Electrical connectors – With indicating or identifying provision – Connection indicating provision
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-30
2001-12-04
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With indicating or identifying provision
Connection indicating provision
C439S352000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325663
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a half-fitting prevention connector which is extensively used to connect wire ends of a wire harness in an automobile, and is capable of detecting a half-fitted condition. More particularly, the present invention relates to a half-fitting prevention connector having a resilient member for producing a repelling force in one connector in a half-fitted condition.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 11-243939, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, various electronic equipment has been mounted on various types of automobiles, and various connectors have been extensively used to provide a connection between such electronic equipment and a connection between wire harnesses. IN a production process and at the time of maintenance, the two connectors are fitted together so as to be electrically connected together. At this time, unless the two connectors are completely fitted together, the electrical connection between the two is incomplete. Therefore, there has been proposed a half-fitting prevention connector having the function of pushing two connectors, fitted together in a half-fitted condition, away from each other, and when the two connectors are completely fitted together, the two connectors are retained relative to each other, thereby preventing the two connectors from being easily disengaged from each other.
One such conventional half-fitting prevention connector will now be described with reference to
FIGS. 11 and 12
. This connector is of such a construction that a female connector (one connector)
51
and a male connector (the other connector)
52
, when fitted together, are prevented from being kept in a half-fitted condition.
The female connector
51
includes a housing
53
, a connection portion
61
for connection to the mating male connector
52
, and retaining means
71
for retaining the connector when the two connectors are connected together, the connection portion
61
and the retaining means
71
being provided within the housing
53
. A half-fitting prevention function is provided at the retaining means
71
.
The connection portion
61
is provided at a lower side of a partition wall
54
dividing the interior of the housing
53
into an upper and a lower section. Female terminals
64
are inserted respectively in terminal receiving chambers
63
, formed by partition walls
62
, against withdrawal. Each female terminal
64
is retained by one end of the partition wall
62
against withdrawal, and one end of the female terminal
64
communicates with an insertion hole
62
a
through which a male terminal
83
in the male connector
52
can be passed, and a wire
56
is connected to the other end of the female terminal
64
.
The retaining means
71
comprises a lock member
72
, which is pivotally movable about an axis on the housing
53
, and is movable in a longitudinal direction of the housing
53
, and a spring
73
which normally urges this lock member
72
in a direction of arrow A.
The mating male connector
52
includes an insertion frame
82
which projects from a base plate
81
so as to be fitted into the female connector
51
, and the connection terminals
83
are inserted in the male connector
52
against withdrawal. A retaining projection
84
for retaining engagement with a retaining portion
75
is formed on an upper surface of the insertion frame
82
disposed above the connection terminals
83
. In accordance with the connector-fitting operation, this retaining projection
84
pushes the lock member
72
against the bias (resilient force) of the spring
73
, so that a half-fitted condition is detected.
Next, the fitting operation of the female and male connectors
51
and
52
will be described.
First, when the insertion frame
82
of the male connector
52
is inserted into gaps G
1
and G
2
in the female connector
51
, the retaining projection
84
, formed on the male connector
52
, is brought into abutting engagement with the retaining portion
75
formed at the distal end of the lock member
72
. Then, when the female connector
51
is further pushed, the whole of the lock member
72
is moved rearward against the bias of the spring
73
, so that the front end of the housing
53
comes closer to the base plate
81
of the male connector
52
.
However, the retaining portion
75
is not retained by the retaining projection
84
, and therefore if the pushing force ceases to be applied to the female connector
51
, the female connector
51
is withdrawn in a disengaging direction, so that the half-fitted connection is prevented.
Then, when the female connector
51
is further pushed, the whole of the lock member
72
is moved toward the rear end of this connector, so that a lock cancellation projection
76
, formed on the lock member
72
, slides over a lock cancellation projection
78
formed on the housing
53
. Namely, the distal end portion of the lock member
72
is forcibly lifted, and the whole of the lock member
72
is pivotally moved about support projections
77
, so that the lock member
72
is pushed by the resilient force of the spring
73
in the direction of arrow A (see FIG.
11
).
When the whole of the lock member
72
is thus pushed in the direction of arrow A, the retaining portion
75
slides over the retaining projection
84
, and is retained by this retaining projection
84
, so that the female connector
51
is fitted on the male connector
52
against withdrawal.
Therefore, when the female connector
51
is disposed in a half-fitted condition relative to the male connector
52
, the lock member
72
is not pivotally moved, and is pushed away from the male connector
51
by the resilient force of the spring
73
.
In the above conventional half-fitting prevention connector, however, the lock member
72
has the half-fitting prevention function and the retaining function which are performed when fitting the female connector
51
on the male connector
52
. Therefore, for example, if the lock member
72
should be damaged, the half-fitting prevention function and the retaining function are both lost. In such a case, whether or not a half-fitted condition is encountered can not be judged, and there has been a possibility that the female connector
51
is withdrawn after it is connected to the male connector.
And besides, the lock member
72
, having the retaining portion
75
, is combined with the spring
73
, and therefore it is rather cumbersome to mount the lock member on the housing
53
, which has invited a problem that the productivity is not high.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a half-fitting prevention connector in which a half-fitted condition can be positively detected when male and female connectors are fitted together, and a half-fitting prevention function and a retaining function are performed by separate members, respectively.
To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a half-fitting prevention connector which comprises a first connector including a housing, a second connector fittable to the first connector, the second connector including a housing, a lock arm formed on one end portion of the housing of the first connector so as to be elastically deformable, the lock arm having a retaining projection formed at an end thereof, a slider insertable into the housing of the first connector, the slider which is able to be extended and contracted due to its own resiliency while guided by part of the lock arm, an abutment portion formed at an end of the slider, an engagement portion provided on one end portion of the housing of the second connector, and serving to retain the retaining projection when the second connector is fitted to the first connector, and an abutment projection formed on the one end portion of the housing of the second connector, wherein during fitting o
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Ta Tho D.
Yazaki -Corporation
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