Electrical connectors – With indicating or identifying provision – Connection indicating provision
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-17
2003-02-04
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With indicating or identifying provision
Connection indicating provision
C439S488000, C439S357000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06514099
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a half-fitting prevention connector in which when a pair of male and female connector housings are fitted with each other, a half-fitted state of the male and female connector housings is detected according to whether or not a fitting detection member attached over one connector housing is able to slidingly move to a proper-fitting detecting position.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-149924, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Related Art
As shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
, a conventional half-fitting prevention connector is arranged such that when a pair of male and female connector housings
1
and
9
are fitted with each other, a half-fitted state of the male and female connector housings
1
and
9
is detected according to whether or not a fitting detection member
2
fitted to one connector housing, i.e., the male connector housing
1
, is able to slidingly move to a proper-fitting detecting position (reference should be had to JP-A-8-31517).
As shown in
FIG. 8
, the male connector housing
1
has a flexible lock arm
4
rising upward from a front end side of an upper wall
3
and extending in the rearward direction of the housing, and a lock portion
6
is projectingly provided on an upper surface of an intermediate portion of this flexible lock arm
4
.
Further, a pressing plate portion
7
, which is an operating portion for flexibly deflecting the flexible lock arm
4
during the fitting of the male and female connector housings, is provided at a free end of the flexible lock arm
4
located close to a rear end of the male connector housing
1
.
In addition, the female connector housing
9
has an engaging portion
10
at an inner surface-side front end of an upper wall which is attached over the flexible lock arm
4
when the male and female connector housings
1
and
9
are fitted with each other.
As shown in
FIGS. 9 and 10
, when the fitting length at the time of the fitting of the male and female connector housings
1
and
9
reaches an appropriate value, the engaging portion
10
rides over the lock portion
6
through the flexural deflection of the flexible lock arm
4
. Then, when the length of fitting of the male and female connector housings
1
and
9
has reached the appropriate value, the engaging portion
10
retains the lock portion
6
by engaging a recessed portion
6
a
in the rear of the lock portion
6
from above, thereby locking the fitted state of the male and female connector housings.
As shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
, the fitting detection member
2
has a structure in which an operating plate portion
16
which engages the pressing plate portion
7
slidably along the fitting direction of the male and female connector housings, a resilient piece
17
extending from a rear end portion of this operating plate portion
16
toward a front end side of the male connector housing
1
, and a positioning portion
20
provided projectingly on a distal end of this resilient piece
17
are integrally molded. The resilient piece
17
has the shape of a rod which is capable of being inserted in a space between a pair of side plate portions
5
making up the aforementioned flexible lock arm
4
.
In addition, as shown in
FIG. 7
, the positioning portion
20
is a projection which can be fitted from below into the recessed portions
6
a
and
6
b
respectively located behind and in front of the lock portion
6
by the urging force of the resilient piece
17
. Before the fitting of the male and female connector housings, the positioning portion
20
is retained by a rear edge of the lock portion
6
and its forward movement is restricted in a state in which the positioning portion
20
is engaged in the recessed portion
6
a
in the rear of the lock portion
6
.
The position where the positioning portion
20
abuts against the rear edge of the lock portion
6
and its forward displacement is thereby restricted is an initial position of the fitting detection member
2
fitted to the male connector housing
1
.
In addition, as for the slidable engagement between the pressing plate portion
7
and the operating plate portion
16
, the slidable range is set such that the fitting detection member
2
is slidable between the aforementioned initial position and the proper-fitting detecting position which is set forwardly of the initial position.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, when the pair of male and female connector housings
1
and
9
are fitted with each other, the length of fitting of the male and female connector housings
1
and
9
reaches an appropriate value, and the engaging portion
10
of the female connector housing
9
is fitted in the recessed portion
6
a
in the rear of the lock portion
6
.
In consequence, the positioning portion
20
of the fitting detection member
2
which was engaged in the recessed portion
6
a
is pushed downward by the engaging portion
10
, thereby canceling the positional restriction of the positioning portion
20
to its initial position. As a result, if the operating plate portion
16
is pushed forward, the fitting detection member
2
becomes slidable, as shown by arrow A in the drawing.
As shown in
FIG. 11
, if the fitting detection member
2
is moved forward in the state in which the positional restriction of the positioning portion
20
to its initial position is canceled, the positioning portion
20
advances forward in sliding contact with the lower surfaces of the engaging portion
10
and the lock portion
6
. Then, when the positioning portion
20
has moved over the front edge of the lock portion
6
, the positioning portion
20
is displaced upward by the urging force of the resilient piece
17
, and is fitted in the recessed portion
6
b
in front of the lock portion
6
.
In consequence, the positioning portion
20
fitted in the recessed portion
6
b
has its rear end face retained by the front end face of the lock portion
6
, thereby assuming a locked state in which the rearwardly sliding movement is restricted.
However, in the case of a half-fitted state in which when the male and female connector housings
1
and
9
are fitted with each other, the length of fitting of the male and female connector housings
1
and
9
does not reach the appropriate value, the engaging portion
10
of the female connector housing
9
does not fit into the recessed portion
6
a
in the rear of the lock portion
6
.
For this reason, the positioning portion
20
is not pushed out of the recessed portion
6
a
by the engaging portion
10
, and the positional restriction of the fitting detection member
2
to its initial position by the lock portion
6
is not canceled.
Accordingly, when the male and female connector housings are half-fitted with each other, even if the operating plate portion
16
of the fitting detection member
2
is pushed forward, the fitting detection member
2
does not move forward, and the half-fitted state can be detected according to whether or not the fitting detection member
2
can be moved forward.
As the housings-engaging operation for engaging the above-described pair of male and female connector housings
1
and
9
, an operator directly holds the respective connector housings
1
and
9
with his or her fingers, and engages both connector housings
1
and
9
.
Next, as the detection member moving operation for detecting the fitted state of both connector housings
1
and
9
, the operator changes the position of one finger which was holding the male connector housing
1
to the position for pressing the operating plate portion
16
of the fitting detection member
2
, and moves the fitting detection member
2
from the initial position to the proper-fitting detecting position.
Further, as the housings-pulling and confirming operation for confirming whether the locked state of the male and female connector housings is incomplete due to the breakage or the like of the lock portion
6
even if the fitting detection member
2
was able to move pr
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Ta Tho D.
Yazaki -Corporation
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