Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-30
2002-07-09
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means
C439S352000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06416345
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector lock mechanism. More particularly, the present invention relates to a connector lock mechanism in which a half-fitted condition is positively prevented by a disengaging force (repelling force) produced between a pair of connector housings to be fittingly connected together so that the fitting connection to the mating connector can be positively locked.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 11-243596, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Usually, various electronic equipments are mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and therefore, naturally, various types of male and female connectors are provided at connection ends of various wires forming wire harnesses or the like.
Generally, male and female connectors to be fittingly connected together are provided with a lock mechanism, in which when the amount of fitting of the two connectors relative to each reaches a predetermined value, their respective connector housings are locked together in a fittingly-connected condition.
When the connector housings of the male and female connectors are connected together by the lock mechanism, each of connection terminals in the male connector housing is electrically connected to a respective one of connection terminals in the female connector housing with adequate contact pressure and contact area.
However, for example, when the operating force for fitting the two connector housings together is inadequate, and when either of the connector housings or any of the connection terminals is defective, the connector fitting operation is sometimes finished in a half-fitted condition in which the amount of fitting of the two connector housings relative to each other fails to reach the predetermined value.
When the male and female connectors are used in such a half-fitted condition, they may be disengaged from each other because of vibrations, developing during use, and the tension of a wire harness, and this can leads to a disadvantage that the feeding of electric power is interrupted. Even if the two connectors are not disengaged from each other, there is a possibility that in the half-fitted condition, the mating connection terminals are incompletely electrically connected together, in which case the necessary electrical characteristics are not obtained, and this may lead to a disadvantage that the associated electric part is subjected to a malfunction.
Therefore, in order to prevent an accident due to a failure to notice such a half-fitted condition of the two connectors, there has been proposed a lock mechanism (which locks two connector housings in a mutually-connected condition) having a half-fitting prevention function for disengaging the two connector housings from each other when a half-fitted condition is encountered.
FIG. 8
shows a related connector lock mechanism having a half-fitting prevention function.
In this connector lock mechanism, a lock arm
5
is formed on an outer surface of a male connector housing
2
(one of male and female connector housings
2
and
3
to be fitted together in a male-female manner), and extends in a connector housing-fitting direction, whereas arm engagement portions
7
are formed on the female connector housing (the other connector housing)
3
, and these arm engagement portions
7
retain engagement projections
5
b
of the lock arm
5
, respectively, to lock the two connector housings together in a connected condition when the amount of fitting of the two connector housings relative to each other reaches a predetermined amount.
Female connection terminals are received respectively in terminal receiving chambers
2
a
formed in the male connector housing
2
, and male connection terminals
9
are received respectively in terminal receiving chambers formed in the female connector housing
3
.
The lock arm
5
has a pair of elastic arms
5
a
extending from a proximal end portion of the housing toward a distal end thereof, and the engagement projection
5
b
is formed on and projects laterally from an outer side surface of each of the elastic arms
5
a
at a distal end thereof.
The arm engagement portions
7
are formed in a projected manner respectively on inner surfaces of opposite side walls
3
b
and
3
b
of a front housing portion
3
a
, defining a space into which the male connector housing
2
can be fitted. Each of the arm engagement portions
7
has a slanting surface
7
a
and a retaining surface
7
b
. When the amount of fitting of the two connector housings relative to each other is less than the predetermined value, each slanting surface
7
a
presses the corresponding engagement projection
5
b
toward a vertical median plane of the housing to elastically deform the elastic arm
5
a
toward the vertical median plane of the housing, thereby producing a disengaging force urging the two connectors away from each other. When the amount of fitting of the two connector housings reaches the predetermined value, so that the elastic deformation of each elastic arm
5
a
by the corresponding slanting surface
7
a
is canceled, each retaining surface
7
b
retains the corresponding engagement projection
5
b.
Namely, in the above connector lock mechanism, when the male and female connector housings
2
and
3
are fitted together, the elastic arms
5
a
are elastically deformed respectively by the slanting surfaces
7
a
through the engagement projections
5
b
, and as a result the disengaging force, tending to move the two connector housings
2
and
3
away from each other, is produced between each slanting surface
7
a
and the corresponding engagement projection
5
b
by the resilient force of the thus elastically-deformed elastic arm
5
a
. In this construction, any spring member (e.g. a compression coil spring), separate from the connector housings, is not used for producing the disengaging force to disengage the two connectors from each other, and therefore the half-fitting prevention function is achieved at a low cost without increasing the number of the component parts.
In the above lock mechanism, however, the arm engagement portions
7
are formed on the inner surface of the connector housing
3
, and therefore the condition of engagement of the lock arm
5
with the arm engagement portions
7
can not be confirmed with the eyes, and thus there has been a disadvantage that the fitting connection can not be confirmed with the eyes.
And besides, for canceling the locked condition, the proximal end portion of the lock arm
5
is pressed so as to turn its distal end portion downwardly, and therefore a large operating force is required when canceling the locked condition, and this has invited a problem that the cancellation of the locked condition is difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the above problems, and more specifically to provide a connector lock mechanism in which a half-fitted condition is positively prevented, and a condition of engagement of a lock arm with an arm engagement portion can be confirmed with the eyes, and besides an operating force, required for canceling a locked condition of the two connector housings, can be reduced.
To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a connector lock mechanism which comprises an elastically-deformable lock arm formed on an outer surface of one of male and female connector housings which are fittable to each other, the lock arm extending in a connector fitting direction, at least one engagement projection formed on the lock arm, at least one arm engagement portion formed on an outer surface of the other one of male and female connector housings, wherein when the male and female connector housings are completely fitted to each other, the arm engagement portion retains the engagement projection of the lock arm to lock the male and female connector housings, at least one push-out guide surface formed on the arm engagem
Nguyen Truc
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Ta Tho D.
Yazaki -Corporation
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