Electrical connectors – With contact preventer or retractable cover part – Movably mounted
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-12
2003-05-20
Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With contact preventer or retractable cover part
Movably mounted
C439S924100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06565371
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a connecting device and a robot, and is suitably applied to a connector for electrically connecting a robot having a built-in secondary battery and an exclusive charger.
BACKGROUND ART
There has been a connector
1
of this type as shown in
FIG. 11
, comprising a connector half unit
3
having a plurality of projecting electrode terminals
2
and another connector half unit
5
having electrodes (pad)
4
corresponding respectively to each electrode terminal
2
.
When using the connector
1
in a robot comprising a four-leg walking pet robot performing specific actions in accordance with directions from the user, the surrounding environment and an exclusive battery charger, the first connector
3
and the second connector
5
are placed in order to engage with the pet robot and the battery charger respectively.
In this pet robot, connecting the pet robot to the battery charger causes the first and second connectors
3
,
5
to thrust into each other, whereby each terminal
2
of the first connector half unit
3
comes into contact with corresponding terminal
4
of the second connector (half unit)
5
, succeeding in the electrical connection of the pet robot and the batter charger.
Thus constructed, the connector
1
is, however, prone to have a problem of low reliability in electrical connectivity of the first and second connectors
3
,
5
, because the terminal
2
of the first connector
3
is always projected and exposed outside, it is easy to get dirty and broken.
Moreover, accordingly, in the case where the terminal of the first connector
3
is always projected and exposed outside, there has been a problem of low safety; the user has had a danger of getting electrical shocks and injuries, touching the terminal
2
of the first connector
3
.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been done considering those problems and is intended to offer a connecting device and a robot capable of improving electrical connectivity and safety. To obviate such problems according to this invention a cover is provided for connecting means comprising a first connector having a first terminal and a second connector having a second terminal corresponding to said first terminal. The first connector is provided with terminal projection slits corresponding to said first electrode terminals and a cover which usually covers the first terminals. When the second connector is pushed against the first connector, however, this cover turns so that the first electrode terminals may come out of the slits. As a result, with this connecting device, when the first and second connectors are not in contact with each other, the first electrode terminals are covered by the cover, whereby the first electrode terminals are prevented from getting dirty or broken, resulting from the user touching them, and the user is fully protected from electrical shocks and harm beforehand. Consequently the electrical reliability and safety can be substantially increased.
Also, according to this invention, in a robot comprising charging means incorporating the first electrode having the first terminals and the second connector having the second terminals corresponding to the first terminals, the first connector is provided with a set of terminal projection slits corresponding to the first terminals and a cover, which usually covers the first terminals and turns so that the first terminals may thrust out of the terminal projection slits when the second connector is pushed against the first connector.
As a result, with this robot, since the first electrode is covered by the cover when the robot is not connected to the charger, the first electrode terminals are prevented from getting dirty or broken, possibly resulting from the user touching them, and the user is surely protected from electrical shocks and harm beforehand. Consequently the electrical reliability and safety are substantially increased.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4773032 (1988-09-01), Uehara et al.
patent: 5295844 (1994-03-01), Koshikawa et al.
patent: 5904597 (1999-05-01), Doi et al.
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patent: 3-35672 (1991-04-01), None
patent: 3-285503 (1991-12-01), None
patent: 4-124776 (1992-11-01), None
patent: 4-135176 (1992-12-01), None
Frommer William S.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
Ryan Matthew K.
LandOfFree
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