Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-24
2003-03-25
Nasri, Javaid (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06537098
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector fitting structure in which a half-fitted condition is positively prevented by a resilient force of a resilient member mounted on at least one of a pair of male and female connectors to be fittingly connected together, and the connector can be positively locked to the mating connector in a fitted manner.
The present invention is based on Japanese patent applications No. 2000-222522 and No. 2000-222596 which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Usually, many electronic equipments for effecting various controls are mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and therefore many wire harnesses and flat cables have been used. There have been used male and female connectors of various constructions which have a waterproof function since they are used in a severe environment in which vibrations and submergence are encountered, and besides these connectors are so constructed as to be easily connected to and disconnected from a wire harness or the like in view of an assembling process and the maintenance.
Next, one example of conventional connector fitting structures will be described with reference to
FIGS. 10
to
11
.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, a male connector (one connector)
50
of the connector fitting structure includes an inner housing
52
, which has terminal receiving chambers for respectively receiving a predetermined number of socket contacts, and is open to the front side thereof, and an outer housing
51
which has a slider (slide lock member)
60
(described later) slidably mounted at an upper portion thereof, and forms a hood portion covering the outer periphery of the inner housing
52
.
The outer housing
51
is provided to form a slider receiving portion
53
for receiving the slider
60
, and guide grooves
55
for respectively guiding opposite side portions of the slider
60
are formed respectively in inner surfaces of opposite side walls of the housing. Within the slider receiving portion
53
, a lock arm
56
, having an elastic free front end portion, is formed integrally on the inner housing
52
along the axis in a fitting direction. Between the lock arm
56
and the inner surfaces of the housing, there is provided inner wall surfaces
53
a.
A pair of housing locks
58
for retaining engagement with engagement projections
83
(see
FIG. 11
) on a mating housing (described later) are formed on an upper surface of the lock arm
56
at the distal end thereof, and a pressing portion
59
, which is operated when canceling the fitted condition, is formed on a central portion of the lock arm. An insertion space
56
a for allowing the insertion of a pressing rib
82
on a female connector
80
(described later) is formed in a front portion of the lock arm
56
including the housing locks
58
.
A pair of retaining arms
57
for temporarily preventing the rearward movement of the slider
60
are provided at a rear portion of the slider receiving portion
53
along the axis in the fitting direction, and each of these retaining arms has a retaining projection formed at its elastic free rear end portion.
The slider
60
comprises a first slide member
61
for sliding movement in the slider receiving portion
53
while guided by the guide grooves
55
, a second slide member
66
engaged with a rear portion of the first slide member
61
, and compression springs (resilient members)
73
held in the second slide member
66
.
The first slide member
61
includes a pair of rearwardly-extending stopper arm portions
63
and
63
, which are engaged respectively with one ends of the compression springs
73
, and an interconnecting portion
64
interconnecting these arm portions. An abutment portion
65
, against which the pressing rib
82
on the female connector
30
, can abut, is formed in the lower side of the interconnecting portion
64
.
A pair of slide grooves
62
and
62
for allowing the movement of engagement arm portions (described later) of the second slide member
66
are formed in opposite ends of the interconnecting portion
64
, respectively.
The second slide member
66
is slidably fitted at its outer side portions in the guide grooves
55
, and has retaining portions
67
which extend forwardly from a lower portion of a front end thereof, and respectively retain the housing locks
58
, formed at the distal end of the lock arm
56
, when these housing locks are displaced. A passage notch
67
a
for allowing the passage of the pressing rib
82
of the female connector
80
(described later) is formed between front ends of the retaining portions
67
.
An elastic operating portion
69
, which is operated when canceling the fitted condition, is formed at an upper portion of the second slide member
66
at a widthwise-central portion thereof, and this operating portion
69
covers the pressing portion
59
of the lock arm
56
in overlying relation thereto when the slider is inserted into the slider receiving portion
53
.
The pair of elastic engagement arm portions
68
and
68
for retaining engagement with the stopper arm portions
63
of the first slide member
61
are provided respectively at the opposite side portions of the second slide member
66
at a lower portion thereof.
Spring receiving chambers
71
for respectively receiving and holding the compression springs
73
are formed respectively in inner surfaces of the opposite side walls. of the second slide member
66
. The compression springs
73
are inserted respectively into the spring receiving chambers
71
, and the engagement arm portions
68
are brought into engagement with the stopper arm portions
63
, respectively, and by doing so, the first slide member
61
and the second slide member
66
are combined together in a generally unitary manner.
As shown in
FIG. 11
, the female connector (the other connector)
80
has a housing insertion port
84
open to the front side thereof, and a predetermined number of pin contacts
85
project into the interior of this insertion port in a fitting direction. The pressing rib
82
for abutment against the abutment portion;
65
of the first slide member
61
is formed upright on a central portion of an outer surface of the housing
81
. The pair of engagement projections
83
and
83
for elastically deforming the lock arm
56
and for engagement with the housing locks
58
are formed respectively on opposite side surfaces of the pressing rib
82
.
Next, the operation for fitting the male and female connectors of the above construction together will be described.
First, the slider
60
, shown in
FIG. 10
, is assembled. For assembling the slider
60
, the pair of compression springs
73
are inserted respectively into the spring receiving chambers
71
in the second slide member
66
, and then the stopper arm portions
63
and
63
of the first slide member
61
are inserted into the spring receiving chambers
71
, respectively. Then, the engagement arm portions
68
and
68
are engaged respectively with the stopper arm portions
63
and
63
, thereby combining the first and second slide members
61
and
66
together into a unitary form, with the compression springs
73
held respectively in the spring receiving chambers
71
.
For mounting the slider
60
on the male connector
50
, the slider
60
is pushed into the slider receiving portion
53
from the front side of the male connector
50
. At this time, the outer side portions of the stopper arm portions
63
of the first slide member
61
, the opposite end portions of the interconnecting portion
64
, and the opposite side portions of the second slide member
66
are fitted into the guide grooves
55
, and the rear end of the second slide member
66
is brought into abutting engagement with the retaining arms
57
whereupon the mounting of the slider
60
is completed. In this condition, the slider
60
is temporarily retained by the retaining arms
57
, but a compressive force is not exerted in the compression springs
73
. Here, description of the insertion of the contacts in
Kashiyama Motohisa
Yamawaki Takanori
Nasri Javaid
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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