Electrical connectors – With guiding means for mating of coupling part – Rodlike guide member extending in coupling direction or...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-07
2001-02-20
Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With guiding means for mating of coupling part
Rodlike guide member extending in coupling direction or...
C439S682000, C439S374000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190195
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, more particularly to a connector having a distortion preventing structure for preventing deformation of both a pin terminal and a resilient contact tongue provided in the connector and for correcting the insertion direction of the pin terminal when the pin terminal is inserted into the receptacle terminal to make contact with the resilient contact tongue.
2. Prior Art
There has been proposed a receptacle terminal having a distortion preventing structure in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. 61-117,470, which is shown in FIG.
8
. The distortion preventing structure includes a protection/guide piece
62
and a resilient pinching inner strip
63
(FIG.
9
). The guide piece
62
is formed continuously from a fore end portion of a rectangular hollow beam shaped electrical connection portion
61
that defines the receptacle terminal.
The receptacle terminal
60
is received in a connector housing
64
, and a pin terminal
65
is received in an opposed connector housing (not shown), which defines a connector
66
and an associated opposed connector (not shown). Engagement of the connector
66
with the associated connector connects electrically the resilient strip
63
of the receptacle terminal
60
to the pin terminal
65
. Even when the associated connector is opposed to the connector
66
incorrectly in a slating direction during their mating, the guide piece
62
of the receptacle terminal
60
can correct the insertion direction of the pin terminal
65
.
However, the receptacle terminal
60
has a complicated configuration, which requires an increased manufacturing cost. Furthermore, a smaller receptacle terminal
60
provides a thinner guide piece
62
that is reduced in strength. The pin terminal
65
may deform the thinner guide piece
62
when the connector
66
is engaged with the associated connector incorrectly in a slanting direction so that the pin terminal
65
is forcedly inserted into the receptacle terminal
60
. This possibly causes the pin terminal
65
to abut against the resilient pinching strip
63
to undesirably distort (or deform) the resilient pinching strip
63
.
Furthermore, there has been also proposed another receptacle terminal having a distortion preventing structure in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. H. 5-53,146, which is shown in FIG.
10
.
The distortion preventing structure includes a pair of extending tabs
72
and an inner resilient contact tongue
73
(see FIG.
11
). Each extending tab
72
is formed continuously from a fore end portion of an electrical connection portion
71
that composes a receptacle terminal
70
. The extending tab
72
covers a lower half of the fore end opening of the receptacle terminal
70
. Engagement of a connector
74
accommodating the receptacle terminal
70
with an opposed associated connector (not shown) connects electrically the resilient contact tongue
73
of the receptacle terminal
70
to a pin terminal
75
.
Even when the associated connector is opposed to the connector
74
incorrectly in a slanting direction during their mating, the extending tabs
72
of the receptacle terminal
70
can correct the insertion direction of the pin terminal
75
.
However, the extending tabs
72
can correct the insertion direction of the pin terminal
75
that has been inserted into the receptacle terminal
70
in a slanting direction only when the slanting angle is within a small range. That is, the correctable initial insertion angle of the pin terminal
75
is limited in a small range because the extending tab
72
has a small thickness s that is usually the same as that of the receptacle terminal
70
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-mentioned disadvantage, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector having a terminal distortion preventing structure for preventing deformation of both a pin terminal and a resilient contact tongue provided in a receptacle terminal of a connector even when the pin terminal is inserted into the receptacle terminal incorrectly in a slanting direction of which the slanting angle can be within a larger range.
To achieve the object, a connector according to a first basic configuration of the present invention includes:
at least a terminal accommodating cavity for receiving a receptacle terminal of a rectangular hollow beam, the receptacle terminal having an electrical connection portion including a resilient contact tongue, the terminal accommodating cavity having a pin terminal insertion opening, and
a distortion preventing member extending from said pin terminal insertion opening in said terminal accommodating cavity. The distortion preventing member is defined to prevent distortion of a pin terminal even when the pin terminal is incorrectly inserted in a slanting direction through the pin terminal insertion opening into the receptacle terminal. According to a second additional configuration of the present invention, the distortion preventing member has a rising wall rising from a bottom wall of the terminal accommodating cavity, the rising wall opposed to the resilient contact tongue, and an extended wall extending from a free end of the rising wall into the terminal accommodating cavity, the extended wall being in no interference relation with the resilient contact tongue, whereby the pin terminal is corrected in its insertion direction by the extended wall and an inner surface of the pin terminal insertion opening when the pin terminal is inserted incorrectly in a slanting direction into said receptacle terminal.
According to a third additional configuration of the present invention, the extended wall is substantially the same as the pin terminal in lateral width,
According to a fourth additional configuration of the present invention, the extended wall has a slit positioned in a middle portion thereof. The slit extends in the insertion direction of the pin terminal.
Operation and effects of the present invention will be discussed hereinafter.
As described above, in the first configuration of the invention, since the distortion preventing member is arranged adjacent to the pin terminal insertion opening of the terminal accommodating cavity, the pin terminal abuts slidably against the distortion preventing member even when the pin terminal is incorrectly inserted in a slanting direction through the pin terminal insertion opening into the receptacle terminal. This prevents distortion (or deformation) of the pin terminal. Thus, the pin terminal having no undesirable distortion can make an electrical connection with the receptacle terminal, improving the connection in reliability.
In the second configuration of the invention, the distortion preventing member have the rising wall rising from the bottom wall of the terminal accommodating cavity and the extended wall extending from a free end of the rising wall into the terminal accommodating cavity, the extended wall being spaced from the resilient contact tongue in no interference relationship. Thereby, the pin terminal abuts sidably against both the extended wall and the inner surface of the pin terminal insertion opening when the pin terminal is inserted incorrectly in a slanting direction, so that the pin terminal does not forcedly abut against the resilient contact tongue. Then, the pin terminal is corrected gradually in its direction by both the extended wall and the inner surface of the pin terminal insertion opening, allowing a smooth connection of the pin terminal with the resilient contact tongue of the receptacle terminal.
In the third configuration of the invention, since the extended wall is substantially the same as the pin terminal in lateral width, the pin terminal is prevented more surely from distortion and is corrected in its insertion direction. In addition, the extended wall may have a larger width than that of the pin terminal.
In the fourth configuration of the invention, the extended wall has the slit positioned in a middle portion thereof and e
Kanda Masahiro
Yamamoto Hiroshi
Armstrong, Westerman Hattori, McLeland & Naughton
Bradley Paula
Gilman Alexander
Yazaki -Corporation
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