Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-24
2003-06-17
Nasri, Javaid (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06579113
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an inertial locking connector, which engages connectors with each other by using the inertia force and, more specifically, to an inertial locking connector, which can appropriate a known non-inertial locking connector for one of a pair of the connectors.
(2) Description of the Related Art
FIG. 9
illustrates an example of a conventional inertial locking connector.
The conventional inertial locking connector consists of a male connector
44
, which receives female terminals
43
in its block-shaped housing
42
(a part for receiving terminals) inside a hood part
41
, and a female connector
47
, in which tabs of male terminals
46
are protruded in a connector engaging chamber
45
mating with the housing
42
. In this specification, a connector having the block-shaped housing
42
is defined as a male connector, while a connector having the connector engaging chamber
45
is defined as a female connector.
A connector housing of the male connector
44
consists of the outside hood part
41
and the inner housing
42
, which are integrally molded using synthetic resin. A flexible locking arm
50
is integrally formed with an upper wall
48
of the inner housing
42
through a holding part
49
, which is situated at the middle of the length direction of the locking arm
50
. The front half of the locking arm
50
is located inside of the hood part
41
, while an operating part
51
of the rear half of the locking arm
50
is exposed outward from an opening
52
of the hood part
41
.
A locking projection
53
is formed downwardly at a front end of the locking arm
50
and a front end face
53
a
of the locking projection
53
is an abutting face, which is formed approximately perpendicular or inclined facing front with regard to the female connector
47
. There is provided a terminal receiving chamber
54
in the inner housing
42
, in which a female terminal
43
having wires is received. The female terminal
43
has a box-shaped electric contact part (indicated by the abbreviation numeral
43
) having a resilient contact piece (not shown in the figure) therein, which mates with the tab of male terminal
46
, and a solderless contact part
56
, to which a wire
55
is connected and fixed. A hole at the central part of the electric contact part (
43
) of the female terminal
43
is locked by a flexible locking lance
57
.
A waterproof rubber stopper
58
is inserted on the wire
55
, while the outer periphery of the waterproof rubber stopper
58
adheres closely to the rear inner surface of the terminal receiving chamber
54
. A waterproof packing
59
for the female connector
47
is provided on the outer base of the inner housing
42
.
In the female connector
47
, a pair of guide walls
62
for the locking arm
50
are formed at both sides on an opper wall
61
of the connector housing
60
, which forms the connector engaging chamber
45
, while an engaging projection
63
engaging with the locking projection
53
is formed between a pair of the guide walls
62
. The engaging projection
63
has a front end face (abutting face)
63
a
, which faces the front end face
53
a
of the locking projection
53
and is inclined a little backward, and a perpendicular rear end face (engaging face)
63
b,
which engages with a rear end face (locking face)
53
b
of the locking projection
53
.
The tab at the front half of the male terminal
46
protrudes in the connector engaging chamber
45
, while the rear half of the male terminal
46
is received into a terminal receiving chamber (not shown in the figure) of the connector housing
60
and continues to a wire (not shown in the figure). Otherwise, the connector housing
60
is integrally formed with an instrument and the like, and one side of the plate-shaped male terminal
46
that has a tab at an oppsite side thereof continues to a busbar and the like at the instrument side.
When an operator starts to fit the connecors
44
and
47
to each other starting from the state shown in
FIG. 9
, both ends of the male and female terminals,
46
and
43
, respectively, come into light contact with each other and at the same time the front end face
53
a
of the locking projection
53
of the locking arm
50
strongly abuts against the front end face
63
a
of the engaging projection
63
. Then, the operator pushes both connectors
44
and
47
in the engaging direction with a strong force, resulting in that the front end face
53
a
of the locking projection
53
slides upward along the front end face
63
a
of the engaging projection
63
so as to bend the locking arm
50
, the abutting between both projections
53
and
63
is released, and both connectos
44
and
47
are engaged with each other by force with the aid of the inertia force thereof. When the locking projection
53
climbs over the engaging projection
63
, the locking arm
50
restores to the original state with shifting downward and the rear end face
53
b
of the locking projection
53
abuts against the rear end face
63
b
of the engaging projection
63
.
Thereby, both connectors
44
and
47
are locked together, preventing both connectors from coming off abruptly. This connector engagement using the inertia force thereof exhibits a secure engaging force even when an insertion force of the male or female terminal (
46
or
43
) is large (especially when the number of the terminals is large) and when the inner periphery of the connector housing
60
adheres closely to the outer periphery of the waterproof packing
59
.
However, according to the structure of the conventional inertial locking connector, when the operator uses an insufficient force to fit the connecors
44
and
47
to each other, there is the possibility that both connectors stop staying in half engaged condition (i.e. incomplete engaged condition) in a state that the locking projection
53
of the locking arm
50
of the connector
44
climbs on the engaging projection
63
of the connector
47
. In this case, since both terminals
46
and
43
are inserted by as long as about half of the regular stroke, both connectors
44
are tentatively held with each other without coming off, therefore there is the possibility that the operator judges that both connectors are completely engaged with each other and advances it to the next process.
Further, not to mention the locking arm
50
, the engaging projection
63
needs a machining to enlarge the incline of the front end face
63
a
for the purpose of the inertial locking, forcing both connectors
44
and
47
to be exclusively manufactured as the inertial locking parts. Furthermore, a normal connector, which does not implement the inertial locking, can be neither appropriated nor compatible with the inertial locking part, causing an uneconomical situation. Furthermore, since the rear end face
53
b
of the locking projection
53
slides against the rear end face
63
b
of the engaging projection
63
with a strong force upon the engagement of the connectors, when the engaging and coming off operations are implemented repeatedly, each projection
53
or
63
is worn down and deformed, causing the possibility that the locking force deteriorates and that a large inertial force cannot be obtained, that is, the inertial locking is not implemented.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to solve the above problem and to provide an inertial locking connector, by which the incomplete engagement of the connectors due to that the locking projection climbs on the engaging projection to stop there is prevented from occurring, and the appropriation and compatibility of the connector are improved, and the deterioration in the inertial force and the locking force due to the deformation and wear of the locking and engaging projections are prevented from occurring.
In order to attain the above objective, a first aspect of the present invention is to provide an inertial locking connector comprising: a first connector housing provided with a locking arm having
Nasri Javaid
Yazaki -Corporation
LandOfFree
Inertial locking connector does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Inertial locking connector, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Inertial locking connector will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3087406