Connector with locking members

Electrical connectors – With or comprising removable circuit modifying arrangement

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C439S595000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06290521

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a connector, particularly a connector for use in the wiring of a vehicle such as an automobile.
2. Description of Related Art
A connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-213436 is described below. The connector has a housing into which a plurality of terminals are inserted from a rear portion thereof and a bus bar holder in which a holding member holds a plurality of bus bars each of which has a tab piece projecting from a side edge of a belt-shaped carrier. The bus bar holder is inserted into an opening at the front surface of the housing to connect the tab pieces with the terminals. In this manner, the terminal fittings are electrically connected to each other.
It is also known to lock the terminals into a position in the housing with a plurality of respective locking lances. Theses lances may project outwardly from the housing if the terminals are not fully inserted.
The tab pieces project from the holding member of the bus bar holder and are externally exposed. Therefore, when the bus bar holder is packed in a bag or a box for delivery, or when it is installed to the housing, other bus bar holders may catch on the tab pieces. Thus, there is a risk that the tab pieces can be deformed or damaged.
To prevent such risk, it is known to use a bus bar holder having a protective cylindrical sleeve which accommodates the tab pieces. This construction has an advantage of helping to prevent the tab pieces from being deformed or broken.
Also, with this arrangement the bus bar holder is capable of detecting incomplete insertion of the terminals in the connector housing. When the terminals are fully inserted into the connector housing, the sleeve can be installed onto the housing without interfering with the locking members which hold the terminals in place. On the other hand, when any of terminals is not properly inserted into the connector housing, the respective locking member projects from the peripheral surface of the housing and collides with the end surface of the sleeve on installation. That is, the proper or improper insertion of the terminals can be detected by whether the sleeve interferes with the locking members.
However, when a projecting lance collides with the cylindrical sleeve, the lance may flex excessively, possibly breaking or damaging the lance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to prevent a locking member or lance from flexing excessively when a bus bar holder is installed on a connector housing and the respective terminal is not properly inserted.
According to the present invention there is provided a connector for electrical terminals. The connector has a housing with a peripheral surface, a plurality of cavities, a plurality of resiliently deformable locking members, and a plurality of terminals. Each terminal is inserted in a respective cavity and has (a) a partially inserted position in which the terminal bears on the respective locking member to deform the locking member so that the locking member is raised with respect to a peripheral surface of the housing, and (b) a fully inserted position in which the locking member snap-fits to the terminal thereby locking the terminal in the cavity.
The connector also has at least one bus bar holder with a sleeve and a plurality of bus bar tab pieces which are accommodated in the sleeve. The sleeve is push-fitted over the peripheral surface of the housing to install said bus bar holder to the housing and to contact the said tab pieces to the terminals. In this way the terminals are electrically connected to each other.
Each locking member has an end surface portion which is inclined with respect to the push-fit direction of the sleeve. Therefore, when, on push-fitting of the sleeve, a terminal is in its partially inserted position with the respective locking member raised with respect to peripheral surface, the sleeve bears on the respective first end surface portion to urge the locking member toward the terminal. This prevents excess deformation of the locking member from occurring.
Each of the locking member may also have a second end surface portion which faces the first end surface portion and, with respect to the first end surface portion, is oppositely inclined with respect to the push-fit direction of the sleeve. In this way, when, on push-fitting of the sleeve, each terminal is in its partially inserted position with the respective locking member raised with respect to the peripheral surface, the sleeve also bears on the second surface portion to urge the locking member away from the terminal.
The first and second end surface portions may, for example, define a V-shaped recess in the respective locking members.
When the sleeve of the bus bar holder contacts both the first and the second end surface portions of a locking member, the locking member experiences opposing and balance forces on its end surface portions. These forces prevent it from being displaced either away from or toward the terminal. Thus the installation of the bus bar holder on the housing is prevented. That is, even though the bus bar holder is urged strongly against the locking member, the locking member is prevented from being forcibly displaced in a direction which would remove its elastic deformation. Therefore, the locking member is prevented from being pressed against the terminal with an excessive force and possibly being damaged.
Preferably, the angle of inclination of the first end surface portion with respect to the push-fit direction of the sleeve is smaller than the angle of inclination of the second end surface portion with respect to the push-fit direction when the sleeve bears on both the first and second end surface portions.
With this arrangement, the force applied to a locking member by the sleeve in the direction which would remove its elastic deformation (i.e. toward the terminal) is greater than the force applied in the direction which would increase its elastic deformation (i.e. away from the terminal). Accordingly, it is possible to avoid excess flexing and deformation of the locking member.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5000699 (1991-03-01), Nadin
patent: 5201667 (1993-04-01), Endo et al.
patent: 5462450 (1995-10-01), Kodama
patent: 5525077 (1996-06-01), Badaroux
patent: 5554052 (1996-09-01), Saijo et al.
patent: 5655928 (1997-08-01), Akeda
patent: 5746624 (1998-05-01), Ohsumi et al.
patent: 5769650 (1998-06-01), Aoyama et al.
patent: 5890932 (1999-04-01), Muta
patent: 5944557 (1999-08-01), Fukuda
patent: 6068512 (2000-05-01), Sugie
patent: U-2-61082 (1990-05-01), None
patent: U-4-42082 (1992-04-01), None
patent: A-9-213436 (1997-08-01), None

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