Bracket interconnection structure for auxiliary component

Details Bracket interconnection structure for auxiliary component Bracket interconnection structure for auxiliary component

2001-12-21

2003-05-27

Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...

Retaining means

Reexamination Certificate

active

06568951

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an interconnection structure in which two brackets are interconnected to fix an auxiliary component held by one bracket to the other bracket. More particularly, this invention relates to a structure for interconnection between a bracket having a connector for a sunvisor and a bracket having a connector for a wiring harness from a vehicle body.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a vehicle interior, sunvisors for a driver and a passenger seat occupant are provided above a front window. Some sorts of sunvisors are provided with vanity mirrors and/or illumination lamps for nighttime.
FIG. 1
shows such a sunvisor with a lamp provided with a bracket at the distal end of a fixing shaft for fixing the sunvisor to the interior of a vehicle. The bracket is screwed to an inner panel in the vehicle interior.
With reference to
FIGS. 1
to
4
, a conventional connection structure for fixing a sunvisor to an inner panel will be described. An inner panel has a hole provided above a front window, through which a wiring harness is drawn out into the interior of a vehicle. A connector attached to the front end of the harness is mated with a connector attached to the front end of a wire drawn out from the bracket. The mating of those two connectors requires manual work by a skilled person.
Then, as shown in
FIG. 2
, the mated connectors and the wiring harness are inserted through the hole formed in the inner panel into a space between the inner panel and an outer panel so as to mount the sunvisor. Specifically, as shown in
FIG. 3
, with the mated connectors and the harness accommodated in the space, a grommet screw formed in the bracket is inserted into a bracket mounting hole formed in the inner panel as shown in
FIG. 3
, thereby to push the bracket into the inner panel.
Then, as shown in
FIG. 4
, a screw is inserted into a central hole of the grommet screw in a cylindrical shape for fastening. The grommet screw has slits at the front end so that it is pushed and expanded by the screw inserted. A plurality of expanded portions of the grommet screw is pressed against an opening periphery of the bracket mounting hole, whereby the bracket is fixed to the inner panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the above conventional fixing structure, however, it can inadvertently occur that the sunvisor is fixed to the inner panel with incomplete engagement between the connector for the wiring harness and the connector for the sunvisor unnoted. Further, it is necessary to confirm that connection terminals not shown are properly fitted into the respective connectors. Incomplete fitting of the terminals prevents power supply to the lamp. If that is the case, all parts mounted should be demounted and checked to repeat a series of mounting steps. This significantly reduces work efficiency.
The conventional fixing structure further requires a guiding structure for each connector to facilitate mating of the connectors. Thus the connectors cannot be disadvantageously made smaller. Furthermore, it is necessary to form hoods of the connectors with relatively large thickness to give enough strength to the connectors for secure fixation therebetween. In short, the conventional fixing structure prevents reduction in size and weight of connectors, and thus preventing reduction in cost.
It is an object of this invention to provide a bracket interconnection structure which enables reduction in size and weight of connectors and provides reliable engagement between the connectors.
According to a first aspect of this invention, there is provided a bracket interconnection structure for an auxiliary component, which comprises a first bracket comprising a first connector and a plurality of engagement members, and a second bracket comprising a second connector and a plurality of engagement protrusions fitted into the engagement members and having a height greater than that of the second connector. The engagement members guide the engagement protrusions inside to engage with them, whereby the first connector and the second connector are fitted to one another, and thus the first bracket and the second bracket are connected to one another. As a result, the auxiliary component supported by the second bracket is fixed to an object to which the first bracket is fixed.
In the above structure, in the interconnecting operation of the first and second brackets, the engagement protrusions on the second bracket are guided and inserted into the engagement parts before the second connector is fitted into the first connector because of their greater height than that of the second connector. This prevents wires led out from the auxiliary component to the second bracket or the second connector from contacting the first bracket during the connecting operation. The wires led out from the auxiliary component and the second connector are thus prevented from being damaged. Further, since the engagement members guide the engagement protrusions, thereby to appropriately position the both brackets for connection, the connectors can be fitted to one another without receiving undue force. This eliminates the need for producing the connectors with great strength, allowing the connectors to be reduced in size, and thus allowing the brackets to be reduced in weight.
According to a second aspect of this invention, the engagement protrusions have upper portions formed in a circular cone shape or a quadrangular prism shape with diameters gradually reduced to the top ends, and the engagement members are in a tubular shape. When the engagement protrusions are inserted into the engagement members, the front portions with reduced diameters of the protrusions guide the protrusions to their normal positions. This eliminates the need for providing guiding mechanism to the first and second connectors, resulting in a simplified connecting structure.
According to a third aspect of this invention, the engagement members have respective locking arms, and the engagement protrusions have respective grooves, the locking arms being engaged with the respective grooves.
The engagement of the locking arms with the grooves makes the brackets in a preliminarily fixed state. The brackets can thus be retained in the interconnected state before being further fixed with grommet screws or the like, for example.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5046956 (1991-09-01), Takano
patent: 5462448 (1995-10-01), Kida et al.
patent: 5788522 (1998-08-01), Kameyama
patent: 5893768 (1999-04-01), Gawron et al.
patent: 6000959 (1999-12-01), Curtindale et al.
patent: 6186818 (2001-02-01), Hung

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