Double lock connector

Details Double lock connector Double lock connector

1999-03-30

2001-02-06

Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With insulation other than conductor sheath

Metallic connector or contact secured to insulation

Reexamination Certificate

active

06183313

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a double lock connector and more particularly, to a double lock connector having a rear holder to finally lock an electric terminal, wherein the rear holder can surely engage a housing of the connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 14 and 15
show a prior art double lock connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 8-88042 (hereinafter “JP '042”).
Referring to
FIG. 14
, a double lock connector
41
of “JP '042” includes a male connector housing
42
made of synthetic resin, a rear holder
44
made of synthetic resin and connected to the connector housing
42
by means of hinges
43
, and a female electric terminal
45
accommodated in a connector housing
42
.
The rear holder
44
is provided with an electric terminal locking projection
46
on a front end side thereof to lock the electric terminal
45
and a final engaging projection
47
(
FIG. 15
) corresponding to the connector housing
42
is also formed on a rear end side of the rear holder
44
. Description of a provisionally engaging projection is omitted. As shown in
FIG. 15
, the connector housing
42
is provided with an opening
48
orthogonally to a terminal inserting direction for receiving the rear holder
44
, and an engaging groove
49
corresponding to a final engaging projection
47
is formed at a rear end portion of the opening
48
.
With a detached state of the rear holder
44
as shown in
FIG. 14
, the electric terminal
45
is inserted into the connector housing
42
from the rear. The electric terminal
45
is firstly locked by a resilient locking lance
50
(
FIG. 15
) of the connector housing
42
. Next, the electric terminal
45
is secondly locked by the electric terminal locking projection
46
as shown in
FIG. 15
by inserting the rear holder
44
forwardly aslant. In case that the electric terminal
45
has to be released at maintenance work or the like, the final engaging projection
47
is disengaged from the engaging groove
49
by means of forcibly pulling out the rear holder
44
with a jig. In
FIG. 15
, reference numerals
51
and
52
indicate a mating female connector housing and a mating male electric terminal, respectively.
With respect to the above prior art double lock connector of JP '042, however, there is a drawback that the final engaging projection
47
is apt to be worn or to deform and its engaging strength becomes weak in case the rear holder
44
is iteratively attached and detached, thereby causing easy disengagement of the final engaging projection
47
from the connector housing
42
. Also, in case that clearance between the rear holder
44
and the connector housing
42
is large, the final engaging projection
47
is apt to easily disengages from the engaging groove
49
of the connector housing
42
. More particularly, in case that an electric wire
53
is strongly pulled, the rear holder
44
is pushed rearward by the electric terminal
45
and is apt to be released from the connector housing
42
, thereby causing a lowering of locking strength of the electric terminal
45
and finally causing coming-out of the electric wire
53
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a double lock connector, that is, an engaging structure of a rear holder, wherein iterative attachment and detachment of the rear holder does not cause lowering of engaging strength of the rear holder and more particularly, even in case that clearance between the rear holder and a connector housing is large and the rear holder is pushed rearward by an electric terminal strongly pulled through an electric wire, the rear holder does not disengage from the connector housing.
In order to achieve the above-described object, as a first aspect of the present invention, a double lock connector consists of: a connector housing with an opening; an electric terminal to be inserted into the connector housing; a rear holder to be inserted into the connector housing from the opening in a direction orthogonal to a direction of insertion of the electric terminal so as to lock the electric terminal; and an engaging portion provided on the rear holder and having a tapered engaging plane to slidingly engage an edge of the opening so as to engage the rear holder with the connector housing, wherein the rear holder moves inside the connector housing when force to pull the electric terminal out acts, thereby preventing disengagement of the rear holder from the connector housing.
According to the above-described structure, since the tapered engaging plane of the rear holder abuts on the edge of the opening and the rear holder is lowered inside the connector housing when the electric terminal is pulled rearward, disengagement of the rear holder can be prevented and therefore the electric terminal can be surely locked. And, since the tapered engaging plane of the rear holder slides smoothly on the edge of the opening when the rear holder is detached, even if the rear holder is iteratively attached and detached, wear or deformation of the engaging portion can be prevented, engaging strength of the rear holder can remain unchanged, and locking strength of the electric terminal can also remain unchanged.
As a second aspect of the present invention, in the double lock connector with the above first aspect, the engaging portion is an engaging projection.
According to the above-described structure, since the engaging projection is given a resilience, wear or deformation of the engaging projection can be prevented even better on attachment or detachment of the rear holder.
As a third aspect of the present invention, in the double lock connector with the above first aspect, whole of a rear end portion of the rear holder forms the tapered engaging plane of the engaging portion.
According to the above-described structure, since the engaging portion has high rigidity, deformation of the engaging portion does not occur even if the rear holder is iteratively attached and detached.
And, as a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the double lock connector with the above first aspect, the rear holder has a side plate having a guide slot and the connector housing has a provisionally engaging projection, a guide projection, and a final engaging assisting projection each to engage the guide slot so as to provisionally engage the rear holder with the connector housing, to guide the rear holder, and to assist to finally engage the rear holder with the connector housing.
According to the above-described structure, since the provisionally engaging projection, the guide projection, and the final engaging assisting projection provisionally engages the rear holder with the connector housing, guides the rear holder, and assists to finally engage the rear holder with the connector housing, respectively, the rear holder can be smoothly attached to the connector housing and disengagement of the rear holder can be prevented even better and, therefore, the electric terminal can be locked surer.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5460550 (1995-10-01), Okayasu et al.
patent: 5609503 (1997-03-01), Tsuji et al.
patent: 5651703 (1997-07-01), Sasai
patent: 5738551 (1998-04-01), Matsuoka
patent: 5800216 (1998-09-01), Okada
patent: 5820421 (1998-10-01), Makino
patent: 5865653 (1999-02-01), Okada et al.
patent: 8-88042 (1996-04-01), None

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Double lock connector does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Double lock connector, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Double lock connector will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2610037