Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-09
2002-11-05
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means
C439S489000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06475015
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a half-fitting prevention connector in which a slider, mounted on at least one of a pair of connectors to be fittingly connected together, positively prevents a half-fitted condition of the two connectors by a resilient force of an urging member, and also the slider can positively lock the connector to the mating connector in a fitted condition.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 11-165538, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Usually, various electronic equipments are mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and therefore, naturally, various types of female and male connectors are provided at connection ends of various kinds of wires forming wire harnesses or the like.
Various half-fitting prevention connectors, capable of detecting a half-fitted condition of the female and male connectors, have been used, and one such half-fitting prevention connector is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei. 5-81967.
This half-fitting prevention connector comprises a pin-type connector, having a plurality of juxtaposed pin contacts mounted therein, and a socket-type connector having a plurality of juxtaposed socket contacts mounted therein. A movable cover is mounted on the outer periphery of the female connector for movement back and forth. Spring receiving portions are provided at opposite side portions of this movable cover, respectively, and spring members are received respectively in these spring receiving portions, and extend in a forward-rearward direction.
In this half-fitting prevention connector, however, although a half-fitted condition can be prevented by the resilient force of the spring members, there is encountered a problem that when trying to fit the two connectors together while holding the opposite side surfaces of the movable cover with the hand, the movable cover can not be moved, and therefore the efficiency of the fitting operation is low.
Therefore, various half-fitting prevention connectors for solving the above problem have been proposed.
FIGS. 6
to
9
show a half-fitting prevention connector
100
disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 10-289756.
As shown in
FIG. 6
, this half-fitting prevention connector
100
comprises a pair of male and female connectors
1
A and
2
to be fittingly connected together.
The male connector
1
A comprises a housing
3
A which includes an inner housing
3
a
having terminal receiving chambers
17
for respectively receiving a predetermined number of (two in the illustrated example) socket contacts
31
. A slider receiving portion
4
for slidably receiving a slider
10
A (described later) is formed above the inner housing
3
a,
and an outer housing, serving as a hood portion
19
, covers the outer periphery of the inner housing
3
a,
with a suitable space formed therebetween, the outer housing forming the slider receiving portion
4
.
Side rib-receiving portions
19
a
for respectively receiving side ribs
27
(described later) of the female connector
2
are formed in an inner surface of the hood portion
19
, and extend in a fitting direction.
Guide grooves
5
for respectively guiding opposite side portions of a slider body
11
are formed respectively at opposite side portions of the slider receiving portion
4
, and tubular spring receiving portions
3
c
are formed respectively at rear ends of the guide grooves
5
. A lock arm
6
of the cantilever type is formed integrally at a central portion of the slider receiving portion
4
, and extends in the fitting direction, and a free end (distal end) portion of this lock arm
6
can be elastically displaced in an upward-downward direction.
A lock projection
7
, having a slanting surface
7
b,
is formed on an upper surface of the lock arm
6
, and a housing lock
8
for retaining engagement with a female housing
21
(described later) is formed on a lower surface of the lock arm
6
at the distal end thereof. Displacement prevention projections
8
a
for preventing the displacement of the lock arm
6
are formed integrally on the upper surface of the lock arm
6
, and face away from the housing lock
8
. Side spaces
4
a
for respectively receiving abutment projections
14
of the slider
10
A (described later) are provided at opposite sides of the lock arm
6
, respectively.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, the slider
10
A has an elastic slider arm
12
of the cantilever type provided at a generally central portion of the slider body
11
, and the pair of abutment projections
14
are formed respectively on opposite side portions of a lower surface of the slider arm
12
at a front end thereof. The slider
10
A includes a pressing portion
15
, which is operated when canceling the fitting connection, a slide groove
13
formed in the slider arm
12
and the pressing portion
15
, and a pair of spring retaining portions
16
which are formed respectively at opposite side portions of a lower rear portion of the slider, and retain a pair of compression springs (spring members)
9
and
9
, respectively.
As shown in
FIG. 7
, the female connector
2
includes terminal receiving chambers
29
(each in the form of a through hole) for respectively receiving a predetermined number of (two in the illustrated example) pin contacts
32
, and this female connector has a housing insertion port
26
open to the front end thereof. A pair of stopper projections
22
are formed on the upper surface of the housing
21
, and these projections
22
abut respectively against the abutment projections
14
of the slider
10
A when the connectors are fitted together. An engagement projection
23
for retaining the housing lock
8
is formed between the stopper projections
22
and
22
, and this engagement projection
23
has a slanting surface for flexing (elastically deforming) the lock arm
6
of the male connector
1
A when the lock arm
6
is brought into engagement with the engagement projection
23
. A bracket
28
for mounting on an associated member is formed on the housing
21
, and is disposed at the lower side of the housing insertion port
26
.
First, as shown in
FIG. 7
, when the slider
10
A, having the compression springs
9
retained respectively by the spring retaining portions
16
, is inserted into the slider receiving portion
4
from the front side of the male connector
1
A, the slider body
11
is moved rearward along the guide grooves
5
. At this time, the abutment projections
14
, formed on the lower surface of the slider arm
12
, are received respectively in the side spaces
4
a
provided respectively at the opposite sides of the lock arm
6
.
Then, the compression springs
9
are received in the spring receiving portions
3
c,
respectively, and also the lock projection
7
is fitted in the slide groove
13
, so that the slider
10
A is supported on the housing
3
A so as to move between a lock position and a non-lock position. In the non-lock position of the slider
10
A, the slider
10
A is disposed at a proximal end-side of the lock arm
6
to allow the elastic deformation of the lock arm
6
when the lock arm
6
is brought into and out of engagement with the mating housing. In the lock position, the slider
10
A is disposed at a distal end-side of the lock arm
6
to prevent the elastic deformation of the lock arm
6
.
In the slider-mounted condition, the slider
10
A is urged forward (that is, to the lock position) by the resilient force of the compression springs
9
as shown in
FIG. 7
, and a rear end
13
a
of the slide groove
13
is engaged with the lock projection
7
in the slide groove
13
, and also the displacement prevention projections
8
a
at the distal end of the lock arm
6
are abutted against a displacement prevention portion
11
a
of the slider
10
A, thereby preventing upward elastic displacement of the lock arm
6
.
Then, the socket contacts
31
are inserted respectively into the terminal receiving chambers
17
open to the rear
Fukuda Masaru
Murakami Takao
Ta Tho D.
Tsukerman Larisa Z
Yazaki -Corporation
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