Electrical connectors – Self aligning contact – Contact mounted in floating nonconductive holder
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-05
2001-12-04
Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Self aligning contact
Contact mounted in floating nonconductive holder
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325652
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to a connector mounting construction for mounting a housing in a sliding and/or floating state. The invention also relates to a connector and to a holder for such a connector mounting construction.
2. Description of the Related Art.
The assembly of a vehicle often requires male and female housings to be connected with each other in a difficult place, such as at a rear side of a panel. To facilitate this connecting operation, one of the housings is mounted in a displaceable or floating state. Thus, if a mating attempt is made with a mating housing that is displaced from an axis of connection, the floating housing moves or floats transversely to oppose and align with the mating housing so that the two housings can be connected properly with each other.
An example of such a connector mounting construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,768, and is described with reference to
FIGS. 7 and 8
. More particularly, as shown in
FIG. 7
, a door frame
1
is provided with three electric devices
2
, such as a power window device, and each electric device
2
is provided with a male housing
4
formed with a receptacle
3
.
FIG. 7
also shows a trim panel
5
that is to be assembled into the door frame
1
. The trim panel
5
is provided with switches (not shown), such as a power window switch. Female housings
6
are provided for connection with the switches and are mounted in a floating state in positions to face the corresponding male housings
3
on the door frame
1
.
Each female housing
6
is comprised of a fittable portion
7
and a mount portion
8
that is assembled integrally with the fittable portion
7
, as shown in FIG.
8
. Additionally, each female housing
6
is mounted on the trim panel
5
via a holder
9
and a bracket
11
. Each fittable portion
7
is fit into the corresponding receptacle
3
of the male housing
5
along the Z-axis of
FIGS. 7 and 8
. The movement of the fittable portion
7
into the receptacle
3
is facilitated by a slanted outer peripheral surface
12
at the leading end of the fittable portion
7
. Further, each mount portion
8
is provided with a mount plate
13
that is mountable on the rear side of the fittable portion
7
. A cylindrical shaft
15
extends from the mount plate
13
along an axis of connection of the male and female housings
4
and
6
(Z-axis direction), and a disk-shaped base
16
is provided at the leading end of the shaft
15
. Four elastic pieces
17
are cantilevered from the outer periphery of the base
16
.
The prior art holder
9
is provided with a rectangular accommodating portion
18
for accommodating the base
16
, and an upper wall of the accommodating portion
18
is formed with a circular hole
19
through which the shaft
15
can be inserted. Further, three mount holes
23
are provided around the accommodating portion
18
. The female housing
6
can be slid with respect to the holder
9
in directions (X-axis and Y-axis directions) normal to the Z-axis direction, and is constantly biased toward its center position in the accommodating portion
18
by contact between the respective elastic pieces
17
and the inner wall of the accommodating portion
18
. Further, the bracket
11
has a triangular plate
21
secured to the trim panel
5
. Struts
22
project from the three corners of the plate
21
, and the bracket
11
is held to the holder
9
by fitting the leading ends of the respective struts
22
into the mount holes
23
of the holder
9
.
The male and female housings
4
and
6
are connected with each other by assembling the trim panel
5
into the door frame
1
in the Z-axis direction. If the male and female housings
4
and
6
are displaced from their axes of connection when the trim panel
5
is brought closer to the door frame
1
, the female housings
6
will shift or float to face and align with the male housings
4
, thereby enabling the housings
4
and
6
to be connected properly with each other.
However, in the above construction, the female housings
6
sometimes rotate with respect to the holders
9
, if, for example, the male housings
4
are brought laterally into contact with the female housings
6
by mistake when the trim panel
5
is assembled into the door frame
1
. Female housings
6
that rotate excessively with respect to the holders
9
, may not return to their original positions and, therefore, could not be connected with the male housings
4
.
In view of the above problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector mounting construction, a corresponding connector and a corresponding holder, which can prevent a housing mounted in a floating state from excessively rotating with respect to a holder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention is directed to a connector mounting construction that comprises a housing main body with a housing that is connectable with a mating housing along an axis of connection. The housing main body further comprises a base that preferably is substantially in the form of a flat plate that extends in directions substantially normal to the axis of connection. The connector mounting construction further comprises a holder with an accommodating portion for movably accommodating the base substantially in a plane that includes the base. The accommodating portion allows the base to translate in its plane and to rotate or pivot around the axis of connection. A restricting portion is provided in the accommodating portion for contacting the base when the housing main body is displaced by a specified angle, thereby preventing any further angular displacement of the housing main body.
According to a preferred embodiment, the housing main body further comprises a shaft that extends substantially along the axis of connection from a side of the housing substantially opposite from a side to which the mating housing approaches.
Preferably, the connector mounting construction further comprises elastic portions that substantially surround the shaft in use. The elastic portions permit the housing main body to move substantially normal to the axis of connection and to displace angularly about the axis of connection. However, the elastic portions bias the housing main body to an original position after a movement and/or an angular displacement.
Accordingly, the housing main body will slide to face and align with a mating housing that is displaced from the axis of connection as the two housings are being connected. Thus, the housings can be connected properly. The elastic portions bias the housing main body to the original position with respect to the holder, and thus prevent the housing main body from assuming a permanently misaligned position. Further, a rotation-restricting portion prevents the housing main body from rotating excessively about the axis of connection.
The shaft preferably has a polygonal cross section, and the number of the elastic portions conforms to the number of the sides of the polygonal cross section of the shaft. The respective elastic portions face the corresponding sides of the shaft and thus bias the shaft toward the original position.
Each elastic portion preferably comprises two or more legs connected with the holder, such that the elastic portion has a closed hollow shape. Accordingly, the closed hollow elastic portions have improved strength as compared with conventional cantilevered elastic pieces.
The holder preferably comprises an insertion opening that enables the base to be inserted into the accommodating portion. The insertion opening extends substantially normal to the axis of connection, and preferably one or more stoppers project from the edge of the insertion opening in directions to narrow the insertion opening. The base comprises one or more locking portions that contact the stoppers and prevent the base from coming out of the accommodating portion. At least one of the stoppers and the locking portions are elastically deformable and permit the locking portions to pass the insertion opening. Accordingly, the
Casella Anthony J.
Hespos Gerald E.
Nguyen Phuong Chi
Paumen Gary
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
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