Electrical connectors – Coupling part including flexing insulation – Coupling part housing hinged for coupling part assembly
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-06
2004-02-24
Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part including flexing insulation
Coupling part housing hinged for coupling part assembly
C439S752000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06695645
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector, which receives a female terminal for connecting electrically with a mating male terminal, to be used in a rear window of a car.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 8
,
9
show an example of such kind of a connector by prior art, which is disclosed in J.P.A. H8-17504 issued by the same applicant of this invention.
A connector housing
51
shown in
FIGS. 8
,
9
is provided with a terminal receiving chamber
53
opening at a front end
51
a
and at a rear end, and the terminal receiving chamber
53
has a flexible locking piece
54
at a bottom wall
53
a
thereof. A locking bar
55
supported by an expandable hinge
56
to be opened or closed freely is combined with an outer wall
51
c
at the front end
51
a
of the connector housing
51
. A locking window
57
is opened in a top wall
53
b
of the terminal receiving chamber
53
.
An top end
54
a
of the flexible piece
54
is fitted into a locking hole
58
being formed in a bottom surface
52
a
of a female terminal
52
to lock firstly the female terminal
52
.
The locking bar
55
is for locking secondarily the female terminal
52
and provided at a free end thereof with a locking projection
59
suspendingly. A locking hook
60
is formed upwardly at an end portion of the locking projection
59
to lock the locking bar
55
in the connector housing
51
.
The locking bar
55
is pushed upwardly by an energizing force of the hinge
56
, as shown in
FIG. 9
, when the locking bar
55
does not lock the female terminal
52
. For secondarily locking the female terminal
52
, the locking projection
59
is pushed down to be inserted into the locking window
57
of the top wall
53
b
, and a front wall
59
a
of the locking projection
59
is abutted onto a locking portion
61
a
being formed at a rear end of an electrical contact portion
61
of the female terminal
52
.
Thereby, a locking tip
60
a
of the locking hook
60
engages with an edge portion
57
a
of the locking window
57
and then, the locking bar
55
is locked in the connector housing
51
. The female terminal
52
is locked doubly by the flexible locking piece
54
and the locking bar
55
to be prevented securely from being extracted from the terminal receiving chamber
53
.
The hinge
56
has an arcuate thin plate connecting the outer wall
51
c
of the connector housing
51
and the locking bar
55
to form the locking bar
55
integrally with the connector housing
51
. To push the locking projection
59
of the locking bar
55
toward the hinge
56
, the arcuate hinge
56
is bent with larger curvature so that the length of the hinge
56
is shortened to bring the locking projection
59
near to a front top of the connector housing
51
.
Even if the locking bar
55
has a small dimensional error of the length, to push the locking projection
59
toward the hinge
56
, the locking projection
59
can be inserted successfully into the locking window
57
of the terminal receiving chamber
53
.
Objects to be Solved
The connector housing by prior art, as mentioned above, has following objects to be solved.
The hinge
56
and the locking bar
55
protrude outwardly from the connector housing
51
so that it is concerned that the projecting portion may interfere with a car body or the like. When the locking bar
55
does not lock the female terminal
52
, the locking bar
55
is pushed upwardly by an energizing force of the hinge
56
. Therefore, the locking bar
55
may interfere with a car body or electrical devices if the connector housing is installed in a small room of a car body. Even if the locking bar
55
locks the female terminal
52
, the hinge
56
still protrudes outwardly from the connector housing
51
and has the same drawback.
Number of electrical devices in a car is being increased and then a room for the devices in a car is being shrunk. Then, devices are required to be smaller so that devices having protrusion are undesirable.
Furthermore, it is concerned that the expandable thin plate hinge
56
may be broken to separate the locking bar
55
and the connector housing
51
. The outer wall
51
c
of the connector housing
51
and the locking bar
55
are connected integrally by the hinge
56
. If the locking bar
55
has a dimensional error of the length to disable for inserting the locking bar
55
into the right position of the terminal receiving chamber
53
, adjusting the length of the locking bar
55
by pushing or pulling the hinge
56
is required. When the locking bar
55
is unlocked out of the connector housing
51
, the locking bar
55
is required to rotate around the hinge
56
. Therefor, the thin plate hinge
56
has stress concentration and may be broken.
Furthermore, it is afraid that the locking bar
55
being locked in the connector housing
51
is unlocked unexpectedly. The locking bar
55
is locked by engaging the locking tip
60
a
of the locking hook
60
with the edge portion
57
a
of the locking window
57
. However, the arcuate hinge
56
between the connector housing
51
and the locking bar
55
energizes the locking bar
55
always outwardly so that the locking tip
60
a
may be out of the edge portion
57
a
of the locking window
57
and the locking bar
55
may be unlocked if the locking bar
55
protruding outwardly from the connector housing
51
is loaded unexpectedly.
To overcome the above drawback of prior art, one object of this invention is to provide a small connector which has no outward protrusions, high durability with a locking bar, high reliability of locking a terminal and easy operation of unlocking a male terminal and a female terminal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
How to Attain the Object
In order to attain the objects, a connector, according to this invention, which includes a connector housing having a terminal receiving chamber inside and a female terminal being received in the terminal receiving chamber for contacting electrically with a mating male terminal, the connector housing comprises a housing body and a cover body being mounted on the housing body for covering in the connector housing. The cover body has side walls on both side thereof and a cover wall across the side walls. An operating flap being formed in the cover wall is provided suspendingly with a locking bar being inserted into the terminal receiving chamber for locking the female terminal.
If the cover body with the cover wall is mounted in the housing body as mentioned above, the locking bar to be inserted from an opening portion to the terminal receiving chamber can be formed integrally with the cover wall of the cover body. If the locking bar is provided suspendingly on the operating flap, the locking bar can be inserted into the terminal receiving chamber without bending the operating flap outwardly from the cover wall. When closing the cover body, the locking bar goes into the terminal receiving chamber of the housing and an end portion of the locking bar abuts on an abutting portion being formed at a rear end of an electrical contact portion of the female terminal to lock the female terminal.
In the connector as mentioned above, the operating flap is formed by slitting the cover wall.
If the operating flap is formed by slitting the cover wall, as mentioned above, the operating flap can be flexible without deformation or strength reduction of the cover body.
In the connector as mentioned above, the female terminal has a spring contact piece in a cylindrical electrical contact portion and the locking bar is provided, at an end portion thereof, with a pressing portion to abut on the spring contact piece.
If the pressing portion is provided at the end portion of the locking bar as mentioned above, locking of the both terminals can be unlocked by pushing down the operating flap to make the pressing portion of the locking bar abut on the spring contact portion. An engaging portion is formed in the spring contact portion of the female terminal, and an engaged portion is formed in the electrical contact portion of the male termin
Armstrong Kratz Quintos Hanson & Brooks, LLP
Paumen Gary
Yazaki -Corporation
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