Electrical connectors – With coupling separator – Including retainer or joiner
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-19
2001-04-10
Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With coupling separator
Including retainer or joiner
C439S152000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213792
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector fitting structure where multipolar male and female connectors are engaged with and disengaged from each other by sliding a slide member reciprocatively.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (kokai) No. 8-167635 discloses the conventional connector fitting structure where male and female connectors can be engaged with each other by sliding a slide member mounted on a hood assembly.
In the disclosed structure, the hood assembly is assembled to the female connector, provided with the slide member having a guide groove formed therein. In use, when sliding the slide member, then the male connector is drawn to engage with the female connector.
The female connector for engaging a plurality of terminals therein is provided with a hood for covering respective leading ends of the terminals. While, the hood assembly is provided with a flange to be engaged with the hood. By sliding the hood assembly to one direction while engaging the flange with the hood of the female connector, some engagement holes formed in the hood assembly can be engaged with engagement projections formed on the female connector, respectively. With this engagement, the hood assembly can be assembled to the female connector. During the sliding of the hood assembly, since some press plates formed on the hood of the female connector do press restricting parts of the hood assembly, which are disposed inside the flange of the hood assembly, the hood is interposed between each restricting part and the flange, thereby causing the female connector and the hood assembly from rattling to or poorly connecting with each other.
In the above-mentioned conventional structure, however, there is a case that the hood of the female connector is positioned inside the hood assembly due to the rattling between the female connector and the hood assembly. In such a case, the leading end of the male connector being drawn into the hood assembly may butt against the hood in the hood assembly. Consequently, there is caused a problem that a manipulating force required for fitting the female and male connectors to each other is increased to cause the difficulty or impossibility of fitting.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connector fitting structure which allows the male and female connectors to be engaged with each other certainly and also easily while surely preventing the female connector and the hood assembly from rattling to each other.
The object of the present invention described above can be accomplished by a fitting structure for connectors, comprising:
a female connector;
a male connector for engagement with the female connector;
a hood assembly having an opening to be assembled to an assembling port provided on either one of the male and female connectors, the hood assembly including at least one slide member adapted so as to slide therein and provided with one or more guide grooves; and
one or more guide pins formed on the other of the male and female connectors;
wherein respective interior dimensions defining the assembling port of the one of the male and female connectors are respectively larger than respective interior dimensions defining the opening of the hood assembly, thereby providing a step in a boundary area between the hood assembly and the one of the male and female connectors;
whereby the engagement and disengagement between the male and female connectors can be accomplished by reciprocatively moving the slide member while the one or more guide pins are retained in the one or more guide grooves.
In the above-mentioned structure, since the slide member does slide while the guide groove(s) of the slide member engages with the guide pin(s), the other of the male and female connectors is drawn into the one of the connectors through the hood assembly, so that both connectors can be engaged with each other.
According to the present invention, the hood assembly is assembled to one connector, for example, the female connector by assembling the opening of the hood assembly to the assembling port of the female connector. Regarding this assembling, since the interior dimensions defining the assembling port of the female connectors are respectively larger than respective interior dimensions defining the opening of the hood assembly, the step is produced in the boundary area between the hood assembly and the female connector. Thus, there is no possibility that the female connector is positioned inside the hood assembly, so that the other connector, for example, the male connector draw into the hood assembly does not butt against the female connector. Consequently, the male connector can be fitted to the female connector smooth and certainly.
In the above-mentioned fitting structure, preferably, the assembling port of the one of the male and female connectors is in the form of a frame, while the opening of the hood assembly is provided with a cover for covering the frame of the one of the male and female connectors, the cover being opened on one side thereof, so that the hood assembly can be assembled to the one of the male and female connectors by sliding the frame relatively to the hood assembly through the opened side of the cover. In this way, since the assembling of the hood assembly to one connector, for example, the female connector can be attained by the sliding movement of either one of the hood assembly and the female connector in only one direction, the assembling operation can be simplified.
In the present invention, preferably, the hood assembly comprises a hood serving as a housing of the hood assembly and a manipulating lever pivotably mounted on the hood stopper, for sliding the slide member. In this case, owing to the provision of the manipulating lever, it will be possible to simplify the sliding operation of the slide member.
In the present invention, preferably, the guide groove consists of an inlet portion opening perpendicularly to one side of the slide member, a slanted portion slanted to a direction to slide the slide member and an end portion succeeding the slanted portion in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the slide member.
With the constitution of the guide groove, the sliding movement of the slide member can be converted to a force to drawing the other connector into the hood assembly.
In the present invention, preferably, the guide groove is provided, on one side of the inlet portion, with a flexible projection for temporary engagement with the guide pin.
In this case, owing to the provision of the flexible projection, it will be possible to engage the guide pin at the inlet portion of the guide groove, for the time being.
In the present invention, preferably, the frame is shaped to be rectangular and also provided, on both sidewalls thereof, with projections, while the cover of the hood assembly is provided, on both sidewalls thereof, with engagement holes for respective engagement with the projections on the frame.
With the above structure of the frame and the cover, it is possible to engage the frame with the cover securely.
In the present invention, preferably, the assembling port is constituted by at least one male-connector fitting chamber of which length and height correspond to the interior dimensions of the assembling port, while the opening of the hood assembly is constituted by at least one male-connector accommodating chamber of which length and height correspond to the interior dimensions of the opening.
With the above constitution of the assembling port and the cover, it will be possible to produce the above step in the boundary area between the hood assembly and the female connector.
In the present invention, preferably, the hood assembly includes two slide members arranged on upper and lower sides of the hood and the manipulating lever is mounted on the hood in order to slide the slide members in opposite directions to each other.
In this case, owing to the provision of the plural slide mem
Kaneko Satoru
Sugiyama Osamu
Tsuji Masanori
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Gilman Alexander
Paumen Gary F.
Yazaki -Corporation
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