination of lock arm 24 when short-circuit spring 36 is pressed.

In a state where lock arm 24 is not elastically displaced, the facing interval in the vertical direction between assembly detector 29 and short-circuit spring 36 (the elastic displacement direction of lock arm 24) is set to be larger than the facing interval in the vertical direction between pressing part 28 and short-circuit spring 36. With this dimension setting, when the lock arm 24 is elastically displaced, the pressing portion 28 comes into contact with the short-circuit elastic member 36 earlier than the assembly detection portion 29, and the short-circuit elastic member 36 is elastically deformed downward. Therefore, the assembly detection portion 29 is unlikely to interfere with the short circuit spring 36.

Further, a pair of right and left wiping elastic pieces 41 are formed in the short-circuiting terminal fitting 30 so as to be juxtaposed with a clearance 42. The pair of wiping springs 41 slide the pair of detection terminals 16 in the process of fitting the male housing 10 and the female housing 20, and are separated from the pair of detection terminals 16 by the flat short-circuit relief portion 14 formed in the male housing 10 in a normal fitting state. The clearance 42 serves as an entrance path of the reinforcing rib 15 protruding from the short-circuit releasing portion 14 in the plate thickness direction of the short-circuit releasing portion 14. According to this structure, the rigidity of the short-circuit releasing portion 14 can be increased by the clearance 42 provided between the pair of wiping elastic members 41.

The assembly detection unit 29 may be in a protruding shape, and may have a width that increases from the base end (upper end) side toward the projecting end (lower end) side in the projecting direction. With this configuration, the protruding dimension of the assembly detection unit 29 can be ensured without reducing the strength of the assembly detection unit 29.

< other examples >

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment 1 described above and illustrated in the drawings, and for example, the following embodiment 1 is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

(1) In the above embodiment 1, the space for accommodating the assembly detection unit when the lock arm is elastically displaced is secured in the elastic member accommodating space (the internal space of the short-circuiting terminal fitting) sandwiched by the pair of protective wall portions, but the accommodating space of the assembly detection unit may be secured outside the short-circuiting terminal fitting.

(2) In the above embodiment 1, the pair of assembly detectors are provided with a space left and right, but one assembly detector may be provided at the center in the left-right direction.

(3) In the above embodiment 1, the assembly detection portion has a form in which the width is increased from the projecting end side toward the projecting direction base end side, but the assembly detection portion may have a constant width from the projecting direction base end side to the projecting end.

(4) In the above embodiment 1, the opposing interval between the assembly detection portion and the short-circuit elastic member is set to be larger than the opposing interval between the pressing portion and the short-circuit elastic member in the state where the lock arm is not elastically displaced, but the opposing interval between the assembly detection portion and the short-circuit elastic member may be set to be smaller than the opposing interval between the pressing portion and the short-circuit elastic member or may be set to be the same as the opposing interval between the pressing portion and the short-circuit elastic member.

(5) In the above-described embodiment 1, the description has been given of the connector of the type in which the detection terminal provided in the mating housing is short-circuited by the short-circuiting terminal fitting when the mating housing and the connector housing are normally fitted, but the present invention is also applicable to a connector housing of the type in which the detection terminal provided in the connector housing is short-circuited by the short-circuiting terminal fitting in a state in which the mating housing and the connector housing are not fitted.

(6) In the above embodiment 1, the case where the short-circuiting terminal fitting is improperly assembled in the form inclined leftward and rightward was described, but the present invention can be applied to the case where the short-circuiting terminal fitting is improperly assembled in a form other than the form inclined leftward and rightward.

Description of the reference numerals

F: female side connector (connector)

10: male side case (the other side case)

14: short-circuit removing part

15: reinforcing rib

16: detection terminal

20: female shell (connector shell)

21: terminal mounting part

24: locking arm

28: pressing part

29: assembly detection part

30: terminal fitting for short circuit

32: protective wall

36: short circuit elastic piece

41: elastic wiping member

42: clearance