Electrical connectors – With guiding means for mating of coupling part – Rodlike guide member extending in coupling direction or...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-19
2001-02-20
Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With guiding means for mating of coupling part
Rodlike guide member extending in coupling direction or...
C439S929000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190194
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an attachment and connection structure for attaching an electrical equipment such as a meter unit to the instrument panel of a vehicle, and securely connecting the electrical equipment unit to a connector provided to the instrument panel.
2. Related Art
FIG. 5
shows an attachment and connection structure of an electrical equipment disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 7-124859 filed by the present applicant.
In this structure, an electronic unit
52
is attached unitarily on the rear surface of a meter unit
51
by connector connection. The meter unit
51
is attached to a finish panel
53
, thereby forming a cluster module
60
. The finish panel
53
, i.e., the cluster module
60
, is then mounted to an instrumental panel
54
, and a connector
55
of the electronic unit
52
is then engaged with a receiving connector
57
of a car wire harness
56
.
The finish panel
53
is provided with lights and a switch unit
58
such as a hazard and a door mirror control. The electronic unit
52
includes the power sources and functions to integrate or distribute input and output signals. The switch unit
58
is connected to the meter unit
51
by a connector
59
. The meter unit
51
is mounted to the finish panel provided with the switch unit, thereby forming the cluster module
60
.
The finish panel
53
has a guide protrusion
61
, and a receiving portion
63
for receiving the guide protrusion
61
is provided to the inner wall of a receiving chamber
62
on the side of the instrument panel
54
. The receiving connector
57
is attached to a back wall
64
of the receiving chamber
62
in vertically and transversely movable condition. As the guide protrusion
61
slides along the receiving portion
63
, the finish panel
53
is guided into the receiving chamber
62
and then connected to the electronic unit
52
, with the receiving connector
57
correcting the displacement with the mating connector
55
. An automatic temperature control unit
65
is included in a receiving chamber
66
, and connected to the receiving connector
67
of the car wire harness
56
.
With the above conventional structure, however, there has been a problem that when the finish panel
53
is attached to the instrument panel
54
, pressing load is exerted on the front surface of the finish panel
53
away from the receiving connector
57
. This causes a problem that the parts other than the connector attachment portions need to have rigidity, thereby making the construction more complicated and increasing the weight. Furthermore, if the distance from the connectors
55
and
57
to the guide protrusion
61
and the receiving portion
63
is long, the dimensional tolerance becomes greater, making it necessary to widen the movable range of the connector
57
. What is worse, since the connectors
55
and
57
become hidden when the finish panel
53
is attached to the instrument panel
54
, it is difficult to determine whether the connectors
55
and
57
are securely connected or not, thus reducing reliability in connection.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The principal object of the present invention is to provide an attachment and connection structure which securely connects an electrical equipment unit such as a meter unit, a switch unit, an electronic unit, or a temperature control unit, to an instrument panel or the like. With this attachment and connection structure, the construction of the connection portion can be made simpler and smaller. The movable range of the connector can also be restricted to a smaller range.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an attachment and connection structure of an electrical equipment unit which is characterized as follows. The electrical equipment unit is provided with a connector, and attached to the unit receiving portion. At the same time, the connector is connected to a mating connector provided to the unit receiving portion. A guide wall is unitarily formed on the connector, and the unit receiving portion is provided with a guide receiving portion for receiving the guide wall. The mating connector is disposed in the vicinity of the guide receiving portion.
The guide wall may also serve as part of the outer wall of the connector. This guide wall protrudes from both sides and the front of the connector. After the guide wall is engaged with the guide receiving portion, the above connectors are engaged.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, as the guide wall is formed unitarily on the connector of the electrical equipment unit, the distance between the guide portion and the connector is eliminated, so that the guide wall can be engaged with the guide receiving portion while the connectors are smoothly and securely engaged to each other, even if the mating connector is movably supported. Since no movable mechanism is required for the connectors, the construction can be simpler, and the connecting portion can be made lighter and smaller. Reliability in connection can also be increased. In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, as the guide wall also serves as part of the outer wall of the connector, the construction can be made even simpler, lighter, and smaller. In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, the guide wall is securely engaged with the guide receiving portion, and the connector is guided in the engagement direction. In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, the positions of the connectors are adjusted to each other by virtue of the engagement of the guide wall with the guide receiving portion, so that the connectors can surely be engaged to each other.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3141721 (1964-07-01), Horn
patent: 4627759 (1986-12-01), Kato et al.
patent: 4913665 (1990-04-01), Sacksen
patent: 5885088 (1999-03-01), Brennan et al.
patent: 5975935 (1999-11-01), Yamaguchi et al.
patent: 8-318761 (1996-12-01), None
Armstrong, Westerman Hattori, McLeland & Naughton
Bradley Paula
Davis Katrina
Yazaki -Corporation
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