Half-fitting prevention connector

Details Half-fitting prevention connector Half-fitting prevention connector

2001-05-29

2001-12-25

Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...

Retaining means

C439S953000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06332799

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a half-fitting prevention connector which reliably prevents half-fitting by way of the resiliency of a resilient member attached to a housing of at least one of a pair of male and female connectors which are fittable to each other, and which reliably effects fitting and locking with the mating connector.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-158530, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
A related example of a half-fitting prevention connector now will be described with reference to
FIGS. 6
to
10
.
As shown in
FIGS. 6
to
8
, in a half-fitting prevention connector
51
, half-fitting between a pair of male and female connectors
52
and
53
which are fittable to each other is prevented by the resiliency of a pair of compression coil springs
57
accommodated in spring accommodating portions
56
on both sides in an exclusive housing
55
provided integrally on a housing
54
of the male connector
52
.
In addition, the male connector
52
has a lock arm
58
which has on a lower surface of its tip an engaging projection
59
for retaining the mating female connector
53
and which is flexibly supported in the housing
54
. Further, a slider
62
serving as a sliding member is slidably held in the exclusive housing
55
.
Further, displacement preventing projections
60
are provided on an upper surface of the lock arm
58
on the opposite side to the side where the engaging projection
59
is provided, and a lock peak
61
is provided on the upper surface of its root portion. In addition, the exclusive housing
55
essentially serves to allow the slider
62
to slide in its axial direction and hold it, and a large portion of it is formed as a slider accommodating portion
63
with its upper portion open. A pair of side spaces
64
and a pair of guide grooves
65
are provided on both sides of the lock arm
58
to allow the slider
62
to slide therein in a straddling manner.
The slider
62
has a slider body
66
which is adapted to slide while being guided along the guide grooves
65
. A pair of spring receiving portions
67
are provided on both sides of a rear end of the slider body
66
to retain and compress the respective compression springs
57
in the direction toward the spring accommodating portions
56
along the guide grooves
65
.
In addition, the slider body
66
has a U-shaped notch
68
for holding a displacement preventing portion
71
provided at its front end. Further, a slider arm
69
which is deflectable upwardly by using a rear portion of the slider body
66
as a root is formed in the slider body
66
. A pair of abutment projections
70
are provided on the lower surface of a front end of the slider arm
69
so as to be able to slide in the side spaces
64
.
The displacement preventing portion
71
whose lower surface is recessed is provided at the front end of the slider body
66
so as to prevent the displacement of the lock arm
58
when the displacement preventing projections
60
have abutted against the displacement preventing portion
71
. Further, a pressing portion
72
which can be pressed in the rearward direction is provided on the upper surface of a rear end portion of the slider body
66
. A slide slot
73
of a rectangular shape is provided in a central portion of the slider arm
69
in front of the pressing portion
72
. The lock peak
61
is capable of moving back and forth in the slide slot
73
.
It should be noted that a lower portion of the housing
54
is formed as a male connector housing
74
so as to be fitted with inner surfaces of a female connector housing
76
.
Further, an inclined projection
77
, which is retained by the engaging projection
59
, and a pair of stopper projections
78
, which abuts against the abutment projections
70
of the slider
62
, are provided on an upper surface of a female housing
75
.
In the half-fitting prevention connector having the above-described construction, as shown in
FIG. 6
, after the pair of compression springs
57
are first inserted in the spring accommodating portions
56
of the exclusive housing
55
of the male connector
52
, if the slider
62
is inserted along the guide grooves
65
, the lower portion of the front end of the pressing portion
72
rides over the lock peak
61
while deflecting the lock arm
58
downward.
Then, if the inserting force is canceled as shown in
FIG. 7
, the front end of the pressing portion
72
of the slider
62
, which is being urged in the forward direction by the compression springs
57
, abuts against the lock peak
61
, so that the slider
62
is positioned in a state of being slidable inside the housing
54
.
Next, after a pair of female terminals
41
each having a covered wire W connected to the respective rear portion are fitted in the male connector housing
74
, and a pair of male terminals
42
each having a covered wire W connected thereto are fitted in the female connector housing
75
, the male and female connectors
52
and
53
made to face each other and are pressed in the connector fitting direction, as shown in FIG.
8
.
Consequently, the stopper projections
78
on the female housing
75
abut against the abutment projections
70
of the slider
62
, and the slider
62
is pushed in toward the rear of the housing
54
while compressing the compression springs
57
. Afterwards, as the engaging projection
59
rides over the inclined projection
77
, the lock arm
58
is deflected upward, while the slider arm
69
is deflected upward by riding over the lock peak
61
.
If the fitting forces of the male and female connectors
52
and
53
are canceled at this stage, the slider
62
is pushed back by the urging forces of the compression springs
57
, so that the female connector
53
is pushed back by the abutment projections
70
and the stopper projections
78
, thereby preventing the male and female connectors
52
and
53
from being left in a half-fitted state.
In addition, because the upper portion of the exclusive housing
55
is open, the half-fitted state of the connectors can be also visually confirmed since the pressing portion
72
is located at the rear end portion of the exclusive housing
55
, as shown in FIG.
8
.
If the fitting operation is further advanced, as shown in
FIG. 9
, the slider arm
69
is deflected further upward by the lock peak
61
and the abutment projections
70
are disengaged from the stopper projections
78
, with the result that the slider
62
is pushed back forwardly by the urging forces of the compression springs
57
, and the front end of the pressing portion
72
abuts against the lock peak
61
and stops.
At this time, since the engaging projection
59
is retained by the inclined projection
77
, the deflection of the lock arm
58
also returns to its original state, and the displacement preventing portion
71
of the slider
62
which returned to its original state is fitted over the displacement preventing projections
60
of the lock arm
58
. Consequently, the lock arm
58
becomes no longer deflectable, thereby assuming a completely fitted state of the connectors. Also, since the position of the pressing portion
72
comes to be located on the front side from the rear end, the completely fitted state of the connectors can be confirmed visually.
Next, to cancel the fitting between the male and female connectors
52
and
53
, as shown in
FIG. 10
, an operator pulls the pressing portion
72
in the rearward direction while compressing the compression springs
57
while holding the housing
75
. Consequently, the slider
62
retracts to allow the displacement preventing projections
60
to be canceled from the state of being locked by the displacement preventing portion
71
, and since the abutment projections
70
ride over the stopper projections
78
, the slider
69
begins to be deflected upward.
If the pressing portion
72
is further pulled, at the same time as the tip portion of the slider arm
69
rides over th

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