Electrical connectors – With coupling separator – Including retainer or joiner
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-17
2001-10-30
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling separator
Including retainer or joiner
C439S372000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06309232
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lever-actuated connector, and more particularly to an electric connector of the lever-actuated type in which a terminal-accommodating connector housing (hereafter sometimes simply called “connector”) is mated with another terminal-accommodating connector housing (hereafter sometimes called “mating connector”) by operation of a lever pivoted thereon.
2. Related Art
FIG. 5
shows such a lever-actuated connector. This lever-actuated connector has a male connector (housing)
1
, a lever
2
rotatably mounted to the male connector
1
, and a female connector (housing)
3
to be mated with the male connector
1
.
The male connector
1
has terminal accommodation chambers
4
provided therethrough in an insertion direction relative to the female connector
3
, for accommodation of female terminals (not shown). A pair of ribs
6
laterally protrude at front edges of both side surfaces
5
of the male connector
1
, with an even height to the side surfaces
5
. A pair of bosses
7
protrude from the side surfaces
5
each to serve as a pivot for the lever
2
to be rotatable thereabout.
The lever
2
is made up by a pair of left and right flat arms
8
, and an operation part
9
as a shoulder interconnecting both arms
8
at their rear ends. The bosses
7
are inserted into central parts of the arms
8
. At front ends of the arms
8
, there are integrally formed protruding parts
10
to be loose-engaged in slots
6
a of the ribs
6
, whereby the arms
8
are kept from laterally opening. The arms
8
of the lever
2
are formed with lateral protrusions
11
in their front parts, each for engagement with a step
14
B in the female connector
3
. When the operation part
9
is pressed down, the lever arms
8
rotate counterclockwise about the bosses
7
, together with the protrusions
11
pushing up the steps
14
B at both sides, causing the female connector
3
to mate on the male connector
1
, with the arms
8
inserted therebetween.
The female connector
3
is provided with a hood
12
, which is shown in FIG.
5
. The hood
12
is open at the top, and matable on combination of the male connector
1
and the lever
2
. To accommodate the combination, the hood
12
has therein, along both side walls thereof, a pair of straight grooves
13
formed at front ends of the side walls for guiding the ribs
6
of the male connector
1
, and a pair of stepped grooves
14
A provided in front halves of the side walls to accept or receive the protrusions
11
of the lever arms
2
to be movable in unison with rotation of the lever
2
. Each stepped groove
14
A provides the step
14
B as a rectangular overhung to be engaged with an upper edge of the protrusion
11
as in FIG.
7
.
For the mating, the male connector
1
is inserted into the hood
12
to a depth, where the protrusions
11
of the lever arms
8
face groove regions under the steps
14
B. As the lever
2
is pressed to rotate, the protrusions
11
engage with the steps
14
B. As the lever
2
is additionally pressed, each engaging protrusion
11
pushes the hood
12
upwardly, contacting therewith at a point. In other words, the lever arms
8
push the male connector
1
downwardly, apparently swinging about the contact points, which then serve as fulcrums.
The lever-actuated connector has a significant number of terminals. The male connector
1
as well as the hood
12
becomes long and narrow, with increase in number of associated electric wires, accompanying reduced dimensional accuracy.
The steps
14
B and engaging protrusions
11
are frontwardly offset. As the engaging protrusions hare slid within the stepped grooves
14
A, the male connector
1
is subjected to sliding resistance and binding, and tends to tilt relative to the hood
12
, as shown in FIG.
6
. With the tilting, the protrusions
11
may fail to catch on the steps
14
B which are perpendicular to the mating direction and have a smaller depth than wall thickness of the hood
12
. As the lever
2
is rotated, failed engagement causes either protrusion
11
to invade between the walls of the hood
12
and lever arm
8
, resulting in an improper or incomplete mating.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made with such points in view. It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide a lever-actuated connector that enables an ensured engagement between an engaging protrusion of a lever and a groove wall to be engaged therewith to push a mating connector in a mating direction.
An aspect of the present invention to achieve the object is a lever-actuated connector comprising a combination of a first connector housing formed with a first protrusion, and a lever member pivoted on the first protrusion and formed with a second protrusion, and a second connector housing configured to be pushed in a mating direction to mate on the combination by rotation of the lever member about the first protrusion, the second connector housing being formed with a reception groove to receive the second protrusion to allow insertion of the combination into the second connector housing, the reception groove having a wall part to be engaged with the second protrusion by the rotation of the lever member to push the second connector housing in the mating direction, the wall part being inclined relative to the mating direction.
According to this aspect of the invention, as a wall part to be engaged with a second protrusion by rotation of the lever member is inclined relative to the mating direction, the second protrusion is safely caught by the wall part which has an increased projection area in a tangential direction of the rotation of lever member.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3801757 (1974-04-01), Carissimi et al.
patent: 4582378 (1986-04-01), Fruchard
patent: 5711682 (1998-01-01), Maejima
patent: 6019620 (2000-02-01), Kodama et al.
patent: 06325821 (1994-11-01), None
patent: 11-26070 (1999-01-01), None
Okabe Toshiaki
Yamashita Tetsuya
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Sircus Brian
Yazaki -Corporation
Zarroli Michael C.
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