Connector with upper and lower inner housing members

Details Connector with upper and lower inner housing members Connector with upper and lower inner housing members

1999-03-29

2001-05-15

Nguyen, Khiem (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

With insulation other than conductor sheath

Plural-contact coupling part

Reexamination Certificate

active

06231398

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an electrical connector.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
FIG. 22
of this specification shows a connector as described in JP-2-148583. This connector comprises an outer member
101
which allows the insertion of pressure contact terminal fittings (not shown) at three levels in a height-wise direction. This outer member
101
has spaces formed in a unified manner which allow the insertion of the pressure contact terminal fittings in the upper step, while the middle and lower steps accommodate two separate inner members
102
, each formed as separate bodies, and both being capable of being inserted into the outer member
101
. An angular tubular shaped attachment region
104
is provided on the anterior portion of the outer member
101
, the portion thereof which houses the terminal fittings of the upper step forming terminal housing chambers
103
. These terminal housing chambers
103
are partitioned, from left to right, into four compartments, and open out in an upwards direction. The upward opening of these terminal housing chambers allows the protrusion of pressure contact blade portions of the pressure contact terminal fittings housed therein. The posterior half of each inner member
102
has identically configured terminal housing chambers
103
formed therein, these terminal housing chambers
103
fitting together when they are attached to the outer member
101
. Fitting holes
106
pass through side walls of the attachment member
104
, and correspond to the inner members
102
, and two sets of fitting holes
106
pass through the side walls of the attachment member
104
at anterior and posterior locations respectively.
Fitting protrusions
107
protrude from the anterior of the side faces of the inner members
102
. When these fitting protrusions
107
fit with the posteriorly located fitting holes
106
, the terminal housing chambers
103
protruding stepwise as shown. When the fitting protrusions
107
fit with the anteriorly located fitting holes
106
, the terminal housing chambers
103
are aligned. Further, in addition to the members
101
and
102
, the connector is provided with a locking member
105
which fits with locking protrusions
108
. This locking member
105
covers the upper step terminal housing chamber
103
and supports the connection of the members
101
and
102
. Locking holes
109
are formed on this locking member
105
, these fitting with the locking protrusions
108
of the two inner members
102
.
In order to assemble the connector, configured as described above, the terminal fittings are first housed within each terminal housing chamber
103
. Next, the inner members
102
are inserted into the attachment member
104
, this causing the fitting holes
106
to fit with the fitting protrusions
107
. This fixes the position of the anterior ends of the inner members
103
in an up and down and anterior/posterior direction.
Next, the locking member
105
is attached from above the outer member
101
, this causing the locking holes
109
and the locking protrusions
108
to fit together. This strengthens the connecting force between the two members
101
and
102
, and fixes the position of the posterior ends of the inner members
102
in an up-down and anterior-posterior direction.
However, there is no means provided to maintain the middle and lower steps of the inner members
102
of this connector in a mutually and directly joined state, and the joining force of the posterior half of the inner members
102
depends mostly on the locking member
105
. However, the inner members
102
of the connector are in a state whereby they protrude towards the exterior and, as a result, external force is easily exerted upon them. In such a case, the inner members
102
may shift position; problems may occur, such as the pitch of the cavity altering, and the locking member
105
may be unintentionally separated.
Nevertheless, in a connector that solves the above problem, it may be necessary to separate the inner and outer members for maintenance, etc. This separation operation should be easy to perform so that the operability of the connector improves.
The present invention has been developed after taking the above problems into consideration, and aims to present a connector in which the lock joining the inner and outer members will not be released inadvertently, in which the looseness of the join between the two inner members and between the inner and outer members can be regulated, and in which the releasing operation of the assembled connector can be performed smoothly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, there is provided an electrical connector comprising inner housings adapted to be layered together, said inner housings each being adapted to receive a pressure contact terminal such that a connection part of the respective terminal is exposed in situ for the pressure connection of a respective electrical wire, and an outer housing adapted to receive the inner housings therein, characterised in that the outer housing is adapted to retain the inner housings in a layered state, and latching means are provided to retain the inner housings in said outer housing.
Such an arrangement both retains the inner housings, and maintains them in engagement.
Preferably the latching means comprise a protrusion, and a resilient tongue. The protrusion may have rounded shoulders to ease engagement thereof. The corresponding wall portion of the housing may be relatively thin to ease the passage of the abutment; local thickening may be provided on either side of the thinned portion.
A channel may be provided in the protrusion and in a step of the outer housing to both guide a release tool of the tongue, and to act as a fulcrum therefor.
The inner housings may include a nose engageable in an end wall recess of the outer housing to limit relative insertion of the inner housing. Preferably the nose protrudes through said end wall by an amount exactly equivalent to the maximum clearance between said protrusion and tongue; such a clearance is necessary to give assured latching engagement. Connection of the connector with a mating connector causes the nose of the inner housings to be pushed back until the clearance is eliminated; in this condition the nose is flush with the outer side of the end wall, and rattling or vibration of the inner housings is eliminated.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5122077 (1992-06-01), Maejima et al.
patent: 5320555 (1994-06-01), Okabe
patent: 5573430 (1996-11-01), Hatagishi
patent: 5957732 (1999-09-01), Ito et al.
patent: 5967842 (1999-10-01), Okabe
patent: 3526664 A1 (1986-02-01), None

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