Electrical connectors – Including handle or distinct manipulating means – Randomly manipulated implement
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-21
2001-10-23
Nguyen, Khiem (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Including handle or distinct manipulating means
Randomly manipulated implement
C439S700000, C324S538000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305969
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrical continuity checker for a connector, which can inspect electrical continuity of a terminal locked in the connector and can check a locking state of the terminal.
RELATED ART
FIG. 3
shows a known connector continuity checker
51
. The connector continuity checker
51
senses mainly electrical continuity of a terminal (not shown) connected to an electrical wire and locked in a connector
52
. The checker
51
has a connector receiving portion
54
fixed on a frame
53
, an inspection portion
55
movable forward and backward relative to the connector receiving portion
54
, and an actuating lever
57
for moving the inspection portion
55
through the link
56
.
The connector receiving portion
54
has a guide post
58
for inserting the connector
52
downward, so that the connector
52
is set on the connector receiving portion
54
. The connector
52
has a connector housing
59
made of a synthetic resin material and accommodates a pin terminal connected to an electrical wire. The pin terminal is locked in the connector housing
59
.
The inspection portion
55
has a guide block
60
made of an insulating resin material. The guide block
60
defines a connector engagement chamber
61
accommodating a plurality of continuity sensing pins made of an electrically conductive material. The continuity sensing pins are associated with the terminals received in the connector housing
59
. The continuity sensing pin (not shown) is connected to an electrical wire (not shown) The connector continuity checker
51
has a cover
62
opposed to the guide block
60
for protecting a leadwire side. The guide block
60
can horizontally slide forward and backward, for example, along a pair of guide shafts (not shown) within the frame
53
.
After the connector
52
is set on the connector receiving portion
54
, pivoting the actuating lever
57
in a direction B moves the inspection portion
60
toward the connector
52
, so that the connector engagement chamber
61
receives a front half of the connector
52
. At the same time, each continuity sensing pin contacts each terminal accommodated in the connector
52
.
Each electrical wire
63
connected to each terminal of the connector communicates with an electrical continuity inspection apparatus (integrated circuit section), for exemplar through an another connector (not shown) connected to the other end of the wire
63
. An electrical wire (not shown) disposed in the side of the continuity sensing pin also communicates with the continuity inspection apparatus. Thereby, the terminal of the connector
52
and the continuity sensing pin compose a closed circuit. The apparatus indicates “normal” by a lamp at a correct continuity state and indicters “abnormal” by a buzzer, a flashing light, or the like at an incorrect continuity state.
Such a connector continuity checker, which can inspect an insertion state of a terminal received in a connector housing is disclosed, for example in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H. 7-113836.
FIG. 4
shows the disclosed checker.
The connector continuity checker
65
has an electrically conductive, continuity sensing pin
66
. A leading end of the pin
66
has an insertion inspecting pin
67
integrally formed with it. The insertion inspecting pin
67
has a fore end that can abut against an end of a flexible locking arm
69
when the arm
69
is deflecting in a connector
68
.
The insertion inspecting pin
67
deviates from an axial center line of the continuity sensing pin
66
so as to oppose to a deflection space
72
of the flexible locking arm
69
, when the connector
68
is set in the checker
65
, that is, when the connector
68
is received in a connector engagement chamber
71
of an inspection portion
70
of the checker
65
. The insertion inspecting pin
67
has, for example, a cylindrical root portion
73
that is secured to an end portion of the continuity sensing pin
66
by press fit. The continuity sensing pin
66
is resiliently urged by a coil spring
74
toward one of upper and lower terminals
76
(
76
1
,
76
2
) disposed in the connector housing
75
. The leading end of the insertion inspecting pin
67
can be inserted into the deflection space
72
of the flexible locking arm
69
, when an end of the continuity sensing pin
66
contacts an elastic contact piece
77
of the terminal
76
.
The connector
68
having the connector housing
75
and the terminals
76
of a receptacle type is set in a connector receiving portion
78
as discussed above (FIG.
3
). A front half of the connector
68
is inserted into the connector engagement chamber
71
of the inspection portion (guide block)
70
.
In
FIG. 4
, the upper terminal
76
1
, has been incompletely inserted into the connector housing
75
, so that a protrusion of the flexible locking arm
69
has been pushed by a base plate of the terminal
76
1
. Thus, the flexible locking arm
69
is kept in the deflection space
72
. Thereby, the leading end of the insertion inspecting pin
67
abuts against an end of the flexible locking arm
69
, preventing a further advancement of the continuity sensing pin
66
. In this state, the end of the continuity sensing pin
66
does not contact the elastic contact piece
77
of the terminal
76
. Accordingly, the incomplete insertion of the terminal
76
1
is detected, because a continuity test of the terminal
76
1
will result in an unacceptable state.
Meanwhile, the lower terminal
76
2
of
FIG. 4
is in a complete insertion state. Thus, the protrusion of the flexible locking arm
69
engages with a hole
79
formed in a base plate of a square barrel shaped electrical contact of the terminal
76
2
Thereby, the terminal
76
2
is locked to the square barrel contact to be prevented from drawing out rearward from a terminal accommodation chamber
80
. The leading end of the insertion inspecting pin
67
enters the deflection space
72
, so that the fore end of the continuity sensing pin
66
contacts the terminal
76
2
. Accordingly, a continuity test of the terminal
76
1
will result in an acceptable state.
However, in the conventional continuity checker
65
, a contact point (not limited to the elastic contact piece
77
of
FIG. 4
) of the terminal
76
, which is associated with the continuity sensing pin
66
, may be apart by a considerable distance from the deflection space
72
of the flexible locking arm
69
. Thereby, the insertion inspecting pin
67
is required to considerably deviate from the continuity sensing pin
66
, causing the problems of an increased size, an increased weight, and more complicated constructions of the pins
66
,
67
and members associated with the pins.
Furthermore, the conventional checker
65
disadvantageously requires an increased man-hour for press-fitting the insertion inspecting pin
67
in the continuity sensing pin
66
and for correctly positioning the insertion inspecting pin
67
relative to the deflection space
72
of the flexible locking arm
69
. In addition, the insertion inspecting pin
67
having the cylindrical root portion
73
is provided by machining a metal material, which disadvantageously requires a considerable manufacturing cost. Moreover, in a complete insertion state of the terminal
76
, the flexible locking arm
69
may maintain its deflected position not to return its normal position because of a deformation or an undesirable nonreturn state of the flexible locking arm
69
. In such an unstable state of the terminal, the continuity sensing pin
66
contacts the terminal
76
, since the coil spring
74
resiliently urges the continuity sensing pin
66
to contact the terminal
76
, even when the leading end of the insertion inspecting pin
67
is abutting against the opposing end of the flexible locking arm
69
. This incomplete locking state of the flexible locking arm
69
is not found by the continuity checker, since the checker will determine that the continuity is acceptable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforementioned disadvantages, an ob
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Le Thanh-Tam T
Nguyen Khiem
Yazaki -Corporation
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