Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-11
2002-01-29
Bradley, P. Austin (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means
C439S350000, C439S353000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06341973
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a half-fitting prevention connector, and more particularly to a half-fitting prevention connector in which a half-fitted condition is positively prevented by a disengaging force (repelling force) produced between a pair of connector housings to be fittingly connected together.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application Nos. Hei. 11-265829 and 2000-191558, which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
Usually, various electronic equipments are mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and therefore, naturally, various types of male and female connectors are provided at connection ends of various wires forming wire harnesses or the like.
Generally, male and female connectors to be fittingly connected together are provided with a lock mechanism, in which when the amount of fitting of their connector housings relative to each other reaches a predetermined value, the two connector housings are locked together in a fittingly-connected condition.
When the connector housings of the male and female connectors are connected together by the lock mechanism, each of connection terminals in the male connector housing is electrically connected to a respective one of connection terminals in the female connector housing with adequate contact pressure and contact area.
However, for example, when the operating force for fitting the two connector housings together is inadequate, and when either of the connector housings or any of the connection terminals therein is defective, the connector fitting operation is sometimes finished in a half-fitted condition in which the amount of fitting of the two connector housings relative to each other fails to reach the predetermined value.
When the male and female connectors are used in such a half-fitted condition, they may be disengaged from each other because of vibrations, developing during use, and the tension of a wire harness, and this can lead to a disadvantage that the feeding of electric power is interrupted. Even if the two connectors are not disengaged from each other, there is a possibility that in the half-fitted condition, the mating connection terminals are incompletely electrically connected together, in which case the necessary electrical characteristics are not obtained, and this may lead to a disadvantage that the associated electric part is subjected to a malfunction.
Therefore, in order to prevent an accident due to a failure to notice such a half-fitted condition of the two connectors, there have been proposed various half-fitting prevention connectors in which the two connector housings are disengaged from each other when a half-fitted condition is encountered.
FIGS. 14
to
16
show one such conventional half-fitting prevention connector disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 10-50408. An elastic lock arm
6
is formed on a connector housing
3
of a connector
1
(one of a pair of connectors
1
and
2
to be fitted together in a male-female manner), and extends in a connector fitting direction, and an engagement projection
8
is formed on a lower surface of this lock arm
6
at a distal end thereof. A slider
10
is mounted on the connector housing
3
, and is movable between a non-lock position, disposed close to the proximal end of the lock arm
6
, and a lock position disposed close to the distal end of the lock arm
6
. A pair of right and left spring members
9
and
9
, urging the slider
10
toward the lock position, are mounted on the connector housing
3
. A lock projection
7
is formed on the lock arm
6
, and this lock projection
7
can abut against the slider
10
, returned to the lock position, to limit the displacement of the slider
10
by the spring members
9
and
9
.
Stopper projections
14
and an engagement portion
13
are formed on a connector housing
11
of the other connector
2
. At an initial stage of the fitting operation of the pair of connectors
1
and
2
, the stopper projections
14
abut against the slider
10
to push this slider
10
back toward the non-lock position against the bias of the spring members
9
and
9
until the amount of fitting of the two connectors
1
and
2
relative to each other reaches a predetermined value, as shown in FIG.
15
. When the amount of fitting of the two connectors
1
and
2
relative to each other reaches the predetermined value, the abutment portion
13
retains the engagement projection
8
to lock the two connectors in a mutually-fitted condition, as shown in FIG.
16
.
In the above half-fitting prevention connector, when the pair of connectors
1
and
2
are properly fitted together, the engaged condition of the lock arm
6
, mounted on the one connector
1
, is locked by the slider
10
, returned under the influence of the spring members
9
and
9
, as shown in FIG.
16
. On the other hand, when the pair of connectors
1
and
2
are in a half-fitted condition, the two connectors are disengaged from each other by the resilient force of the spring members
9
and
9
, transmitted through the slider
10
, as shown in
FIG. 15
, thus preventing such a half-fitted condition from being overlooked.
FIGS. 17
to
18
C show another conventional half-fitting prevention connector disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 9-55261. In this half-fitting prevention connector, a lock arm
26
is formed on a connector housing
23
of a connector
21
(one of a pair of connectors
21
and
22
to be fitted together in a male-female manner), and extends in a connector fitting direction. An engagement projection
26
a
is formed on an upper surface of this lock arm
26
, and a pair of guide projections
26
b
and
26
b
are formed on and project laterally from opposite side edges of the lock arm
26
, respectively. A single return spring
30
is mounted in a connector housing
28
of the other connector
22
, and guide walls
32
are formed on this connector housing
28
. When fitting the two connectors together, the return spring
30
is pressed by the engagement projection
26
a
to produce a disengaging force tending to disengage the two connectors from each other. During the time when the two housings
23
and
28
are fitted together and disengaged from each other, the guide walls
32
engage the guide projections
26
b
, respectively, to hold the lock arm
26
in a predetermined inclined condition.
In a condition shown in
FIG. 18A
, as the connector housing
23
of the connector
21
is inserted into the connector housing
28
of the connector
22
, the guide projections
26
b
of the advancing lock arm
26
are caused to slide over the guide walls
32
through respective slanting front surfaces thereof at an initial stage of this fitting operation, so that the engagement projection
26
a
on the lock arm
26
abuts against the distal end of the return spring
30
, as shown in FIG.
18
B.
As a result, during the fitting operation, that is, until the amount of fitting of the two housings
23
and
28
relative to each other reaches a predetermined value, the engagement projection
26
a
compresses the return spring
30
to cause this spring
30
to produce the disengaging force. Therefore, if the fitting operation should be finished in a half-fitted condition, the two connectors are disengaged from each other, thus preventing this half-fitted condition from being overlooked.
Then, when the amount of fitting of the two connectors relative to each other reaches the predetermined value, the guide walls
32
allow the engagement projection
26
a
to be disengaged from the return spring
30
as shown in
FIG. 18C
, so that the disengaging force of the return spring
30
is released. During the time when the two connectors
21
and
22
are withdrawn relative to each other, the guide projections
26
b
pass under the guide walls
32
, respectively, thereby preventing the return spring
30
from interfering with the engagement projection
26
a.
In the conventional half-fitting prevention co
Bradley P. Austin
Nguyen Truc
Yazaki -Corporation
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