Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Including movement of coupling part about axis
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-16
2001-05-29
Nguyen, Khiem (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Including movement of coupling part about axis
C439S533000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06238229
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector used for connecting wire harnesses together, and more particularly to a connector of the type in which an insertion force, required for connecting connectors together, is quite low, and besides the connecting operation can be effected easily.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 11-72267, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 7
shows a related low-insertion force connector
50
disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 10-302909. A housing
71
of a block connector
70
is held between a pair of housings
61
of an opening-closing connector
60
, so that electrical contact portions
62
a
of terminals
62
, exposed to inner surfaces of the housings
61
of the opening-closing connector
60
, are contacted respectively with electrical contact portions
72
a
of terminals
72
exposed to outer surfaces of the housing
71
of the block connector
70
, thereby electrically connecting the two connectors together.
Thus, the opening-closing connector
60
and the block connector
70
are connected together by holding the housing
71
of the block connector
70
between the housings
61
of the opening-closing connector
60
, and any inserting or fitting operation, involving a sliding movement between the two connectors, is not required.
When an inserting or fitting operation, involving a sliding movement between the two connectors, is effected, a predetermined insertion force is required for connecting the two connectors together since there is involved the friction due to the sliding movement between the two connectors.
However, in the low-insertion force connector
50
of
FIG. 7
, the required insertion force is extremely low since any inserting or fitting operation, involving a sliding movement between the two connectors, is not necessary.
In this low-insertion force connector
50
, the housing
71
of the block connector
70
is held between the housings
61
of the opening-closing connector
60
, and the housings
61
of the opening-closing connector
60
are held in a closed condition, so that the electrical contact portions
62
a
of the terminals
62
are contacted with the electrical contact portions
72
a
of the terminals
72
, respectively, thereby electrically connecting the opening-closing connector
60
and the block connector
70
together. Then, lock claws
73
, formed on the housing
71
of the block connector
70
, are engaged respectively in lock frames
63
formed on the housings
61
of the opening-closing connector
60
, thereby holding the opening-closing connector
60
and the block connector in a mutually-connected condition.
Thereafter, the opening-closing connector
60
and the block connector
70
are fixedly secured or fastened to an auxiliary equipment (not shown) by bolts (not shown) or the like.
In the above low-insertion force connector
50
, in addition to the lock frames
63
and the lock claws
73
for holding the opening-closing connector
60
and the block connector
70
in the mutually-connected condition, fastening means (not shown), such as bolts and lock plates, for fastening the connectors
60
to
70
to the auxiliary equipment are required. Therefore, the construction becomes complicated, and the number of the component parts increases, which has invited a problem that the cost increases.
The operation for connecting the opening-closing connector
60
and the block connector
70
together, the operation for holding the two connectors
60
and
70
in the mutually-connected condition, and the operation for fastening the connectors
60
and
70
to the auxiliary equipment must be carried out sequentially separately from each other. Therefore, the time and labor, required for the connector-connecting operation, as well as the number of the component parts, increase, which has resulted in a problem that it is difficult to enhance the operation efficiency and to reduce the cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a connector in which the time and labor, required for a connector-connecting operation, as well as the number of component parts, can be reduced, thereby achieving the enhancement of the operation efficiency and the reduction of the cost.
To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector which comprises an opening-closing connector including at least one pair of housings which are connected together through a hinge so that the housings are able to be opened and closed, and a terminal which is provided in at least one of the pair of housings, and is exposed from an inner surface of the one housing, a block connector including a housing, which can be held between the housings of the opening-closing connector, and is fixed at its proximal end to a predetermined member, and a terminal exposed from an outer surface of the housing, wherein when the housings of the opening-closing connector are in a closed condition, the housing of the block connector is held between the housings of the opening-closing connector, and the terminal of the block connector is contacted with the terminal of the opening-closing connector, and a bracket that, before the housing of the block connector is held by the opening-closing connector, supports the opening-closing connector in a manner to allow the opening-closing connector to move in a predetermined direction, and that is fixedly secured to the predetermined member, to which the proximal end of the housing of the block connector is fixed, after the housing of the block connector is held by the opening-closing connector.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that a plurality of tapering surfaces are formed on a distal end portion of the housing of the block connector, and extend in a direction of insertion between the housings of the opening-closing connector, and the connector further comprises a stopper is formed on an inner surface of one of the housings of the opening-closing connector at one end portion thereof at which the hinge is formed, wherein when the housing of the block connector is inserted between the housings of the opening-closing connector, the stopper is brought into sliding contact with the tapering surfaces of the block connector, and when the housings of the opening-closing connector are opened, the stopper is abutted at its distal end against an inner surface of the other one of the housings of the opening-closing connector, thereby holding the housings of the opening-closing connector in a predetermined open condition, and when the stopper slides relative to the tapering surfaces of the block connector, abutting engagement of the stopper with the inner surface of the other housing of the opening-closing connector is canceled.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the bracket supports the opening-closing connector in a manner to allow the opening-closing connector to move upward, downward, right and left relative to the direction of insertion of the housing of the block connector between the housings of the opening-closing connector, before the housing of the block connector is held between the housings of the opening-closing connector.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the above-described connector further comprises pins projecting from outer surfaces of the hinge of the opening-closing connector, and extending along an imaginary line which is a central axis of opening-closing movement of the housings thereof, wherein the bracket includes at least one pair of support portions spaced from each other, and a distance between the support portions is longer than a distance between the outer surfaces of the hinge of the opening-closing connector, and the support portions have support grooves respectively supporting the pins in a manner to allow rotation of the pins and to allow
Nguyen Khiem
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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