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WO-2026094386-A1 - CONNECTOR DEVICE

WO2026094386A1WO 2026094386 A1WO2026094386 A1WO 2026094386A1WO-2026094386-A1

Abstract

The present invention enables smooth mating to a counterpart connector while in an inclined orientation, without an increase in size.　A connector device (A) comprises: a movable member (30) that can mate with a counterpart connector (C); a support member (10) that pivotably supports the movable member (30); a locking part (49) that is for maintaining a neutral orientation of the movable member (30) with respect to the support member (10); and an elastic holding piece (14) that, upon receiving a pressing force from the counterpart connector (C), elastically deforms so as to release the maintenance of the orientation by the locking part (49).

Inventors

  • ISHIGURE HIROYUKI
  • MAKINO KENJI
  • LANG PENGFEI
  • MOROKI Souhei
  • SAITO DAISUKE

Assignees

  • 株式会社オートネットワーク技術研究所
  • 住友電装株式会社
  • 住友電気工業株式会社

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20250822
Priority Date
20241101

Claims (9)

  1. A movable member that can be mated with the mating connector, A support member that pivotably supports the aforementioned movable member, A locking mechanism for holding the movable member in a neutral position relative to the support member, A connector device comprising an elastic retaining piece that elastically deforms to release the positional retention by the locking portion when subjected to a pressing force from the mating connector.
  2. An arc-shaped guide groove is formed in one of the support member and the movable member. The connector device according to claim 1, wherein the other of the support member and the movable member has a sliding portion that slides within the guide groove and is displaced relative to it in the circumferential direction when the movable member swings.
  3. The locking portion is formed in one of the guide groove and the sliding portion. The connector device according to claim 2, wherein the elastic retaining piece is formed in the other of the guide groove and the sliding portion.
  4. The connector device according to claim 3, wherein the elastic retaining piece has a locking portion that holds the movable member in the neutral position by engaging with the locking portion.
  5. The elastic retaining piece has an arc shape concentric with the guide groove, The connector device according to claim 4, wherein the locking portion is separated from the locking portion by elastic deformation of the elastic retaining piece in the radial direction.
  6. The connector device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein a stopper is formed at the circumferential end of the guide groove for contacting the sliding portion.
  7. The support member has a shaft portion positioned at a distance from the panel in the thickness direction of the panel, The movable member has a wall portion facing the panel, A through hole is formed in the region of the wall portion that includes the center of the arc of the guide groove. The connector device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the movable member is supported by the support member by fitting the through hole and the shaft portion.
  8. The connector device according to claim 7, wherein the support member is a separate component from the panel and is attachable to the panel.
  9. The connector device according to claim 8, wherein the support member has an elastic retaining piece that locks into the mounting hole of the panel by elastic deformation, and an elastic retaining piece formed thereon.

Description

Connector device This disclosure relates to a connector device. Patent Document 1 discloses a floating connector comprising a slide housing to which contacts are attached, and a base housing that holds the slide housing so that it can be displaced relative to it in both the depth and width directions. This floating connector is capable of absorbing positional displacement in a two-dimensional direction perpendicular to the mating direction during the mating process with a mating connector. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the connector device and mating connector of Embodiment 1 before mating.Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector device.Figure 3 is a perspective view of the support member.Figure 4 is a front view of the support member.Figure 5 is a rear view of the support member.Figure 6 is a front view of the holder that constitutes the movable member.Figure 7 is a rear view of the holder.Figure 8 is a perspective view of the holder.Figure 9 is a side cross-sectional view showing the mounting structure of the support member and the holder.Figure 10 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the mounting structure of the support member and the holder.Figure 11 is a front view showing the connector device and the mating connector in an inclined position before mating.Figure 12 is a front view showing the mating state between the connector device and the mating connector, which is tilted.Figure 13 is a partially enlarged front view of Figure 11.Figure 14 is a partially enlarged front view of Figure 12. [Description of Embodiments in this Disclosure] First, embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and described. Any combination of the following embodiments, without causing any inconsistency, is also included as an embodiment for carrying out the invention. The connector device of this disclosure is (1) The device comprises a movable member that can be mated with a mating connector, a support member that pivotably supports the movable member, a locking portion for holding the movable member in a neutral position relative to the support member, and an elastic retaining piece that elastically deforms to release the position held by the locking portion when subjected to pressing force from the mating connector. In this disclosure, the neutral position is defined as "a position that the movable member can take within its pivotable range, excluding the position where it is positioned at both ends of the pivotable range." According to the configuration of this disclosure, the movable member can be held in a neutral position by the locking mechanism before mating with the mating connector. By holding the movable member in a neutral position, it is possible to prevent the mating connector and the movable member from tilting in a direction that separates them from each other in a direction intersecting the mating direction. This suppresses the need to enlarge the part required to correct the orientation of the tilted mating connector so that it can be mated with the movable member. When the tilted mating connector presses against the movable member, the elastic retaining piece elastically deforms, releasing the position holding by the locking mechanism. The movable member then swings in accordance with the tilt of the mating connector, allowing it to mate with the mating connector. According to this disclosure, smooth mating with a tilted mating connector is possible while suppressing an increase in size. (2) In (1), it is preferable that an arc-shaped guide groove is formed in one of the support member and the movable member, and that a sliding portion is formed in the other of the support member and the movable member, which slides within the guide groove and displaces relative to it in the circumferential direction when the movable member swings. With this configuration, the sliding of the sliding portion within the guide groove stabilizes the swinging motion of the movable member. In (3) and (2), it is preferable that the locking portion is formed on one of the guide groove and the sliding portion, and the elastic retaining piece is formed on the other of the guide groove and the sliding portion. With this configuration, the guide groove and the sliding portion combine the functions of stabilizing the swinging motion of the movable member, holding the movable member in a neutral position, and releasing the holding of the movable member in a neutral position. Therefore, the shapes of the support member and the movable member can be simplified compared to the case where the locking portion and the elastic retaining piece are formed in areas other than the guide groove and the sliding portion. In (4) and (3), it is preferable that the elastic retaining piece has a locking portion that holds the movable member in the neutral position by engaging with the locking portion. With this configuration, since the elastic retaining piece directly engages with the locking portion via the locking portio