Connection structure for power supply to vehicle door

Details Connection structure for power supply to vehicle door Connection structure for power supply to vehicle door

2000-03-15

2001-12-04

Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With vehicle structure

C439S246000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06325633

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connection structure for a power supply to a vehicle door for supplying electric power of a vehicle body to auxiliary members in a back door, etc., of an automobile, which can be downsized particularly by abolishing partition walls between female terminals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, various auxiliary members, such as a rear wiper motor, a defogger, a door lock, etc., are mounted on a back door of an automobile, and there have been proposed a number of connection structures for power supply to a vehicle door.
FIG. 9
shows a conventional connection structure for power supply to the vehicle door as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-47444 of an unexamined application. As shown in
FIG. 9
, a plurality of pin-like movable terminals
66
are provided on a back door
65
of a vehicle so as to be retractable by means of coil springs
67
, and contact terminals
69
are provided on a vehicle body
68
so as to face with tip ends
66
a
of the movable terminals
66
, respectively.
The movable terminals
66
are arranged in a row at a distance in an insulating housing
70
. A forward portion of each of the movable terminals
66
projecting from the housing
70
is covered with an insulating holder
71
to expose only its tip end
66
a.
The holder
71
is slidably fitted in a bore
72
in the housing
70
. The above mentioned coil spring
67
is disposed in the bore
72
.
The contact terminals
69
are positioned in an insulating housing
73
between the partition walls
74
. One (
691
) of the contact terminals
69
has a cancel switch mechanism
76
which is forced by a coil spring
75
so as not to contact with a contact when the door is open.
The tip ends
66
a
of the movable terminals
66
enter into a chamber
77
which is separated by the partition walls
74
and push the contact terminals
69
. At the same time, the contact terminal
691
comes in contact with the contact
78
thereby to connect a power source side circuit
79
to a circuit of the auxiliary devices (not shown).
However, in the above described structure, the movable terminal
66
is apt to diametrically offset on occasion of the contact due to its long size, and it has been necessary to make an area of the contact terminal
69
and the distance between the movable terminals
66
larger in order to obtain a good contact even in such cases. For this reason, there has been a problem that the structure will be up-sized in a lateral direction (in a direction in which the terminals are arranged). In addition, it has been disadvantageous that the cancel switch mechanism
76
may be deteriorated in contactability when the contact
78
is tilted and offset and may cause a bad contact.
In view of the above described problems, it is an object of the invention to provide a connecting structure for power supply to a vehicle door in which upsizing in a direction of arranging a plurality of terminals when they are arranged in a row will be prevented, and which is compact and excellent in contactability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to attain the above described object, there is provided, according to the present invention, a connection structure for power supply to a vehicle door comprising a door side connector, a body side connector, a plurality of female terminals provided in parallel in either one of the connectors, and a plurality of female terminals corresponding to the female terminals provided in parallel in the other of the connectors, the female terminals and the male terminals being connected to each other when the door is closed, the female terminals being arranged close to one another and synchronously swingable around a support shaft in a direction of axial displacement with respect to the male terminals.
The connection structure for power supply to the vehicle door further comprises a spring member for forcing a pair of contact portions of each of the female terminals into a closed state, the spring member including a pair of leg portions which are in the abutment against spring receiving walls of a housing of either one of connectors.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5664972 (1997-09-01), Zinn et al.
patent: 5938486 (1999-08-01), Durand-cochet et al.
patent: 6142810 (2000-11-01), Hsiao et al.
patent: 57-47444 (1982-03-01), None

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