Electrical connector housing

Details Electrical connector housing Electrical connector housing

2000-12-01

2001-11-20

Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With provision to restrict environment effects

C439S076100, C439S205000, C439S190000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06319057

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector housing mounted in an engine compartment of e.g. automobiles. More specifically, the invention concerns an electrical connector housing suitably protected from water penetration.
2. Description of Background Information
FIGS. 1 and 2
show the structure of a known electrical connector housing mounted in a car's engine compartment.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, such an electrical connector housing
51
comprises a hollow lower shell
52
, inside of which is fixed an electrical-parts fitting block
53
. An upper shell
54
is then placed over the open side of the lower shell
52
.
The upper surface of the electrical-parts fitting block
53
is provided with a plurality of equipment-fixing ports
53
a
. As shown by long and short dotted lines in
FIG. 2
, these ports are mounted with various electrical parts
57
such as relays and fusible links.
The lower shell
52
has a first fixing mount
55
, which extends outwardly from the outer side face
52
a
of the lower shell
52
and freely engages with, or disengages from, the upper shell
54
. The first fixing mount
55
has a first hook
55
a
, the edge of which projects towards the outer side face
52
a
of the lower shell
52
. Likewise, the upper shell
54
has a second fixing mount
56
which extends outwardly from the outer side face of the upper shell
54
at a position corresponding to that of the first fixing mount
55
, and engages therewith. The second fixing mount has a second hook
56
a
which projects outwardly, whereby the first and second hooks
55
a
and
56
a
are locked, when the upper shell
54
is superposed on the lower shell
52
.
The electric parts block
53
is thus contained in, and protected by, the lower shell
52
. Further, the opening of the lower shell
52
is closed and protected by the upper shell
54
. In such a structure, the electrical-parts fitting block can be efficiently protected from water penetration or water spray.
However, such an electrical connector housing
51
carries first and second fixing mounts
55
and
56
at the outer side faces
52
a
and
54
a
of the respective lower shell
52
and upper shell
54
. These fixing mounts
55
and
56
project outwardly from the lower and upper shells
52
and
54
. The electrical connector housing
51
is thus made larger by a space needed for forming these fixing mounts
55
and
56
. This naturally requires a larger space for installing the electrical connector housing
51
in the engine compartment.
To counter this problem, there has been proposed a second type of electrical connector housing
61
, shown in
FIG. 3
, in which first and second fixing mounts
55
and
56
are formed on the upper face of the lower shell
52
. In this construction, the fixing mounts
55
and
56
are placed on a locus of the electrical-parts fitting block
53
outside the equipment-fixing ports
53
a
. This is explained by the fact that such a locus with no equipment-fixing port
53
a
need not be protected by the upper shell
54
.
Accordingly, in the second type electrical connector housing
61
, the enlarged size, with respect to the first type electrical connector housing
51
, is avoided by omitting the outward projection of the fixing mounts
55
and
56
.
Instead, however, the second type of electrical connector housing
61
of
FIG. 3
must be provided with a vertically formed draw hole
62
at a position of upper face of lower shell
52
where the first fixing mount
55
is formed. The formation of the draw hole
62
becomes necessary when the lower shell
52
is formed by a die which undergoes stamping in the direction V shown in FIG.
3
. Furthermore, this draw hole
62
is indispensable when a hook
55
a
is formed on the first fixing mount
55
.
However, when such a draw hole
62
is formed in the lower shell
52
, the housing becomes susceptible to water penetration through the draw hole
62
. The penetrating water then reaches the connecting portions between electrical parts
57
and their fixing ports
53
a
, thereby causing malfunctioning of the electrical parts.
In order to avoid water penetration, it may be contemplated to have a lower shell
52
having no draw hole
62
. However, such a construction would require stamping in a direction other than direction V. The construction of dies to be used for such a stamping stroke may then become very complex, and would increase the manufacturing costs of dies and, as a result, product costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been conceived under these contexts, and aims at improving the waterproof quality of an electrical connector housing, while avoiding enlarging its size and the increase of its manufacturing costs.
To this end, there is provided an electrical connector housing including a lower shell having an upper panel with at least one opening and a side panel, at least one connector block including fixture ports provided thereon and being contained in the lower shell, and at least one upper shell covering the opening(s) of the upper panel in a freely engageable and removable way. The upper panel of the lower shell includes at least one first fixing mount with a locking hook and at least one draw hole both positioned outside the opening(s), the upper shell(s) including an outer side face having at least one second fixing mount, such that the draw hole(s) can be used for forming the locking hook and such that the second fixing mount is/are freely engageable with, and removable from, the first fixing mount.
Further, the upper panel of the lower shell has an inner face including at least one rib which is placed near the draw hole(s) and extends towards the side panel of the lower shell while surrounding the draw hole(s), and the upper face of the connector block(s) include a pair of partition walls at a position corresponding to that of the rib(s) so that, when the connector block(s) is/are inserted into the lower shell, the rib(s) is/are interposed between the partition walls, thereby forming a draining space away from a space for the fixture ports.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the electrical connector housing may include a lower shell which is formed substantially in an L-shape, when viewed from the above, and includes an upper panel with two openings. The electrical connector housing then includes two separate connector blocks and two separate corresponding upper shells, and each of the two openings, two connector blocks and two upper shells include a corresponding draw hole and first and second fixing mount.
Suitably, the rib(s) further extend(s) from top to bottom on an inner face of the side panel in the lower shell, and the pair of partition walls further extends from top to bottom on the side face of the connector block.
Preferably, the upper face of the connector block has an enclosed portion between the partition walls and the enclosed portion includes a portion inclining towards the side face of the connector block.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a first fixing mount and a second fixing mount are provided on the upper face of a lower shell, so that the fixing mounts do not project outwardly from the lower face. Enlargement of the electrical connector housing is thus avoided. On the other hand, a draining space is formed between a rib formed on the lower shell and partition walls formed on the connector block, so that water penetrating via the draw hole runs down along this draining space. Further, the draining space is separated from the space formed at the side of the fixture ports for electrical parts, so that the drained water cannot enter the latter space. The electrical connector housing is thus rendered highly waterproof.
Though the lower shell includes a rib, the lower shell can be formed without using a complex die, so that the electrical connector housing can be manufactured at a low cost.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the water penetrating into the draining space via the draw hol

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