Connector

Details Connector Connector

1998-12-08

2001-01-09

Abrams, Neil (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

Having circuit interrupting provision effected by mating or...

C439S862000, C200S051100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06171124

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an improvement of an electrical connector provided with short-circuiting terminal.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One example of this type of connector is used in the circuit of an air bag of a motor vehicle. As shown in FIG.
6
(A), this type of connector comprises a plurality of female terminal fittings
2
housed within a female housing
1
, and a short-circuiting terminal
3
provided within a housing chamber
4
in order to short-circuit the female terminal fittings
2
. A corresponding male housing
5
comprises tab-shaped male terminal fittings
6
which fit together with the female terminal fittings
2
, and a short-circuit cancelling member
7
capable of being inserted between the female terminal fittings
2
and the short-circuiting terminal
3
. When the two housings
1
and
5
are in a separated state, the female terminal fittings
2
are short-circuited by the short-circuiting terminal
3
. When the two housings
1
and
5
are fitted together, the male and female terminal fittings
2
and
6
make contact. As shown in FIG.
6
(B), the short-circuiting cancelling member
7
is inserted between the short-circuiting terminal
3
and the female terminal fittings
2
, causing the short-circuiting terminal
3
to bend, thereby cancelling the short-circuiting of the female terminal fittings
2
. Such a general arrangement is well known.
However, the short-circuiting cancelling member
7
protrudes from the fitting face of the male housing
5
and, consequently, there is the danger that it may come into contact with foreign objects and thereby become bent or otherwise damaged. In order to prevent this from happening, the cancelling member
7
may be made thicker in order to increase its strength. In this case, however, the short-circuiting terminal
3
would be required to bend to a correspondingly greater extent. Consequently, the height of the housing chamber
4
would have to be increased in order to maintain a space to allow the bending of the short-circuiting terminal
3
and thus a larger housing would be required. This would result in an inevitable increase in the amount of material used, and thus cost.
The present invention has been developed after taking the above problem into consideration, and aims to present a connector in which the necessary bending stroke of the short-circuit terminal can be provided without increasing the size of the housing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an electrical connector comprising a housing having two independent terminal fittings therein, a chamber adjacent said fittings, and a short-circuit terminal in said chamber, said short-circuit terminal having a resilient cantilever arm means biased into electrical engagement with said terminal fittings to provide a short-circuit therebetween, a free end of said arm means being turned away from said terminal fittings and being movable by an insertion member of a mating connector against the resilient bias to break said electrical engagement, characterised in that the floor of said chamber includes a recess to accommodate said free end when moved against said bias.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided an electrical connector comprising a housing having two independent terminal fittings therein, and a short circuit terminal biased into electrical engagement with said terminal fittings to provide a short circuit therebetween, wherein said short circuit terminal is resilient and ‘C’ shaped, one arm means of said short circuit terminal contacting said terminal fitting, and the other arm means comprising a reaction member located with respect to said housing, a free end of said one arm means being turned away from said terminal fittings and being movable by an insertion member of a mating connector against the resilient bias to break said electrical engagement characterised in that said housing is adapted to permit said free end to cross said other arm means when moved against said bias. Such a connector allows the short circuit terminal to bend further than normal, thus allowing a thicker cancelling member whilst not increasing the overall size of the connector housing.
Preferably the recess provided in the short circuit chamber opens to the mating face of the connector; such a recess is relatively easy to mould, without the use of inserts.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5263872 (1993-11-01), Marpoe, Jr. et al.
patent: 295 09 313 (1995-08-01), None
patent: 389 779 (1990-10-01), None
patent: 616 397 (1994-09-01), None
patent: 758 806 (1997-02-01), None
patent: 825 685 (1998-02-01), None
patent: 9-147988 (1997-06-01), None

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