Electrical connectors – Coupling part including flexing insulation – Hinged or flexed detent on insulation engaging to secure...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-16
2001-01-30
Donovan, Lincoln (Department: 2832)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part including flexing insulation
Hinged or flexed detent on insulation engaging to secure...
C439S585000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179660
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector apparatus, which is composed of male and female connectors which house male and female terminals and are fitted into each other, and a retainer having a function for double-engaging the respective terminals with the respective connectors, a function for detecting incomplete insertion of the terminals into the connectors and a function for detecting the fitted state of the respective connectors.
2. Description of Related Art
A general connector apparatus in related art additionally includes at least spacers for detecting incomplete insertion state of a terminals into connectors and a retainer for detecting the half-fitted state of the connectors. As a result, a number of parts becomes larger, and a number of steps for mounting these parts to a housing is increased. For this reason, the installation is troublesome and the manufacturing and producing cost is increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been achieved with such points in mind.
It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide a connector apparatus which is capable of reducing a number of parts, saving the trouble of the installation, and easily detecting incomplete insertion of terminals into connectors and a fitted state of male and female connectors.
To achieve the object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector apparatus, comprising: a male connector having a male housing provided with a flexible engagement lance in a terminal housing chamber for housing a female terminal, the engagement lance being engaged with the female terminal so as to prevent the female terminal from slipping out; a female connector having a female housing provided with a flexible engagement lance in a terminal housing chamber for housing a male terminal and having a hood section which is provided integrally with the female housing and into which the male housing is inserted and fitted, the engagement lance being engaged with the male terminal so as to prevent the male terminal from slipping out; and a retainer to be mounted to a temporary engagement position of the female connector from a direction intersecting a fitting direction of the male and female connectors, wherein the retainer is engaged in a regular engagement position with the male and female connectors which are in the fitted state and is inserted into deflection spaces of the flexible engagement lances each of the male and female connectors so as to prevent deflection of the flexible engagement lances; and when one of states alternatively arises where at least one of the male and female terminals is inserted into each of the terminal housing chambers incompletely and where the male housing is fitted into the hood section halfway, the retainer prevents movement from the temporary engagement position to the regular engagement position.
In this connector apparatus, in the state that the retainer is mounted to the temporary engagement position of the female connector from the direction intersecting the fitted direction of the male and female connectors, the male and female connectors are fitted into each other, and the retainer is moved from the temporary engagement position to the regular engagement position. In this case, in the case where the terminals are inserted respectively into the connectors completely, when the retainer is inserted into the deflection spaces of the engagement lances, the retainer can move from the temporary engagement position to the regular engagement position. As a result, it can be detected that the terminals are inserted respectively into the connectors completely. Moreover, in the case where the terminals are inserted into the connectors incompletely, the terminals are not regularly engaged with the engagement lances in the terminal housing chambers respectively. For this reason, the retainer cannot be inserted into the deflection spaces of the engagement lances. As a result, since the retainer cannot be moved from the temporary engagement position to the regular engagement position, it can be detected that the terminals are inserted into the connectors incompletely.
Further, in the case where the male connector housing is inserted and fitted into the hood section completely, the retainer can move from the temporary engagement position to the regular engagement position. For this reason, it can be detected that the male housing is fitted into the hood section completely. Moreover, in the case where the male connector housing is fitted into the hood section halfway, the retainer cannot move from the temporary engagement position to the regular engagement position. For this reason, it can be detected that the male housing is fitted into the hood section halfway.
As mentioned above, in the connector apparatus of the present invention, when the one retainer is mounted to the temporary engagement position of the female housing and after the male housing is fitted into the hood section, the retainer is moved to the regular engagement position, incomplete insertion of the terminals into the connectors, and halfway fitted state of the male housing into the hood section can be detected easily. Therefore, a number of parts and a number of the mounting steps can be reduced, and a number of the detecting operations can be also reduced.
As mentioned above, according to the invention of the first aspect, only by mounting the one retainer to the temporary engagement position of the female housing, double engagement of the terminals with the terminal housing chambers, incomplete insertion of the terminals and halfway fitting of the male and female connectors can be detected. For this reason, a number of parts and a number of the mounting steps can be reduced, and thus the producing cost can be reduced.
In addition, only by moving the one retainer from the temporary engagement position to the regular engagement position, double engagement of the terminals, incomplete insertion of the terminals and halfway fitting of the male and female connectors can be detected easily and simply.
According to a second aspect of the present invention as it depends from the first aspect, there is provided a connector apparatus, wherein the retainer comprises: a main body; deflection regulating plate sections provided integrally with the body, the deflection regulating plate sections being inserted into the deflection spaces of the flexible engagement lances each of the male and female connectors, each of the deflection regulating plate sections comes in contact with the each of the flexible engagement lances when at least one of the male and female terminals is inserted into each of the terminal housing chambers incompletely; an engagement arm which is engaged with the temporary engagement position and the regular engagement position of the female housing; a temporary engagement projection for engaged with the engagement arm so as to maintain the retainer in the temporary engagement position; and a regular engagement projection for holding the retainer in the regular engagement position.
In this connector apparatus, in the state that the retainer is mounted to the temporary engagement position of the female housing, the male housing is inserted and fitted into the hood section. Next, the retainer is moved from the temporary engagement position to the regular engagement position. At this time, the terminals are inserted into the terminal housing chambers of the connectors completely so as to be engaged with the engagement lances regularly. Further, when the male housing is fitted into the hood section completely, the retainer moves from the temporary engagement position to the regular engagement position, and the deflection regulating plate sections on the male and female connectors are inserted into the deflection spaces of the engagement lances, and the engagement arm is engaged with the regular engagement position of the female housing.
In this state, the terminals are double engaged with the terminal housing c
Kimura Tomohiko
Salaguinto Joel Victor Damocles
Donovan Lincoln
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Lee Kyung
Yazaki -Corporation
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