Electrical connectors – Jumper
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-15
2003-11-11
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Jumper
C439S701000, C439S862000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06645003
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-40071, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a joint connector in which housings, each receiving a plurality of terminals therein, can be stacked together in such a manner that their terminals are connected.
2. Related Art
One conventional joint connector is disclosed, for example, in JP-A-2000-150055. In this joint connector, as shown in
FIG. 17
, a metal connection terminal member
4
, comprising a plurality of terminal units
3
connected by a carrier
2
, is attached to each of housings
1
which can be stacked together in an upward-downward direction. Connection inserting pieces
5
of the terminal units
3
project from a bottom of the housing
1
, and the terminal unit
3
has a pair of connection spring pieces
6
between which the connection inserting piece
5
can be inserted.
Therefore, arbitrary portions of the carriers
2
, as well as arbitrary ones of the connection inserting pieces
5
, are cut off, and the housings
1
are stacked one upon another, and these cut-off portions serve as non-conducting portions, and therefore various circuit patterns can be formed. One example of such circuit patterns is a connection structure shown in FIG.
18
. In this circuit pattern, the horizontally-connecting relation (indicated by straight lines) between the terminal units
3
, indicated respectively by circles in vertically-arranged two rows of rectangular sections (each row represents one housing
1
), is determined by the cutting and uncutting of the carriers
2
of the horizontally-arranged terminal units
3
, and the vertically (stacking direction)-connecting relation (indicated by straight lines) between the terminal units
3
is determined by the cutting and uncutting of the connection inserting pieces
5
.
However, in this conventional joint connector, the relevant portions of the carriers
2
in the horizontal direction remain in an uncut condition, and by doing so, there is formed a circuit in which each of groups of adjoining terminal units
3
(that is, the terminal units c and d and the terminal units f to i in the row A, and the terminal units d and e and the terminal units f to i in the row B) are connected together as shown in the circuit pattern of FIG.
18
. The relevant connection inserting pieces
5
remain in an uncut condition, and by doing so, there is formed the circuit in which each of pairs of upper and lower stacked terminal units
3
in the rows A and B (that is, the terminal units in the column a, the terminal units in the column L and the terminal units in the column j) are connected together.
However, once the horizontally-disposed carrier
2
is cut intermediate the columns a to j, the right and left groups, separated from each other by this cut portion, are rendered into a non-conducting condition relative to each other. Therefore, it is impossible to connect the terminal units of each of the rows A and B in a skipped manner, with one or two terminal units interposed therebetween, and for example in the connection structure of
FIG. 18
, the terminal units a and j in the row A can not be connected together, and the formation of the circuit is much limited.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, this invention has been made in view of the above problem of the prior art, and an object of the invention is to provide a joint connector which enables terminals, disposed in a stacked condition, to be easily connected together, and besides enables a wide variety of circuit formation patterns including a skip connection.
(1) There is provided a joint connector comprising: at least two housings which are stacked together with a predetermined gap formed therebetween, each of the housings having a plurality of juxtaposed terminals received therein; and a circuit forming element provided in the gap, by which arbitrary ones of the terminals are selectively connected with others of the terminal in the housings adjoining to each other as well as in the same housing.
In this case, by inserting the circuit forming element into the gap between the stacked housings, arbitrarily-selected ones of the terminals of the adjacent housings, adjoining to each other in the stacking direction, can be connected by this circuit forming element, and also the arbitrarily-selected ones of the terminals in the same housing can be connected by this circuit forming element. Therefore, with the simple construction in which the circuit forming element, separate from the terminals, is inserted into the gap, the terminals, disposed in a stacked manner, can be easily connected, and besides the desired circuit can be easily obtained by the circuit structure of the separate circuit forming element.
(2) There is provided a joint connector according to (1), wherein one of the housings is divided into at least two sub-housings, each of which is releasably engaged with another sub-housing, and the sub-housings respectively accommodate a predetermined number of the terminals, so that the plurality of terminals in the one housing are divided with a predetermined ratio.
Therefore, in the case where groups of wires for connection to the terminals are installed from different directions, the groups of wires are beforehand connected respectively to the separate housings corresponding respectively to these wire groups, and the separate housings, when stacked on another housing, are combined together into a unitary form, and by doing so, the wire-connecting operation can be effected easily.
(3) There is provided a joint connector according to (1), further comprising insertion ports formed on a fitting portion of the housing, wherein mating terminals in a mated connector are connected respectively to the terminals through the insertion ports when the mating connector is fitted into the fitting portion.
In this case, arbitrary circuits are formed by the plurality of terminals received in the stacked housings, and then the mating connector is fitted on the fitting portion of the joint connector, and by doing so, the mating terminals of the mating connector, forming other wiring circuits, can be easily connected to the terminals, respectively.
(4) There is provided a joint connector according to (2), wherein an engaging portion formed on one of the sub-housings serves as a positioning device by which arrangement pitches of the terminals between the sub-housings are coincided in an engaging direction of the sub-housing.
In this case, except at the engaging portion, the terminals, received in the housing, are disposed respectively in registry with the terminals in the adjoining housing in the stacking direction, and therefore the combination of the circuits (formed by inserting the circuit forming element) in the stacking direction can be made clear.
(5) There is provided a joint connector according to (1), wherein the circuit forming element includes a bus bar provided with a conductor member, and a bus bar-fixing member provided with an insulating member, and the bus bar and the bus bar-fixing member are integrally coupled with each other.
In this case, the bus bar is supported on the bus bar-fixing member, and therefore the bus bar can be held in contact with the terminals without the need for excessively increasing the strength of this bus bar.
(6) There is provided a joint connector according to (5), wherein the bus bar includes a plurality of pairs of terminal contact pieces, each pair of which are brought into contact respectively with the terminals opposing with each other provided in the housings adjoining to each other in the stacking direction, a pair of connecting base portions one of which integrally connects proximal ends of the terminal contact pieces disposed at one side while the other connecting base portion integrally connects proximal ends of the terminal contact pieces disposed at the other side, and connecting pieces connecting the pair of connecting base portions.
I
Ikegaya Masaaki
Yamaguchi Toshiyuki
Yoshida Haruki
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Ta Tho D.
Yazaki -Corporation
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