Electrical connectors – Having circuit interrupting provision effected by mating or...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-09
2003-12-09
Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Having circuit interrupting provision effected by mating or...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06659785
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector with a shorting terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-129191 and
FIG. 7
herein both show a connector with a shorting terminal that was developed by the inventor of the subject invention. This connector includes a male housing
100
that is connectable with a female housing
110
. A plurality of male terminal fittings
101
and a shorting terminal
102
are provided in the male housing
100
. The shorting terminal
102
has terminal contacts
102
A that contact and short the male terminal fittings
101
when the male and female housings
100
and
110
are not connected. Receiving pieces
102
B are formed at the front end of the shorting terminal
102
and extend obliquely toward a side wall
103
of the male housing
100
. The female housing
110
has a pushing portion
111
that contacts the receiving pieces
102
B during connection to displace the receiving pieces
102
B down in FIG.
7
and toward the side wall
103
, thereby resiliently deforming the shorting terminal
102
and disengaging the terminal contacts
102
A from the male terminal fittings
101
. As a result, the shorted state of the female terminal fittings
101
is canceled.
Consideration has been given to elongating the receiving pieces
102
B for more securely bringing the pushing portion
111
into contact with the receiving pieces
102
B. Such a design ensures a wide permissible contact range of the pushing portion
111
with the receiving pieces
102
B even if the female housing
110
shakes vertically or if a tolerance of dimensional precision or assembling precision is large. Therefore, the pushing portion
111
can be brought securely into contact with the receiving pieces
102
B.
However, elongation of the receiving pieces
102
B shortens the space between the side wall
103
of the male housing
100
and the leading ends of the receiving pieces
102
B. Thus, a displacement stroke of the receiving pieces
102
B becomes smaller, which leads to a smaller displacement stroke of the terminal contacts
102
A of the shorting terminal
102
. A small displacement stroke of the terminal contacts
102
A prevents having a large space between the terminal fittings
101
and the shorting terminal
102
even after the shorted state of the terminal fittings
101
is canceled. This presents a problem in reliability of a shorted state canceling function.
In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to improve reliability of a shorted state canceling function.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to a connector with at least first and second housings that are connectable with each other. Terminal fittings and a shorting terminal are provided in the first housing. The shorting terminal normally contacts and shorts the terminal fittings. However, a shorted state of the terminal fittings can be cancelled by resiliently or elastically deforming the shorting terminal out of engagement with the terminal fittings. Receiving pieces are formed at the leading end of the shorting terminal and extend oblique to a connecting direction of the housings and toward a side wall of the first housing. A pushing portion is provided in the second housing and is adapted to contact the receiving pieces and to displace them toward the side wall portion during connection of the housings. An escaping portion is provided at the side wall of the first housing for avoiding interference with the receiving pieces when the receiving pieces are displaced toward the side wall by the pushing portion.
The displaced receiving pieces enter the escaping portion. Thus, the receiving pieces are displaced to a larger degree and the shorting terminal also is deformed to a larger degree as compared to a case where no escaping portion is provided. Accordingly, a large space is provided between the shorting terminal and the terminal fittings when the shorted state is canceled, and the reliability of a shorted state canceling function is improved.
The escaping portion preferably penetrates through the side wall first connector housing. Therefore, the receiving pieces can deflect a larger distance as compared to a case where a recess or bottomed hole is formed in the side wall.
The pushing portion preferably has a slanted surface oblique to the connecting direction of the housings. Additionally, the receiving pieces preferably have substantially the same inclination as the slanted surface before the shorting terminal contacts the pushing portion.
The second housing preferably has a recess that is continuous with the pushing portion and substantially parallel with the connecting direction of the housings. The shorting terminal is held in contact with the recess when the housings are connected with each other, thereby restricting displacement of the shorting terminal toward the terminal fittings.
The shorting terminal preferably comprises a plurality of resilient contact pieces folded back from a main section to extend towards the terminal fittings. The resilient contact pieces each comprise an angled terminal contact portion and an extending portion that extends forward from the front end of the terminal contact portion. The receiving piece extends oblique to the connecting direction of the housings from the front end of the extending portion.
The first connector housing preferably comprises a receptacle in which the second connector housing is insertable. A portion of the receptacle and the pushing portion define a space into which the shorting terminal is insertable when the connector housings are connected with each other.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. It should be understood that even though embodiments are described separately, single features thereof may be combined to additional embodiments.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4850888 (1989-07-01), Denlinger et al.
patent: 6036515 (2000-03-01), Nakamura
patent: 6039589 (2000-03-01), LaLange et al.
patent: 6171124 (2001-01-01), Kojima
patent: 6186805 (2001-02-01), Krishnaswamy et al.
patent: 6315588 (2001-11-01), Heberlein et al.
patent: 2000-357562 (2000-12-01), None
Nakamura Hideto
Yanagisawa Kei
Casella Anthony J.
Hespos Gerald E.
Paumen Gary
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
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