Electrical connectors – With indicating or identifying provision – Connection indicating provision
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-14
2004-06-22
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With indicating or identifying provision
Connection indicating provision
C439S352000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06752648
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector provided with a slider for detecting a half-engagement with respect to a mating connector in accordance with a state of the slider.
A related half-engagement detecting connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-50408A will be described with reference to
FIGS. 9 through 14
.
As shown in
FIG. 9
, a half-engagement detecting connector
101
is composed of a male connector
102
and a female connector
103
. The male connector
102
includes a connector housing
106
formed of synthetic resin and having a terminal receiving section
104
and a slider receiving section
105
, a plurality of terminals
107
(See
FIG. 10
) accommodated in the terminal receiving section
104
, a slider
108
slidably accommodated in the slider receiving section
105
, and compression springs
109
for urging the slider
108
.
The half-engagement detecting connector
101
has such a structure that in a half-engaged state, the male connector
102
and the female connector
103
are forced to be disengaged from each other by a repulsive force of the slider
108
which is urged by the compression springs
109
. In short, the half-engagement detecting connector
101
is so constructed that the half-engaged state between the male connector
102
and the female connector
103
may be prevented.
A structure of the male connector
102
will be described with reference to
FIGS. 9 through 12
.
In the terminal receiving section
104
, there are formed a plurality of terminal chambers
110
for respectively containing and retaining a plurality of the terminals
107
. The terminal receiving section
104
and the slider receiving section
105
are vertically arranged while being continuous at rear end portions thereof. On the other hand, the terminal receiving section
104
and the slider receiving section
105
are opposed with each other while defining a gap
111
therebetween, at any other portion than the continuous part. The gap
111
is formed as a space for defining a passage for a housing
128
of the female connector
103
which will be described below.
The slider receiving section
105
is a part for accommodating the aforesaid slider
108
, and an opening
112
is formed along an engaging direction of the connectors. Guide grooves
113
for guiding both sides of a main body of the slider
108
are provided on both sides of the slider receiving section
105
. At respective rear ends of the guide grooves
13
, there are formed spring chambers
114
in a tubular shape.
A flexible lock arm
115
is integrally provided in a center portion of the slider receiving section
105
in a cantilevered manner, and extends along an engaging direction of the connectors. A lock projection
116
having a slanted face is provided on the lock arm
115
, and a housing lock
117
adapted to be locked with the housing
128
of the female connector
103
which will be described below is formed in a lower part of a front end of the lock arm
115
.
In addition, there is formed a stopper projection
118
for preventing displacement of the lock arm
115
itself, in an upper part of the front end of the lock arm
115
. There are further formed, on both sides of the lock arm
115
, side grooves
119
for allowing an insertion of abutting projections
120
of a flexible slider arm
121
which will be described below.
The above described slider
108
is provided with the slider arm
121
in a cantilevered manner. The slider arm
121
is formed with a pair of the abutting projections
120
at both side ends in a front lower part thereof. The slider arm
121
is provided in a substantially center of the slider body
122
. In addition, there is formed a releaser
123
adapted to be depressed when the engagement is released, in a rear end of an upper part of the slider
108
. Further, a through groove
124
is formed between the slider arm
121
and the releaser
123
, and a pair of spring holders
125
for holding the compression springs
109
are formed on both sides of the rear end in a lower part of the slider
108
. A stopper
126
for preventing displacement of the lock arm
115
is formed in a front end of the slider body
122
.
On the other hand, as shown in
FIGS. 13 and 14
, the female connector
103
is composed of the housing
128
formed of synthetic resin and having a plurality of terminal chambers
134
for respectively accommodating and retaining the plurality of the terminals
127
therein. In the housing
128
, there is formed an inlet opening
129
at a front end thereof, into which the male connector
102
is inserted. The housing
128
is also provided, on its upper face, with a pair of stopper projections
130
adapted to be abutted against the abutting projections
120
of the slider
108
on occasion of engagement of the connectors, a projection
131
positioned between the stopper projections
130
and having a slanted face adapted to flex the lock arm
115
, and an engaging groove
132
positioned at a rear end of the projection
131
and adapted to lock the housing lock
117
.
In the above described structure, when the slider
108
is inserted into the slider receiving section
105
from the front of the connector housing
106
, with the compression springs
109
retained by a pair of the spring holders
125
, the slider body
122
is moved backward in the guide grooves
113
. On this occasion, the abutting projections
120
provided on the slider arm
121
at the lower ends of both sides thereof are located inside the side grooves
119
which are provided on both sides of the lock arm
115
. Then, the compression springs
109
are housed inside the spring chambers
114
, and at the same time, the slider
108
is slidably mounted by fitting the lock projection
116
of the lock arm
115
into the through groove
124
of the slider
108
.
In a state before the engagement of the connectors, the slider
108
is pushed forward by a repulsive force of the compression springs
109
, and a front end of the releaser
123
is locked with the lock projection
116
in the through groove
124
. At the same time, the stopper projection
118
at the distal end of the lock arm
115
is abutted against the stopper
126
on the lower face of the front end of the slider
108
to block an upward displacement of the lock arm
115
. Then, as shown in
FIG. 10
, a plurality of the terminals
107
fitted to ends of electric wires W
1
are respectively inserted into the terminal chambers
110
from a back of the connector housing
106
, and locked with housing lances inside the terminal chambers
110
. In addition, by fitting a locking holder
133
as shown in
FIG. 10
, the terminals
107
are doubly locked.
On the other hand, as shown in
FIGS. 13 and 14
, the terminals
127
fitted to respective ends of electric wires W
2
are inserted from the rear of the housing
128
, and locked with housing lances inside the terminal chambers
134
. At the same time, by fitting a locking holder
135
, the terminals
127
are doubly locked. Further, conduction springs
136
to be brought into contact with the terminals
127
are mounted in determined positions in the housing
128
.
Since the details are disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-50408A, description concerning an operation for engaging the male connector
102
with the female connector
103
will be omitted.
By the way, there has been such an anxiety as follows, in the above described male connector
102
, because the connector housing
106
has the gap
111
for the engagement with the female connector
103
, between the terminal receiving section
104
and the slider receiving section
105
.
When the connector housing
106
is molded, it is caused such a deformation of the connector housing
106
that the terminal receiving section
104
and the slider receiving section
105
are brought close to each other due to thermal shrinkage. In case where a user attempts to engage the connectors unaware of such situation, the female connector
103
may interfere with the connector housing
106
Kashiyama Motohisa
Suzuki Yoko
Harvey James R.
Ta Tho D.
Yazaki -Corporation
LandOfFree
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