Electrical connectors – With guiding means for mating of coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-21
2001-11-20
Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With guiding means for mating of coupling part
C439S034000, C439S076100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06319045
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connecting structure for connectors in couples. Particularly, the present invention relates to a connecting structure for a connector for a substrate and another connector to be mated with the connector, the former connector being fitted on one surface of the wiring substrate and the latter connector being engaged with the former connector via a through-hole formed in the wiring substrate. Note, the former connector (i.e. connector for wiring substrate) will be referred as “substrate connector”, while the latter connector (i.e. connector to be mated with the substrate connector) will be referred as “mating connector”.
2. Description of the Related Art
As one example of the prior art,
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a conventional substrate connector
1
and
FIG. 2
is a cross sectional view showing the substrate connector
1
fitted on a wiring substrate
3
. In the substrate connector
1
, a housing
5
is provided with a fit hole
5
a
for engagement with the mating connector
7
. A plurality of male terminals
9
are accommodated in the fit hole
5
a
. Being embedded in a hood part
5
c
of the housing
5
, each male terminal
9
extends from a bottom
5
b
of the housing
5
to the open side of the fit hole
5
a
. That is, each male terminal
9
has one end projecting into the fit hole
5
a
and the other end as a leader end
9
a
which projects from the substrate
3
and which is fixed to a conductor on the substrate
3
through a solder
11
.
In connecting the mating connector
7
with the substrate connector
1
, the mating connector
7
is fitted from the opposite side of the substrate connector
1
into the fit hole
5
a
through a through-hole
3
a
formed in the wiring substrate
3
, as shown in FIG.
2
.
In the above-mentioned connecting structure of the prior art substrate connector
1
, however, there is a possibility that the mating connector
7
is forcibly engaged with the substrate connector
1
despite the mating connector's inclination to the substrate connector
1
, namely, an occurrence of “improper mating”. In order to avoid the occurrence of improper mating, the substrate connector
1
has the hood part
5
c
formed to have a relatively long height H and correspondingly, the male terminals
9
are long in full lengths.
For the above reasons, since the substrate connector
1
is large-sized as a whole, there may be caused an impossibility to establish the substrate connector
1
in an appropriate position because of various restrictions while causing the rising of manufacturing cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Under the circumstances, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a small-sized substrate connector.
The object of the present invention described above can be accomplished by a connecting structure for a substrate connector and a mating connector to be mated with the substrate connector, the substrate connector having at least one terminal and a terminal retainer for carrying the terminal. The connecting structure comprises an instrument casing and a wiring substrate fitted to the instrument casing, the wiring substrate having one surface opposing the instrument casing and the other surface having the substrate connector fitted thereon. The connecting structure characterized in that the instrument casing and the wiring substrate are together provided with respective insertion parts which allow the mating connector to be inserted thereinto when the mating connector is engaged with the substrate connector and that the insertion part of the instrument casing has a guide part formed to extend toward the wiring substrate, for guiding the insertion of the mating connector being engaged with the substrate connector.
In the operation of the connecting structure, when the mating connector is engaged with the substrate connector attached to the wiring substrate from the outside of the instrument casing, the mating connector is inserted into the insertion part of the instrument casing and subsequently guided by the guide part of the instrument casing.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the terminal retainer of the substrate connector comprises a bottom part in substantially parallel with the wiring substrate and a hood part extending from the periphery of the bottom part toward the wiring substrate thereby to cover the periphery of one end of the terminal and guide the insertion of the mating connector being engaged with the substrate connector.
With the above-mentioned constitution, the mating connector is engaged with the substrate connector under the guidance of the guide part of the instrument casing and also the hood part of the substrate connector.
According to the third aspect of the invention, the guide part of the instrument casing has a leading end in contact with one surface of the wiring substrate, while the hood part of the substrate connector has a leading end in contact with the other surface of the wiring substrate.
With the above constitution, the wiring substrate butts against the leading end of the guide part of the instrument casing in process of fitting the wiring substrate to the instrument casing. Consequently, the guide part of the instrument casing, the insertion part of the wiring substrate and the hood part of the substrate connector do constitute a successive guide for inserting the mating connector into the substrate connector.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the insertion part of the wiring substrate comprises a through-hole arranged in alignment with the guide part of the instrument casing and the hood part of the substrate connector, for allowing the mating connector to pass.
In this case, the above successive guide is constituted by the guide part, the through-hole of the wiring substrate and the hood part.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the terminal retainer of the substrate connector comprises a terminal retainer plate in substantially parallel with the wiring substrate and wherein the guide part of the instrument casing is inserted into the insertion part of the wiring substrate and further extended so that the leading end of the guide part reaches the periphery of the terminal retainer plate.
In this case, the guide part of the instrument casing can act in the hood part's place in the terminal retaining part of the substrate connector.
According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the instrumental casing is an automotive meter casing having a bottom part on which the wiring substrate is mounted.
With the attainment of miniaturization of the substrate connector, it is also possible to provide a compact automotive meter casing.
According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the connecting structure further comprises a fixing plate for fixing the wiring substrate in the automotive meter casing, wherein the fixing plate is accommodated in the automotive meter casing, so that the wiring substrate is pinched between the bottom part of the automotive meter casing and the fixing plate.
In this case, owing to the provision of the fixing plate, the wiring substrate can be stably accommodated in the automotive meter casing.
According to the eighth aspect of the invention, the terminal of the substrate connector has one end projecting from the wiring substrate and soldered to a conductor on the wiring substrate.
By soldering the end of the terminal to the wiring substrate, the integration between the substrate connector and the wiring substrate can be further enhanced.
According to the ninth aspect of the invention, the mating connector is provided, on both sides thereof, with a pair of ribs and wherein the substrate connector is provided, on both sides thereof, with a pair of grooves for engagement with the ribs in pairs.
Owing to the provision of the ribs and the grooves, it is possible to prevent the erroneous insertion of the mating connector into the substrate connector.
According to the tenth aspect of the invention, the instrument casing and the wiring su
Ikeda Toru
Sawayanagi Masahiro
Torii Chieko
Figueroa Felix O.
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Luebke Renee
Yazaki -Corporation
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