Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means with distinct movement-actuating means to...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-23
2001-07-03
Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means with distinct movement-actuating means to...
C439S342000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254414
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coupling structure which is utilized for coupling a pair of connectors with each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been proposed a connector housing
90
having a low insertion force as shown in FIG.
22
. This connector housing
90
having a low insertion force consists of a first connector housing
91
, a second connector housing
92
having a hood
93
for receiving the first connector housing
91
, a holder
94
in a shape of a hollow pillar, and two sliders
95
,
95
which are movably inserted into the holder
94
.
The first connector housing
91
is provided with driven bosses
91
a
in its upper and lower parts. The hood
93
is provided with boss grooves
93
a
in its upper and lower parts respectively. Each of the sliders
95
is provided on its one face with a driving boss
95
a
which moves in the boss groove
93
a,
and on the other face thereof is formed a cam groove
95
b
for guiding the driven boss
91
a.
The holder
94
is provided with introducing grooves
94
a
for guiding the driving bosses
95
a
in its upper and lower parts.
The sliders
95
are mounted on the hood
93
laterally movably, and the driving bosses
95
a
of the sliders
95
are projected from the boss grooves
93
a.
The hood
93
is inserted into one side of the holder
94
while the driving bosses
95
a
are introduced into the guide grooves
94
a.
The driven bosses
91
a
are introduced into the cam grooves
95
b
of the sliders
95
while the first connector housing
91
is inserted into the other side of the holder
94
.
As shown in
FIG. 23
, by pushing the second connector housing
92
into the first connector housing
91
, the driving bosses
95
a
are introduced into the guide grooves
94
a
and the boss grooves
93
a.
As the sliders
95
move following the motion, the driven bosses
91
a
are inserted into the cam grooves
93
a.
By pushing the second connector housing
92
into the holder
94
until the driving bosses
95
a
arrive at end edges of the guide grooves
94
a
in this way, the first and the second connector housings
91
and
92
are fitted to each other with a low insertion force.
However, in such a conventional structure, the holder
94
and the two sliders
95
,
95
have been necessary in order to connect the first and the second connector housings
91
and
92
. Therefore, it has been a problem that components are increased in number incurring an increase of production cost. Further, there has been required a stroke for moving the sliders
95
(moving distance) within the holder
94
, and it has been another problem that the first and the second connector housings
91
,
92
will become large-sized.
Still further, since the driving bosses
95
a
of the sliders
95
slide in the boss grooves
93
a
of the hood
93
, and the driven bosses
91
a
of the first connector housing
91
slide in the cam grooves
95
b
in the sliders
95
respectively, frictional resistance becomes larger during the connection. It has been a drawback that the first and the second connector housings
91
,
92
cannot be connected with the low insertion force due to the frictional resistance. In other words, an effect of the low insertion force cannot be obtained as expected.
In view of the above described problems, an object of the invention is to provide a coupling structure of connectors in which number of components can be reduced, a first and a second connectors can be down-sized, and frictional resistance during connection can be decreased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to attain the above described object, there is provided according to the invention, a coupling structure of connectors which comprises a fitting hole formed in a support body, a first connector provided on a flux of electric wires extending through the fitting hole, a second connector directly fitted to a mount body, and an engagement operating cam member rotatably mounted on either one of the first connector and the second connector and adapted to engage the first connector with the second connector by means of a cam mechanism, and to be inserted into the fitting hole by sliding in a direction intersecting a direction of the engagement by means of a lever crank mechanism.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the engagement operating cam member consists of a first operating lever, and a second operating lever which is rotatably mounted on the first operating lever and combined thereto, the first and second operating levers are provided with follower pins slidably engaged with an inner face of said fitting hole at their respective one ends, and at their respective other ends are provided with elongated cam rotating holes in which engaging pins of one of the connectors are movably engaged, and cam grooves in which cam pins of the other connector are introduced.
According to a third aspect of the invention, an inner wall of the fitting hole is provided with a pair of elongated cam guide holes which are respectively engaged with the follower pins of the first and the second operating levers in a direction intersecting the direction of the engagement, backlash absorbing grooves for absorbing a backlash of the engagement operating cam member which has the backlash are formed in the elongated cam guide holes directed toward the mount body near positions where the follower pins are located at a start of the engagement, and posture correcting slanted faces for pressing the one connector are provided on a housing body of the other connector so as to conduct centering adjustment of the one connector having the backlash.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, outer levers of the combined first and second operating levers are provided with integral elastic arms so that the first and the second operating levers may be provisionally locked in a state where the cam pins and cam introducing grooves of the cam grooves are opposed, the elastic arms are respectively provided with locking projections at distal ends thereof, and inner levers are provided with locked projections opposing the locking projections.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, lock release plates are provided in a housing body of the other connector extending in a direction of the engagement for releasing a provisional engagement between the locking projections and the locked projections when the cam pins are introduced into the cam introducing grooves.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, engaging projections are provided at peripheral edges of other ends of the first and the second operating levers to fix the engagement operating cam member after completion of the engagement, and the housing body of the other connector is provided with elongated locking holes to be locked with the engaging projections when the cam pins have arrived at inner end parts of the cam grooves.
According to the invention, the engagement operating cam member is rotatably mounted on one of the first connector and the second connector and slidable in a direction intersecting the engaging direction. Accordingly, when the engagement operating cam member is operated, the first connector and the second connector are engaged with each other while the engagement operating cam member slides in a direction intersecting the engaging direction by means of a cam mechanism.
According to the second aspect, the engagement operating cam member consists of the first operating lever and the second operating lever. The first operating lever and the second operating lever have follower pins at their respective one ends, and the elongated cam rotating holes and the cam grooves at their respective other ends.
Since the first operating lever is rotatably pivoted on the second operating lever and combined thereto, the first operating lever and the second operating lever rotate with respect to each other around the pivoted point. The follower pins are rotatably and slidably engaged with the inner wall of the fitting hole, and they slide within the fitting
Okabe Toshiaki
Sawayanagi Masahiro
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Patel Tulsidas
Yazaki -Corporation
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