Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-01
2001-10-30
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
C439S692000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06309225
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector which is fitted to a mating member for enabling a connection between an interior and an exterior to be made.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 6
shows a CCD camera including a CCD camera body
2
contained in an outer case
1
.
Structure of the CCD camera will be briefly described as below. One of side walls
3
of the outer case
1
is formed with a through hole
4
, through which a connecting wire harness
5
is passed. The wire harness
5
is provided with a wire-to-wire connector
6
at a terminal end outside the outer case
1
, and a wire-to-board connector
7
is provided at a terminal end at an opposite side thereof. The through hole
4
is provided with a seal member for water tight between the interior and the exterior of the outer case
1
. The CCD camera body
2
is mounted on a base plate
8
and fixed at a determined position in the outer case
1
by means of screws. The base plate
8
is provided with a connector
9
of the base plate which is adapted to be connected with the wire-to-board connector
7
. Reference numeral
10
represents a protective cover which is fitted to an open edge of the outer case
1
.
In order to assemble the CCD camera having the above described structure, the wire harness
5
is passed through the one side wall
3
of the outer case
1
as a first step. Then, the connector
7
is connected to the connector
9
of the base plate within the outer case
1
, and the base plate
8
is fixed at a determined position in the outer case
1
by means of screws. Finally, the protective cover
10
is fitted to the open edge of the outer case
1
, thus finishing the assembling steps.
In the above described prior art, the wire harness
5
which is wired inside the outer case
1
had to be as short as possible according to circumstances of cost and space. For this reason, it has been difficult and annoying to manually connect the connector
7
with the connector
9
of the base plate, which results in adverse working efficiency.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the invention to provide a connector in which working efficiency will be improved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to solve the above described problem, there is provided a connector comprising a connector housing which includes two hood-like terminal cover sections on both sides of a partition wall provided therein, and a mounting part formed on a periphery of the connector housing to be engaged with a mating member, and a plurality of terminals each of which includes a connecting portion at its one end projected into one of the terminal cover sections which is positioned outside the mating member after being assembled, and a springy contact portion at the other end projected into the other of the terminal cover sections which is positioned inside the mating member after being assembled, the other terminal cover section of the connector housing being provided with either holes or slits on its one wall to allow external terminals provided on the mating member to pass.
According a second aspect of the invention, the contact portions of the terminals are curved toward the holes or the slits.
According to a third aspect of the invention, a pitch between the contact portions of the terminals is made larger or smaller than a pitch between the connecting portions at the other ends.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the mounting part of the connector housing is provided with a waterproof seal member.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the external terminals of the mating member are mounted on its base plate, and an outer face of the one wall is formed into a table to place the base plate thereon.
The connector according to the present invention is a connector to be fitted to the mating member. After the connector has been fitted to the mating member, the external terminals of the mating member are passed through the holes or slits formed in the other terminal cover section of the connector housing, whereby the connection between the mating member and the connector is completed.
Accordingly, wiring of the wire harness within the mating member as in the prior art is not required. Since the contact portions of the terminals have springy characteristics, they can be reliably connected with the respective external terminals which are passed through the holes or slits and brought into contact with them. Provided that the external terminals are arranged so as to pass through the holes or the slits during assembling of the mating member, the connecting work will be further simplified.
A connection outside the mating member can be conducted through the one terminal cover section.
According to the second aspect of the invention, contactability with the external terminals will be enhanced because the contact portions of the terminals are curved toward the holes or the slits formed in the other terminal cover section.
According to the third aspect of the invention, the connector can be manufactured according to the pitch of the external terminals, because the pitch between the contact portions is made larger or smaller than the pitch between the connecting portions. Provided that the pitch between the contact portions is made small, it will be possible to downsize the connector.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the connector can be watertightly fitted, because the mounting part is provided with the waterproof seal member.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, because the external terminal are mounted on the base plate, and the outer face of the one wall of the terminal cover section is formed flat allowing the base plate to be placed thereon, thus the base plate can be easily fitted, and stability of the base plate can be secured.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3989333 (1976-11-01), Cauldwell
patent: 4012094 (1977-03-01), VanRenssen et al.
patent: 4471339 (1984-09-01), Fukada et al.
patent: 4655518 (1987-04-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 5540596 (1996-07-01), Bothe et al.
patent: 6109950 (2000-08-01), Trammel
patent: 55-165585 (1980-12-01), None
patent: 61-281485 (1986-12-01), None
patent: 64-27880 (1989-02-01), None
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Ta Tho D.
Yazaki -Corporation
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