Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-25
2002-12-24
Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06497585
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. 2000-162965, 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
9
.
As shown in
FIGS. 6
to
7
, 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 a retaining pawl
59
for retaining the mating female connector
53
and is supported at its rear end on the housing
54
so as to be flexible as a cantilever. 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 retaining pawl
59
is provided, and a lock peak
61
is provided on the upper surface of its root portion.
In addition, a slider
62
is slidably held in the exclusive housing
55
. The slider
62
has a slider body
66
on which a slider arm
69
which is upwardly flexible by using a rear portion of the slider body
66
as a root is formed. A pair of abutment projections
70
are provided on the lower surface of a front end of the slider arm
69
. Further, a pressing portion
72
which can be pressed in the rearward direction by an operator's finger is provided on the upper surface of a rear end portion of the slider body
66
.
Further, provided on an upper surface of a female housing
75
are an inclined projection
77
for retaining the retaining pawl
59
and a retaining groove
79
located immediately behind it, and a pair of stopper projections
78
, which abut against the abutment projections
70
of the slider
62
, are provided on the upper surface of the female housing
75
.
In the half-fitting prevention connector
51
having the above-described construction, the male and female connectors
52
and
53
are made to face each other and are pressed in the fitting directions, as shown in FIG.
7
. Then, since 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 exclusive housing
55
in the upper portion of the housing
54
while compressing the compression springs
57
.
As a result, as the retaining pawl
59
rides over the inclined projection
77
, the lock arm
58
is flexed upward, while the slider arm
69
is flexed 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
. Hence, the male and female connectors
52
and
53
are prevented from being left in a half-fitted state.
If the fitting operation is further advanced, as shown in
FIG. 8
, the slider arm
69
is flexed 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 retaining pawl
59
is retained by the inclined projection
77
and the retaining groove
79
, the flexion 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 comes to be fitted over the displacement preventing projections
60
of the lock arm
58
.
Next, to cancel the fitting between the male and female connectors
52
and
53
, as shown in
FIG. 9
, the 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 flexed upward.
If the pressing portion
72
is further pulled, at the same time as the tip portion of the slider arm
69
rides over the lock peak
61
, the retaining pawl
59
becomes unlocked from the inclined projection
77
since its rear surface is inclined, so that the fitting between the male and female connectors
52
and
53
can be canceled.
However, with the above-described half-fitting prevention connector
51
, there has been a possibility that since the slider
62
is required, the number of component parts increases, and the number of assembling steps increases, leading to higher cost.
In addition, since when the pressing portion
72
is pulled backward during the releasing operation for the connectors, the pressing portion
72
must be pulled while compressing the compression springs, there has been a possibility that the operating efficiency during the releasing operation for the connectors is poor.
Furthermore; since resin members such as the lock arm
58
and the slider arm
69
are flexed greatly during the fitting and releasing operation of the connectors
52
and
53
, there has been a possibility in the durability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been devised in view of the above-described possibilities of the related art, and its object is to provide a half-fitting prevention connector which has a small number of component parts, offers satisfactory operating efficiency during the releasing operation for the connectors, and excels in the durability with small flexion of resin members during the fitting and releasing operation.
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a half-fitting prevention connector which comprises:
a first connector including a first housing;
a flexible lock arm formed on the first housing, the flexible lock arm having a first retaining portion and an abutment portion which is located at a lower side relative to the first retaining portion;
a second connector fittable to the first connector, the second connector including a second housing having a second retaining portion and a press plate;
a resilient member attachable to the second housing, the resilient member including:
a first bent portion which is formed into a substantially U-shape by bending a strip-shaped plate, and
a second bent portion, which continues from the first bent portion, and is formed into a substantially V-shape by bending the strip-shaped plate; and
a fixing mechanism, with which a rear portion of the resilient member is fixedly secured to the second housing,
wherein when the first connector and the second connector are about to be fitted to each other, the flexible lock arm is flexed by the press plate of the second housing pressing downward the first retaining portion, and the first retaining portion is slid on the press plate so that the abutment portion of the flexible lock arm is abutted against a tip of the first bent portion of the resilient member,
wherein when the first connector and the second connector are incompletely fitted, the first connector and the second connector are released in a direction op
Figuerda Felix D.
Paumen Gary
Yazaki -Corporation
LandOfFree
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