Electrical connectors – With indicating or identifying provision – Connection indicating provision
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-31
2001-08-28
Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With indicating or identifying provision
Connection indicating provision
48
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280237
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector with a partial connection detecting function and a water preventing function.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior art connectors that are used in essential circuits of an airbag or like device are provided with a means for preventing a partial connection of female and male connectors to prevent an erroneous operation of the device. One such prior art connector is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-111390 and is shown in
FIG. 19
of this application. The prior art connector of
FIG. 19
includes a female housing
1
. A spring unit
2
is disposed in the female housing
1
and comprises a coil spring
2
A and a spring pressing member
2
B. The prior art connector further includes a male housing
4
. The male housing
4
includes a receptacle
5
, and a rib
5
A projects from an outer surface of the receptacle
5
. When the connection of the housings
1
and
4
is started, the rib
5
A pushes the spring pressing member
2
B to gradually compress the coil spring
2
A. If the connecting operation is interrupted halfway, the housings
1
and
4
are separated by a spring force accumulated in the coil spring
2
A, thereby preventing the housings
1
and
4
from being held in a partly connected condition.
Some of the above-described prior art connectors also must be watertight. To achieve a watertight connection, a rubber ring
6
is fitted on the outer circumferential surface of a back end of an inner tubular portion
3
of the female housing
1
so that the rubber ring
6
is sealed to the inner circumferential surface of the receptacle
5
of the male housing
4
.
There has been a gradually increasing demand to decrease the size of watertight connectors that have a partial connection detecting function. Accordingly, it has been considered to make such a connector smaller by providing the spring unit
2
in an inwardly retracted position with respect to a radial direction and by deleting the rib
5
A. Thus, the spring pressing member
2
B would be pushed by an end edge of the receptacle
5
. Additionally, an attempt could be made to retract the spring unit
2
to a position where the spring unit
2
overlaps the rubber ring
6
in radial direction. This construction would require the spring unit
2
to be provided behind the mount position of the rubber ring
6
, as shown in FIG.
20
. However, if the position of the spring unit
2
is displaced backward with respect to a connecting direction, the coil spring
2
A can be compressed only after the receptacle
5
of the male housing
4
has been inserted relatively deeply. Thus, the compression of the coil spring
2
A that exists when the connecting operation is interrupted halfway may not be sufficient to separate the terminal fittings in the housings
1
and
4
completely. Consequently, an electrical connection test may mistakenly detect that the connectors have been connected properly even though they are connected only partly.
A compression of the coil spring
2
A at an early stage of the connecting operation conceivably could avoid the above-described problems. Thus, it may be considered to extend the receptacle
5
of the male housing
4
forward as much as the spring unit
2
is displaced backward. However, such an arrangement makes the entire connector larger in the connecting direction, and therefore is not a realistic option. On the other hand, it may be considered to select a material having a high rigidity for the coil spring
2
A. Thus, a spring force that is large enough to separate the housings could be obtained even with a small degree of compression. However, this requires a larger force to connect the housings
1
and
4
, thereby adversely affecting the connecting operation. As a result, the prior art does not provide and acceptable solution to the need for a small watertight connector that is capable of detecting an incomplete connection.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved connector having reduced overall dimensions but allowing for a good waterproof function.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention is directed to a connector that comprises first and second connector housings that are at least partly connectable with each other. The first connector housing comprises a receptacle into which the second connector housing can be fit at least partly. The second connector housing comprises a biasing means for accumulating a biasing force to move the first connector housing away from the second connector housing when the biasing means is compressed elastically by the receptacle as the housings are connected. The connector further comprises a sealing ring, which preferably is mounted securely to the inner circumferential surface of the receptacle for holding the connector housings substantially watertight. The sealing ring is mountable in a temporary mount position located before a proper mount position on the second connector housing with respect to a mating direction of the first connector housing. The sealing ring then is movable to the proper mount position by a moving means provided between or by the connector housings as the connector housings are connected. Additionally, the biasing means is provided behind the sealing ring to radially overlap the sealing ring in the temporary mount position. That is, the biasing means is at least partly at the same radial distance as the sealing ring or is at least partly adjacent the sealing ring.
When the connection of the connector housings is started, the biasing means is pushed by the end edge of the receptacle and is compressed elastically. Additionally, the sealing ring is moved from the temporary mount position toward the proper mount position by the moving means. When the connector housings are connected properly, the sealing ring has been moved to the proper mount position and has been sealed securely to the second connector housing and the inner circumferential surface of the receptacle to provide a stable watertight connection between the connector housings. Here, unless the sealing ring is moved from the temporary mount position, the watertight connection between the connector housings is incomplete even if the connector housings are properly connected.
The biasing means is provided in an inwardly retracted position where it overlaps the sealing ring in a radial direction. Consequently, the radial dimension of the connector can be shortened. An attempt to make the connector smaller causes the biasing means to be behind the rubber ring, and delays the time at which the biasing means is pushed by the receptacle. However, in the subject invention, the biasing means is positioned behind the sealing ring in the temporary mount position, which is more forward than the proper or final mount position of the sealing ring with respect to a depth direction. Consequently, the biasing means can be provided more forward by a distance approximately equal to the distance that the sealing ring is moved. Therefore, the receptacle can start pushing the biasing means at an early stage of the connecting operation.
A sealed space preferably is formed inside the receptacle by or in cooperation with the second connector housing while the connector housings are being connected, and air in the sealed space is compressed to produce an air pressure as the connection progresses. The moving means may comprise or may be formed by the resulting air pressure. Thus, the sealing ring is moved to the proper mount position by the resulting air pressure.
A pushing portion may project from the inner surface of the receptacle for pushing the sealing ring as the connector housings are connected, and the moving means may comprise the pushing portion. Thus, the sealing ring can be moved to the proper mount position by directly pushing the sealing ring with the pushing portion as the connector housings are connected.
As explained above, the moving means preferably is formed by a pressure of air compressed in a sealed space de
Chishima Masamitsu
Saka Yukinori
Casella Anthony J.
Figueroa Felix O.
Hespos Gerald E.
Luebke Renee
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
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