Electrical connectors – Metallic connector or contact also having securing part...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-07
2002-01-22
Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Metallic connector or contact also having securing part...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06340321
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector capable of accommodating terminals in its accommodating chamber, and more particularly to a connector which achieves improvement of insertion performance of each terminal into the terminal accommodating chamber, prevention of the terminal from being slipped out and improvement of mechanical strength of the connector.
In a substrate connector
101
, for example, as shown in
FIG. 1
, a plurality of terminals
103
are disposed in its connector housing
102
and the respective terminals
103
are inserted into through holes
105
formed in a printed wiring board
104
. A land portion of the wiring pattern is connected to the terminals
103
by soldering, so that the substrate connector
101
is mounted on the printed wiring board
104
.
In the substrate connector
101
, as shown in
FIG. 2
, a mating connector
106
is inserted into a terminal accommodating chamber
107
of the connector housing
102
. By coupling the mating connector
106
with the substrate connector
101
, a terminal (not shown) of the terminal connector
106
comes into contact with the terminal
103
in the substrate connector
101
.
The terminal
103
provided in the connector housing
102
may be protruded to the side of a rear face
104
b
opposite to a connector mounting face
104
a
of the printed wiring board
104
because of a contact load on the terminal when and after the mating connector
106
is coupled.
On the other hand, in a so-called wire connector in which a wire is connected, as shown in
FIG. 3
, wires
111
,
112
are connected to a terminal
110
and another terminal (not shown) respectively in respective connector housings. By coupling a female connector
113
to a male connector
114
, the terminals are coupled with each other.
However, in case of the wire connector, after the connectors are coupled with each other, the terminal
110
may be slipped out of the connector housing
109
because of an unexpected external force. To prevent this phenomenon, it is necessary to provide the connector housing
109
with a double fixing member
115
for preventing the terminal
110
from being slipped out as shown in FIG.
3
. To provide with the double fixing member
115
, a hole needs to be formed in the connector housing
109
. Further, the double fixing member
115
, which is a small part, needs to be produced especially, thereby leading to increases of production cost and production steps.
As described above, in the substrate connector
101
and wire connector
113
, the terminals
103
,
110
may be slipped out or the double fixing member
115
for preventing an escape of the terminal
110
is necessary, so that the increases of production cost and production steps cannot be avoided.
Accordingly, the present invention has been proposed to solve the above described problem and therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a connector having a high mechanical strength, capable of securing a smooth insertion of a terminal into a terminal accommodating chamber and preventing an escape of the terminal from the terminal accommodating chamber.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the present invention, the connector comprises: a connector terminal constituted of a wire connecting portion, to which a wire is connected, a terminal contact portion, which a mating terminal contacts and a joint portion for joining the wire connecting portion to the terminal contact portion, the wire connecting portion and the terminal contact portion being joined to the joint portion through an end of each thereof while the other end of each thereof being disposed in the same direction; a first housing having a terminal accommodating chamber in which the connector terminal is inserted and disposed in the same direction in which the mating connector is inserted; and a second housing having a connector insertion hole, through which the mating connector is to be inserted and mounted integratedly with the terminal accommodating chamber of the first housing through a hinge portion. The second housing is provided with a terminal pressing member for pressing the joint portion of the connector terminal inserted into the terminal insertion hole when the second housing is coupled with the first housing.
Therefore, the connector housing is so constructed that it is divided to the first housing having the terminal accommodating chamber and the second housing having the connector insertion hole through which the mating connector is to be inserted and the second housing can be coupled with the first housing through the hinge portion. Thus, when the second housing is separated from the first housing, the connector terminal can be mounted in the terminal accommodating chamber easily.
When the second housing is coupled with the first housing, the terminal pressing member formed on the second housing presses the joint portion of the connector terminal disposed in the terminal insertion hole formed in the terminal accommodating chamber. Thus, the connector terminal is prevented from being slipped out of the terminal accommodating chamber.
Further, the wire connecting portion and the terminal contact portion of the connector terminal are not provided on the same line, but disposed on the joint portion by joining the proximal ends thereof to the joint portion, such that the other ends thereof are directed in the same direction. As a result, reduction of the size of the connector terminal can be achieved, thereby making it possible to reduce the size of the connector itself.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a lock means for maintaining the coupling condition of the first housing and the second housing is provided.
Therefore, because the lock means for maintaining the coupling condition of the first housing and the second housing is provided, when the first and second housings are coupled with each other, the coupling condition can be maintained unless the lock means is released. Then, by releasing the lock means, the second housing can be separated from the first housing easily.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3332053 (1967-07-01), Busler
patent: 4660914 (1987-04-01), Nakamura
patent: 5292261 (1994-03-01), Hirano et al.
patent: 5322456 (1994-06-01), Yagi et al.
patent: 6027374 (2000-02-01), Nagai et al.
patent: 6109975 (2000-08-01), Nitta
patent: 6116954 (2000-09-01), Ries
patent: 6176740 (2001-01-01), Abe et al.
patent: 0 698 944 (1996-02-01), None
patent: 96/05632 (1996-02-01), None
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Patel Tulsidas
Yazaki -Corporation
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