Electrical connectors – With coupling separator – Including retainer or joiner
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-26
2001-07-03
Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With coupling separator
Including retainer or joiner
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254409
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a lever fitting-type connector in which a connector is fitted into a mating connector by pivotally moving a lever mounted on the connector.
2. Related Art
FIGS. 4 and 5
show a conventional lever fitting-type connector. This lever fitting-type connector comprises a male connector
1
, a lever
2
pivotally mounted on the male connector
1
, and a female connector
3
into which the male connector
1
is fitted.
The male connector
1
has a plurality of terminal receiving chambers
4
for respectively receiving terminals therein, which terminal receiving chambers
4
extend through the male connector
1
in an upward-downward direction. Rattle prevention ribs
6
are respectively formed on and project laterally from opposite side surfaces
5
of the male connector
1
at one end thereof, and extend in a connector-fitting direction. Bosses
7
are also formed on and project from the opposite side surfaces
5
of the male connector
1
, respectively, and the lever is pivotally supported by these bosses
7
.
The lever
2
includes a pair of right and left side walls
8
, and an operating portion
9
interconnecting the right and left side walls
8
at their rear end portions. The right and left side walls
8
have holes, respectively, in which the bosses
7
are inserted so that the lever
2
can be pivotally moved about the bosses
7
.
Projected portions
10
are integrally formed respectively on front ends of the two side walls
8
remote from the operating portion
9
, and extend through the rattle prevention ribs
6
of the male connector
1
. An engagement projection
11
, serving as a supporting point at the time of pivotal movement of the lever, is formed on each side wall
8
, and is disposed between the projected portion
10
and the boss
7
.
The female connector
3
includes a hood portion
12
with an open top into which the male connector
1
is fitted. Elongate grooves
13
for respectively receiving the rattle prevention ribs
6
of the male connector
1
are formed in a front end portion of the hood portion
12
. Engagement holes
14
, in which the engagement projections
11
of the lever
2
are engaged, respectively, are formed through opposite side walls of the hood portion
12
, respectively.
In this lever fitting-type connector, the bosses
7
of the male connector
1
are inserted respectively into the holes formed respectively in the opposite side walls
8
of the lever
2
, and the projected portions
10
are passed respectively through the rattle prevention ribs
6
of the male connector
1
, thereby assembling a lever assemble
15
shown in FIG.
5
. Then, this lever assemble
15
is inserted into the hood portion
12
, and the engagement projections
11
of the lever
2
are engaged respectively in the engagement holes
14
in the hood portion
12
, and then the operating portion
9
is pressed to pivotally move the lever
2
in a counterclockwise direction (FIG.
5
). Because of the leverage due to this pivotal movement, the whole of the lever assemble
15
is fitted into the hood portion
12
, thus completing the assembling operation.
In the conventional lever fitting-type connector, however, the projected portions
10
, formed at the front end of the lever
2
, project respectively from the rattle prevention ribs
6
of the male connector
1
, and therefore the lever assemble
15
interferes with the hood portion
12
because of these projecting portions. As a result of this interference, the lever
2
is pivotally moved in the counterclockwise direction, and is brought into an inclined condition as shown in
FIG. 5
, so that the lever
2
can not be pivotally moved.
Therefore, there is required a returning operation in which the lever
2
is once pivotally moved in a clockwise direction to be returned to its initial position. Therefore, for assembling the conventional lever fitting-type connector, there are required the step of assembling the lever assemble
15
, the step of returning the lever
2
and the step of fitting the connector. Therefore, there are encountered problems that an increased number of assembling steps is needed, and that the assembling operation is cumbersome.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a lever fitting-type connector in which the need for the lever-returning operation is obviated, so that the number of assembling steps is reduced, and also the connector can be easily assembled.
The above object has been achieved by a lever fitting-type connector of the invention of claim
1
wherein a connector is fitted into a mating connector by pivotally moving a lever mounted on the connector; provided in that elastic provisionally-retaining arms are formed on the lever, and at an initial stage of insertion of the connector into the mating connector, the provisionally-retaining arms abut against the mating connector to pivotally move the lever into an initial connector-fitting position.
In this invention, at the initial stage of insertion of the connector into the mating connector, the provisionally-retaining arms, provided on the connector, abut against the mating connector, and as a result of this abutment, the lever is pivotally moved into the initial connector-fitting position, and therefore the lever is always brought into the initial position. Therefore, the operation for returning the lever to the initial position is not necessary, and the number of the assembling steps is reduced, and besides the assembling operation can be carried out easily.
In the invention of claim
2
according to claim
1
, abutment projections, against which the provisionally-retaining arms can abut, respectively, are formed on the mating connector, and each of the provisionally-retaining arms has such elasticity that it can be elastically deformed in a direction to slide along the associated abutment projection. In this construction, the provisionally-retaining arms abut respectively against the abutment projections of the mating connector, so that the lever is pivotally moved into the initial connector-fitting position. In this invention, each of the provisionally-retaining arms has such elasticity that it can be elastically deformed in the direction to slide along the associated abutment projection. The provisionally-retaining arms abut respectively against the abutment projections to pivotally move the lever into the initial fitting position, and then when the connector is further inserted, the provisionally-retaining arms are elastically deformed, and slide respectively over the abutment projections, so that the whole of the lever can be inserted into the mating connector. Therefore, the provisionally-retaining arms will not hinder the insertion of the connector into the mating connector, and the connector can be smoothly inserted into the mating connector.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3801757 (1974-04-01), Carissimi et al.
patent: 5151041 (1992-09-01), Kaiser et al.
patent: 5711682 (1998-01-01), Maejima
Okabe Toshiaki
Yamashita Tetsuya
Hammond Briggitte R.
Luebke Renee
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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