Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Plural-contact coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-03
2003-07-22
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Plural-contact coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
active
06595806
ABSTRACT:
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-203696, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a connector suited for a wire harness for electrically connecting, for example, control equipments and electronic equipments mounted on an automobile.
2. Related Art
Automated controls for various vehicles, including passenger cars, have been advanced, and with this advance various control equipments or devices, such as a CPU, and electronic equipments have been mounted on the vehicle.
Such control equipments and electronic equipments are connected by a wire harness, and the wire harness includes a connector which can be detachably connected in an inserted manner to a terminal connector mounted on the control equipment or the like.
One example of conventional connectors will now be described with reference to
FIGS. 13
to
16
.
As shown in
FIG. 13
, the connector
100
comprises insulating housings
101
, terminals
102
, and a cover member
103
. The insulating housing
101
is formed into a strip-like shape, and as illustrated in
FIG. 4
which shows part of the insulating housing on an enlarged scale, partition walls
105
are formed on a continuous base plate
104
(or merely “continuous plate”) at predetermined intervals, and extend continuously in a width direction of this base plate. A groove-like space, formed between any two adjacent partition walls
105
, serves as a terminal receiving portion
106
for receiving the terminal
102
.
A number of (for example, 50) terminal receiving portions
106
are formed on the single continuous base plate
104
, and this is called “a fifty-row structure”, and the base plate is cut into a predetermined length, and this section is used as a component part of the connector
100
.
The terminal
102
is formed by pressing or working an electrically-conductive metal sheet into a predetermined shape, and this terminal includes a connection portion
102
a
for connection to a mating connector, and two pairs of press-contacting blades
102
b
to which a wire
107
can be press-contacted. Other example of the terminal
102
than such a press-contacting terminal is a press-clamping terminal, and either can be used.
The terminals
102
are inserted into the terminal receiving portions
106
, respectively, and each terminal
102
is positioned as shown in
FIG. 14
, and in this condition the wire
107
, having a sheath, is press-fitted into a gap between each pair of press-contacting blades
102
b
as indicated by arrow A. As a result, the press-contacting blades
102
b
cut the sheath
107
a
of the wire
107
, and then come into contact with a conductor
107
b
, thereby electrically connecting the terminal
102
to the wire
107
.
In the connector
100
shown in
FIG. 13
, the terminals
102
are inserted in the respective terminal receiving portions
106
, and the insulating housing
101
, having the wires
107
connected thereto, is cut to provide five-row sections, and these housing sections are stacked together in a four-stage manner, and this stack is fitted into the cover member
103
. The cover member
103
is integrally molded of a synthetic resin.
The connection portions
102
a
of the terminal
102
are exposed to one side surface of the connector
100
, and the wires
107
are extended outwardly from the rear side surface of the connector.
The insulating housing
101
is molded of a synthetic resin, using molds, and is produced by a molding method (producing method) shown in FIG.
15
.
More specifically, filling portions
112
, corresponding in shape to the insulating housing
101
, are formed respectively in opposed side surfaces of a pair of molds
111
a
and
111
b
as shown in FIG.
15
. Filling portions for molding the partition walls
105
are formed in a reverse surface of the mold
111
a.
For molding the insulating housing
101
, the molds
111
a
and
111
b
are driven respectively in directions of arrow B so as to join the filling portions
112
together, and then a synthetic resin is poured. Then, after the synthetic resin is solidified, the molds
111
a
and
111
b
are driven respectively in directions of arrow C, and therefore are moved apart from each other, thereby obtaining the insulating housing
101
.
In the above mold structure, when moving the molds
111
a
and
111
b
into and out of mating engagement with each other, the stroke of each of the molds
111
a
and
111
b
in the direction of arrow B and the direction of arrow C is short, and therefore even a narrow operating space is acceptable, and besides the operability is excellent. However, the following problem has been encountered with the produced insulating housing
101
.
Namely, it is preferred that the insulating housing
101
should have a flat plate-like shape as shown in an upper portion of FIG.
16
.
However, the insulating housing was often warped or curved by the shrinking appearing after the molding, as shown in a lower portion of FIG.
16
. It may be proposed to provide reinforcing members, interconnecting the partition walls
105
, in order to prevent the deformation due to the shrinking. With this construction, however, it is necessary to add a slide mold to the molds
111
a
and
111
b
, and therefore there is encountered a problem that the mold structure becomes complicated, so that the cost increases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention has been made in view of the above problem and an object of the invention is to provide a connector employing an insulating housing of such a structure that this housing is less liable to be deformed.
(1) The above object of the invention has been achieved by a connector comprising:
at least one insulating housing, including
a strip-like base plate having a longitudinal direction thereof and a width direction thereof perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the base plate being cut into a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction from a continuous plate which has a plurality of terminal receiving portions,
a plurality of partition walls formed on the base plate, and extending continuously in the width direction of the base plate, and the partition walls being juxtaposed at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the base plate,
a bridge member having bridging portions each of which bridges between two adjacent ones of the partition walls, and
a plurality of notches each of which is formed at a position directly below the bridging portions on the base plate;
a plurality of terminals disposed respectively along the partition walls; and
a cover member receivable the insulating housing.
In the connector of this construction, the bridge member bridges between any two adjacent partition walls extending upright from the base plate, and therefore deformation due to shrinking will not occur thanks to the cooperation of the bridge members with the base plate.
The notches are formed respectively at positions corresponding to the bridge members on the base plate disposed respectively, and therefore molds for molding the bridge members can be produced, utilizing these notches, and a slide mold for molding the bridge members is not necessary.
(2) In the invention, a plurality of convex portions project from the bridge member in a thickness direction of the base plate, and the convex portions have an outer shape corresponding to an inner shape of the notch. Therefore, when stacking the adjacent insulating housings, the insulating housings can be positioned with respect to each other by fitting the convex portions in the respective notches.
In the case where insulating housings are stacked together in a plurality of stages, the upper and lower insulating housings can be easily separated from each other when convex portions on the lower housing are merely fitted respectively in notches in the upper housing. Therefore, preferably, suitable projections are formed respectively in the notches in the upper insulating housing, and the convex portions on
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