Electrical connectors – Contact comprising cutter – Insulation cutter
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-17
2001-10-09
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Contact comprising cutter
Insulation cutter
C439S701000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299471
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a press-connecting connector, and more particularly to a press-connecting connector with joint terminals, such as a connector for use with a wire harness and a connector used for connecting various electronic equipments.
2. Related art
One conventional press-connecting connector includes a housing as shown in FIG.
6
. The housing
1
of this press-connecting connector includes a base plate
2
, and a plurality of partition walls
3
are integrally formed perpendicularly on each of upper and lower surfaces of the base plate
2
, and are spaced a predetermined distance from one another. A press-connecting terminal
4
is provided between any two adjacent partition walls
3
. The press-connecting terminal
4
has a generally U-shaped cross-section, and includes pairs of opposed press-connecting blades
4
A, each pair of blades
4
A and
4
A extending inwardly from opposed inner surfaces of the terminal
4
, respectively. For connecting a wire harness W to the press-connecting terminals
4
, each wire of the wire harness W is pressed against the associated press-connecting terminal
4
by a press-connecting punch
5
as shown in FIG.
7
. When the wire of the wire harness W is thus pressed against the press-connecting terminal
4
, each pair of press-connecting blades
4
A and
4
A cut a sheath of the wire of the wire harness W, and are brought into contact with a conductor of the wire. A cover (not shown) is attached to the housing
1
(to which the wire harness W is connected) to form the connector.
In the above conventional press-connecting connector, however, when connecting the wire harness W to the housing by the use of the press-connecting punch
5
, the base plate
2
is flexed by a load, applied from the press-connecting punch
5
, since this base plate
2
is thin as shown in
FIG. 7
, and this results in a problem that the press-connecting operation is unstable. If the thickness of the base plate
2
is increased as shown in
FIG. 8
in order to overcome this problem, the amount of a synthetic resin, forming the housing
1
, increases, and the degree of shrinkage after the molding is large. As a result, there are encountered problems that there occurs an error in the pitch of the arranged wires and that a sinkmark (recess)
6
is formed in the surface of the molded product.
If such a sink mark
6
develops, the wire press-connecting position varies in an upward-downward direction (indicated by arrow h in FIG.
9
), thus inviting a problem that the connection reliability is lowered.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a press-connecting connector in which any shrinkage and sink mark will not develop in a molded housing, and besides the wire press-connecting position is stable, thus achieving a high connection reliability.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a press-connecting connector wherein press-connecting metal terminals, to which a plurality of wires are press-connected, respectively, are provided on each of opposite sides of an insulating base plate; provided in that the insulating base plate includes two base plate portions which are spaced a predetermined distance from each other, and define the opposite sides of the insulating base plate, respectively; and reinforcing plate portions are formed on and extend between the two base plate portions, and are disposed respectively at those portions of the two base plate portions corresponding respectively to positions where the wires are press-connected to the respective terminals.
In this invention, the reinforcing plate portions are formed at those portions of the insulating base plate at which the wires are press-connected to the respective terminals, and therefore in the wire press-connecting operation, the flexing of the insulating base plate is suppressed, and each wire is prevented from being disposed out of alignment with the associated press-connecting metal terminal.
In the press-connecting connector of a second aspect of the present invention according to the first aspect of present invention, the reinforcing portions are defined respectively by thickened portions of the insulating base plate in which a constituent material is densely present, the thickened portions extending over an entire width of the insulating base plate.
In this invention, the reinforcing portions are defined respectively by the thickened portions of the insulating base plate in which the constituent material is densely present, the thickened portions extending over the entire width of the insulating base plate, and therefore in addition to the effect of the invention of claim
1
, the reinforcing plate portions reinforce the two base plate portions when the base plate portion is pressed, for example, by a press-connecting jig (press-connecting punch), thereby enabling the stable press-connecting operation.
In the press-connecting connector of a third aspect of present invention according to the first or second aspect, a hollow portion is formed between any two adjacent reinforcing plate portions.
In this invention, since the hollow portion is provided formed between any two adjacent reinforcing plate portions, the overall weight of the insulating base plate can be reduced.
In the press-connecting connector of the fourth aspect of the present invention according to the third aspect, the reinforcing plate portions, as well as the hollow portions, are formed continuously relative to the insulating base plate in a direction of extending of the wires.
In this invention, the reinforcing plate portions extend parallel to the hollow portions, and therefore the insulating base plate, when molded of a resin, can be easily removed from a mold.
In the press-connecting connector of the fifth aspect of the present invention according to the third or fourth aspect of the present invention, the cross-section of each hollow portion, disposed substantially perpendicular to the direction of extending of the wires, has one of a circular shape, an oval shape, a rectangular shape and a triangular shape.
In this invention, where the hollow portions have a circular cross-section or an oval cross-section, the insulating base plate has an increased strength in the direction of the thickness thereof. Where the hollow portions have a rectangular shape or a triangular shape, the overall rigidity of the insulating base plate is increased.
In the press-connecting connector of the sixth aspect of the present invention according to the first to fifth aspec to fht present invention, partition walls are formed perpendicularly on each of the opposite sides of the insulating base plate, and separate the press-connecting terminals from one another.
In this invention, the partition walls are provided, and therefore the wires can be arranged on the insulating base plate in insulating relation to one another.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5683272 (1997-11-01), Abe
patent: 6027374 (2000-02-01), Nagai et al.
patent: 6083056 (2000-07-01), Okabe et al.
Hatagishi Yuji
Nagai Kentaro
Nguyen Son V.
Sircus Brian
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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