Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-30
2003-03-18
Nasri, Javaid (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means
C439S357000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06533600
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector fitting construction in which a half-fitted condition is positively prevented by a resilient force of a resilient member mounted in a housing of at least one of a pair of female and male connectors to be fitted and connected together, and also the connector, fitted on the mating connector can be locked positively and easily.
2. Related Art
Usually, many electronic equipments for effecting various controls are mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and end portions of wires of wire harnesses are connected to the electronic equipments through various female and male connectors. In view of an assembling operation and the maintenance, the female and male connectors are so constructed as to easily connect and disconnect the wire harness.
Also, various half-fitting prevention connectors for detecting a fitted condition of the female and male connectors have been used, and for example, there is known a half-fitting prevention connector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,399.
This conventional half-fitting prevention connector will be described with reference to
FIGS. 10
to
13
.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, a male connector
1
(one of a pair of male and female connectors
1
and
2
) comprises a housing
3
, and this housing
3
includes a connector housing
3
a,
which has a terminal receiving chamber (in the form of a through hole) for receiving a predetermined number of socket contacts, and also has a terminal insertion port open to its front side, and an exclusive-use housing
3
b
provided above the connector housing
3
a
so as to slidably receive a slider
10
(described later).
The exclusive-use housing
3
b
is provided to form a slider receiving portion
4
, and extends in a fitting direction, and is open upwardly. Guide grooves
5
for respectively guiding opposite side portions of a slider body
11
are formed respectively in opposite side portions of the exclusive-use housing
3
b.
A spring receiving portion
3
c
of a tubular shape is formed at a rear end of each of the guide grooves
5
.
A lock arm (elastic member)
6
of the cantilever type is formed integrally with the exclusive-use housing
3
b
at a widthwise-central portion thereof, and extends in the fitting direction. A lock beak
7
, having a slanting surface, is formed on an upper surface of the lock arm
6
, and a housing lock
8
for retaining engagement with a female housing
21
(described later) is formed on a lower surface of the lock arm
6
at a distal end thereof. Displacement prevention projections
8
a
for preventing the displacement of the lock arm
6
are formed on the upper surface of the lock arm
6
, and face away from the housing lock
8
.
Side spaces
4
a
for respectively receiving abutment projections
14
of a slider arm
12
(described later) are formed at opposite sides of the lock arm
6
, respectively.
The slider
10
has the elastic slider arm
12
of the cantilever type provided within the slider body
11
at a generally central portion thereof, and the pair of abutment projections
14
are formed respectively at opposite side portions of a lower surface of the slider arm
12
at a front end portion thereof. The slider
10
also includes a pressing portion
15
, which is formed on an upper surface thereof at a rear end thereof, and is operated when canceling the fitting connection, and a slide groove
13
formed in the slider arm
12
and the pressing portion
15
. Spring retaining portions
16
for respectively retaining compression springs
9
are formed respectively at opposite side portions of a lower portion of the slider body
11
at the rear end thereof. A displacement prevention portion
17
for preventing the displacement of the lock arm
6
is formed at the front end of the slider body
11
.
The female connector (the other connector)
2
includes a terminal receiving chamber (in the form of a through hole) for receiving a predetermined number of pin contacts, and has a housing insertion port
26
open to its front side. The female connector
2
includes a pair of stopper projections
22
, which are formed on an upper surface of the housing
21
so as to abut respectively against the abutment projections
14
of the slider
10
during the connector-fitting operation, a slanting projection
23
, which is provided between the stopper projections
22
, and has a slanting surface for flexing (elastically deforming) the lock arm
6
, and an engagement groove
24
which is formed at a rear side of the slanting projection so as to be engaged with the housing lock
8
.
First, the slider
10
of
FIG. 10
is mounted on the male connector
1
. More specifically, when the slider
10
, having the compression springs
9
held respectively on the spring retaining portions
16
, is pushed into the slider receiving portion
4
of the male connector
1
from the front side thereof, the slider body
11
moves rearward along the guide grooves
5
. At this time, the abutment projections
14
, formed respectively at the opposite side portions of the lower surface of the slider arm
12
of the slider
10
, are received respectively in the side spaces
4
a
formed respectively at the opposite sides of the lock arm
6
. Then, the compression springs
9
are received in the spring receiving portions
3
c,
respectively, and the lock beak
7
on the lock arm
6
is fitted in the slide groove
13
in the slider
10
, so that the slider
10
is slidably mounted.
In the above condition, the slider
10
is urged forward by the resilient force of the compression springs
9
, and the front end of the pressing portion
15
is retainingly held against the lock beak
7
received in the slide groove
13
, and the displacement prevention projections
8
a,
formed at the distal end of the lock arm
6
, abut against the displacement prevention portion
17
formed on the lower surface of the slider
10
at the front end thereof, thereby preventing the upward displacement of the lock arm
6
.
Then, the socket contacts
30
(see FIG.
11
), each clamped to an end portion of a wire, are inserted into the housing
3
from the rear side thereof, and are retained by housing lances formed within the terminal receiving chamber, and a double-retaining holder is attached to the housing.
The pin contacts
31
(see FIG.
11
), each clamped to an end portion of a wire, are inserted into the housing
21
of the female connector
2
from the rear side thereof, and are retained by housing lances formed within the terminal receiving chamber, and a double-retaining holder is attached to the housing.
Next, the operation for fitting the male and female connectors
1
and
2
(constituting the connector fitting construction of this embodiment) together will be described.
When the operation for fitting the male and female connectors together is started as shown in
FIG. 11
, the stopper projections
22
of the female connector
2
are inserted respectively into the side spaces
4
a
(see FIG.
10
), formed respectively at the opposite sides of the lock arm
6
of the male connector
1
, and generally-vertical abutment surfaces (front surfaces) of these stopper projections
22
generally fully abut respectively against generally-vertical abutment surfaces (front surfaces) of the abutment projections
14
of the slider. From this time on, the resilient force of the compression springs
9
is produced. At this stage, the pin contacts
31
, mounted in the female connector
2
, are not yet fitted respectively in the socket contacts
30
mounted in the male connector
1
.
Then, when the fitting operation proceeds, the slider
10
is pushed rearwardly against the bias of the compression springs
9
(see FIG.
10
), so that the housing lock
8
, formed at the distal end of the lock arm
6
, abuts against the slanting projection
23
of the female connector
2
. At this stage, the pin contacts
31
are inserted respectively into the socket contacts
30
, but are not disposed in complete electrical contact therewith.
If the pushing operation is stopped in
Kashiyama Motohisa
Yoshida Haruki
Nasri Javaid
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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