Connector

Details Connector Connector

2001-10-30

2003-11-25

Nguyen, Khiem (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

With coupling separator

Including retainer or joiner

C439S372000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06652298

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to connectors, more specifically to connectors which employs the method of swinging an operation lever in order to connect a multitude of plug contacts and socket contacts.
An example of this conventional type of connector is illustrated as the structure shown in FIG.
11
. This connector
60
, for example, provides a plug-side connector
62
which stores a plurality of plug contacts
61
(see
FIG. 12
) and a socket-side connector
64
which stores in an array formation a plurality of socket contacts
63
which connects to those plug contacts
61
respectively.
Since a large insertion force is necessary in order to simultaneously insert the plurality of plug contacts
61
into the plurality of socket contacts
63
, generally, an operation lever
65
is provided on the connector
60
which can amplify the applied insertion force. This operation lever is attached so as to allow a swinging motion around the axis
66
displaced near the center of both of the side surfaces of said plug-side connector
62
. The ends of the operation lever
65
are, at both sides of said plug-side connector
62
, open on one end and forming engaging grooves
67
in an arc-shape which gradually gets closer to said axis
66
as they approach the other end.
Meanwhile, engaging protrusions
68
are provided near the center of both of the side surfaces of said socket-side connector
64
which are to be inserted into said engaging grooves
67
, respectively.
When engaging these plug-side connector
62
and socket-side connector
64
, the plug contacts
61
and the socket contacts
63
within the connectors
62
,
64
are positioned to line up, said engaging protrusions
68
are engaged with the engaging grooves
67
of said operation lever
65
, and said operation lever is swung. Accordingly, the engaging protrusions
68
are pulled towards the plug-side connector
62
along the engaging grooves
67
, and both of the connectors
62
,
64
can engage.
Additionally, the plug-side connector
62
provides a first casing portion and a second casing portion separated along the center line in the thickness direction (not shown). Both casing portions are assembled to sandwich a plug body which stores the plurality of wired plug contacts
61
, and forms the plug-side casing which possess a box shape and which stores said plug body. And then, the square C-shaped operation lever
65
is attached to both side surfaces of the plug-side casing so as to straddle both of the casings.
As shown in
FIG. 12
, the socket contacts
63
which are stored in said socket-side connector
64
possess, on the outer surface, a brim portion
63
a
protruding in a radial direction and an elastic protrusion
63
b
which can protrude in a radial direction. Then, the socket contacts
63
are inserted from the back of the through hole
69
which possess a step formed on the socket-side connector, and by having said elastic protrusion
63
b
protrude in front of the step portion
69
a
of said through hole
69
, said step portion
69
a
is sandwiched between the elastic protrusion
63
b
and the brim portion
63
a
and is held firmly by the socket-side connector
64
.
On the other hand, in order to allow the disengagement of the socket contacts
63
inserted into said through hole
69
, the through hole
69
of the socket-side connector has a diameter enough to allow a jig (not shown) which contracts the elastic protrusion
63
b
protruding in the radial direction at the front portion of the step portion
69
a
between the annular space
70
and the socket contacts
63
.
A conventional connector
60
formed in this fashion possesses disadvantages described below.
Firstly, as shown in
FIG. 12
, there is the possibility of the plug contacts
61
being inserted into the socket contacts at an angle. That is to say, as shown in
FIG. 13
, because the engaging protrusions
68
provided near the center of both side surfaces of the socket-side casing respectively engage the engaging grooves
67
of the operation lever
65
attached to the plug-side casing, when the plug contacts
61
begin to contact the socket contacts
63
, even though the engaging protrusions
68
have already engaged the engaging grooves
67
of the operation lever
65
, the socket-side connector
64
is able to swing with respect to the plug-side connector
62
with said engaging protrusions
68
as the axis of rotation.
Additionally, when the proper positioning of the socket-side connector
64
is not performed with respect to the plug-side connector
62
, the ends of the plug contacts
61
may miss the socket contacts
63
and become displaced in the annular space
70
, as shown in FIG.
12
.
Moreover, there is a possibility that the plug contacts
61
and the socket contacts
63
will become damaged when the plug contacts
61
are forcibly inserted into the socket contacts
63
while the plug contacts
61
are at an angle with respect to the socket contacts
63
, because the insertion force is amplified by the operation lever
65
.
Furthermore, when the plug contacts
61
are inserted into the socket contacts
63
at an angle, an enormous frictional force will be produced between the engaging grooves
67
of the operation lever
65
and the engaging protrusions
68
which engage the former, resulting in the wearing of the contact portions of the engaging grooves
67
and the engaging protrusions
68
.
Also, since the plug-side casing is formed from a first and a second casing by splitting into two along the center in the latitudinal direction, the attaching and detaching of the operation lever
65
each time the assembling and disassembling of the casing is performed proves to be complex and time-consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to offer a connector which overcomes the conventional problems described above, and which allows the stable insertion of multiple pairs of socket contacts and plug contacts that engage each other while being displaced in respective rows with the use of an operation lever.
In order to solve the problems described above, the present invention offers a connector which provides a plurality of plug contacts and socket contacts which respectively connects electrically within the inner portions of a pair of casings which engage respectively, and which are aligned therein, at least two engaging protrusions which are spaced apart in the direction orthogonal to the engaging direction of said casing on the opposing pair of side surfaces of first of said casings, a pair of engaging plates which can move in the direction orthogonal to the engaging direction on the opposing pair of side surfaces of the second of said casing; a pair of sliding grooves which can house and allow the sliding of said engaging plates in the direction orthogonal to the engaging direction on the side surfaces of the said second casing, at least two engaging grooves which are parallel to each other and where said engaging protrusions are inserted on the opposing pair of side surfaces of the said second casing, said engaging grooves having slanting portions which are slanted with respect to said engaging direction, an operation lever which can swing in order to move said engaging plates in a straight line simultaneously in the direction orthogonal to said engaging direction, and guiding grooves formed along said engaging direction which allow the insertion of said engaging protrusions.
The connector described above would be effective if a roller which rotates with respect to said engaging groove is provided on said engaging protrusion.
In addition, if said second casing is formed as a single body from said pair of sidewalls of said casing and a different sidewall, and is formed from a first casing portion which has a cross-sectional square C-shape and which has a opening portion in one direction and from a second casing portion which is attached onto to said first casing portion so as to close said opening portion, and wherein said operation lever is attached to said first casing

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