Electrical connector having a housing and a retainer

Details Electrical connector having a housing and a retainer Electrical connector having a housing and a retainer

1999-03-25

2001-03-13

Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With insulation other than conductor sheath

Metallic connector or contact secured to insulation

Reexamination Certificate

active

06200172

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector that includes a housing for receiving at least one electrical terminal, and a retainer connectable to the housing to retain the terminal therein. The connector is intended principally for use in an electrical system of a vehicle, such as an automobile.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 5
shows a known connector component disclosed in Laid-Open Japanese Patent Publication No. 64-54678. For simplicity, in this application a connector component is referred to simply as a “connector”. The connector of
FIG. 5
includes a housing
1
and a retainer
3
. The retainer is installed on a side surface of the housing, and is used for the secondary locking of one or more electrical terminals to the housing. Specifically, the housing
1
includes a cavity. The cavity has an installing aperture
2
of a length greater than its width. The retainer
3
comprises a rectangular plate-shaped body
2
A which is shaped to fit the installing aperture
2
. The retainer further comprises removal prevention portions
2
B which project from one surface of the plate-shaped body
2
A, and a pair of locking pieces
2
C projecting from respective ends of the plate-shaped body
2
A.
To assemble the connector, the housing
1
and retainer
3
are first arranged in the temporary position shown in cross-section in FIG.
5
(
a
). Subsequently, as shown, one or more electrical terminals
4
are inserted into the cavity of the housing
1
via further apertures out of the plane of FIG.
5
(
a
). Then, the retainer
3
is pressed into a locking position shown in FIG.
5
B. In this locking position, the removal prevention portions
2
B prevent the terminals
4
from being removed from their correct locked position within the cavity.
The retainer
3
is pressed from the temporary position into the locking position by application of force onto the upper surface of the plate-shaped body
2
A. However, if inadvertently only the right end or the left end of the plate-shaped body
2
A (as viewed in
FIG. 5
) is pressed, only that end of the locking piece
2
C moves to a position corresponding to the locking position. Such a state is shown in FIG.
5
C. As a result, the retainer
3
may be installed on housing
1
with the plate-shaped body
2
A inclined. This means that the terminals
4
are not correctly locked to the housing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector in which a retainer is less liable to be installed on a housing in an inclined orientation, and thus improve the locking of a terminal to the housing.
In order to achieve the above, the present invention provides a connector including a housing into which at least one electrical terminal can be inserted in an insertion direction and a retainer that can be installed on the housing by a motion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction. The retainer has a plate-shaped body and at least one removal prevention portion projecting from the plate-shaped body. When the retainer is installed on the housing, the plate-shaped body is substantially parallel with an outer surface of the housing. During the installation action, the retainer moves from a temporary position, in which the terminal can be inserted into and removed from the housing, to a locking position, in which the removal prevention portion prevents the terminal from being removed from a predetermined position within the housing. The retainer can be moved from the temporary position to the locking position by pressing the plate-shaped body toward the housing. A pair of reinforcing wall portions are formed on respective ends of the plate-shaped body such that the reinforcing wall portions project from the plate-shaped body in a direction generally parallel to the direction of projection of the removal prevention portions, and are elastically flexible outward. The reinforcing wall portions make sliding contact with the outer surface of the housing when the retainer is shifted from the temporary position to the locking position.
If only one end of the plate-shaped body is pressed when it is desired to move the retainer from the temporary position to the locking position and the plate-shaped body reaches an inclined configuration, the plate-shaped body is elastically flexed relative to the reinforcing wall portion at the end which was pressed. As a result, an elastic restoring force urges the plate-shaped body to become parallel to the outer surface of the housing. Consequently, the other end of the plate-shaped body (i.e., the end that was not pressed) shifts to the locking position.
This self-correcting effect has been found to be particularly effective if the reinforcing wall portions are longer than the removal prevention portions, that is if they extend further from the plate-shaped body than the removal prevention portions. For example, they may extend between two to four times further from the plate-shaped body than the removal prevention portions, and more preferably three to four times further.
Preferably, at least one recessed portion for accommodating a respective reinforcing wall portion is formed in the outer surface of the housing, in the region of the outer surface of the housing on which the reinforcing wall portion slides.
Because the recessed portion accommodates the reinforcing wall portion, the reinforcing wall portion does not project from the outer surface of the housing.
Preferably, the length of each recessed portion in the insertion direction is substantially the same as, or more than, that of the respective reinforcing wall portion in the projection direction from the plate-shaped body, so that the reinforcing wall portion can be fully received into the recessed portion and substantially fills the recessed portion.
Preferably, the thickness of the reinforcing wall portion (i.e., in the direction in which the reinforcing wall portions are spaced apart) is substantially equal to, or less than, the depth of the recessed portion, so that when the reinforcing wall portion is inserted into the recessed portion the outer surface of the reinforcing wall portion is flush with the outer surface of the housing proximate the recessed portion.
Furthermore, preferably the or each recessed portion includes a guide portion extending in the direction in which the reinforcing wall portion slides. This guide portion may, for example, be a side wall of the recessed portion. As the retainer is moved from the temporary position to the locking position, each reinforcing wall portion is guided along the respective guide portion. This helps to prevent the reinforcing wall portion from rotating in its plane. Thus, the correct positioning of the retainer is facilitated.
At least one of the retainer and the housing (preferably both) are preferably formed of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), for example by injection molding. Suitable PBT has a bending elastic modulus of 2500 MPa.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4867712 (1989-09-01), Kato et al.
patent: 5516308 (1996-05-01), Yamanashi
patent: 5647775 (1997-07-01), Polgar et al.
patent: 64-54678 (1989-03-01), None

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