Electrical connectors – Contact comprising cutter – Insulation cutter
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-01
2003-04-01
Vu, Hien (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Contact comprising cutter
Insulation cutter
C439S404000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06540544
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a press-connecting connector in which an electric wire of the wiring, installed in a vehicle, can be properly press-fitted into a press-connecting terminal without cutting a conductor thereof. Further, the present invention relates to a wire press-fitting apparatus for press-fitting an electric wire into a press-connecting terminal.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 11-315393, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
In vehicles having various electronic equipments mounted thereon, press-connecting connectors have been extensively used for connecting the electronic equipments together and for connecting wire harnesses together. As shown in
FIG. 6
, a conventional press-connecting connector
10
comprises a connector housing
11
, having an insertion opening formed in its front side for receiving a mating connector, and press-connecting terminals
1
. The press-connecting terminal
1
is formed by cutting and bending an electrically-conductive metal sheet.
The press-connecting terminal
1
includes a connection portion for being resiliently electrically connected to a connection terminal (not shown) in the mating connector inserted in a direction of arrow A, a press-connecting portion
4
for press-fitting an electric wire
7
thereinto in a direction of arrow B, and a clamping portion
4
having a pair of retaining piece portions
8
a
and
8
b
for press-holding the electric wire
7
through a sheath
7
a
of this wire. The press-connecting portion
4
includes three pairs of press-connecting blades
9
each pair of which cut the sheath
7
a
to press-contact and hold a conductor
7
b
of the electric wire in electrically-connected relation thereto.
As shown in
FIG. 7
, each pair of press-connecting blades
9
are formed respectively by cutting opposed side plates
2
a
respectively at regions
2
b
adjacent to a bottom wall
2
c
and then by bending these portions inwardly. The pair of press-connecting blades
9
have respective bladed, tapering guide surfaces
9
a
each slanting inwardly downwardly from an upper end surface
9
d
, and each bladed, tapering guide surface
9
a
has an edge
9
b
formed along its slanting surface by cutting.
The pair of press-connecting blades
9
have a pair of opposed inner surfaces
9
c
and
9
c
which extend downwardly from their respective bladed, tapering guide surfaces
9
a
, with a gap G formed therebetween, the gap G being smaller than the diameter d of the conductor
7
b
(see FIG.
6
).
When the electric wire is press-fitted between the pair of press-connecting blades
9
, their edges
9
b
cut the sheath
7
a
of the electric wire, while gradually compressing and deforming the outer diameter of the electric wire by their bladed, tapering guide surfaces
9
a
. When the electric wire
7
is further press-fitted, the edges
9
b
cut the sheath
7
a.
The gap G is thus smaller than the diameter d of the conductor
7
b
(G<d), and in this case, the conductor
7
b
, comprising a stranded wire comprised of thin wires twisted together, is deformed into a vertically-spread shape by the downwardly-extending inner surfaces
9
c
, and is exposed through cut portions of the sheath
7
a
, and therefore contacts the downwardly-extending inner surfaces
9
c.
As shown in
FIG. 8
, the electric wire
7
is press-fitted relative to the press-connecting blades
9
by the use of a wire press-fitting apparatus
20
, and this wire press-fitting apparatus
20
broadly has the following construction. Namely, the wire press-fitting apparatus
20
comprises a vertically-movable hollow body portion
21
, a press-fitting rod portion
22
which can project downwardly along an axis CL of the hollow body portion
21
, and a pair of press-connecting blade pressing portions
23
resiliently suspended in an internal space
21
a
of the hollow body portion
21
through spring members
24
. Each of the press-connecting blade pressing portions
23
has a stepped lower end surface
23
a
for fitting on step portions of the upper end surfaces
9
d
of the corresponding press-connecting blades
9
.
In the process of moving the hollow body portion
21
downward to a lower limit in the wire press-fitting apparatus
20
, first, the lower end surfaces
23
a
of the press-connecting blade pressing portions
23
are brought into contact with the upper end surfaces
9
d
, and resiliently presses these end surfaces
9
d
, thereby firmly positioning the press-connecting blades
9
. Then, a lower end
22
a
of the press-fitting rod
22
forces the electric wire
7
into the gap between each pair of the opposed, downwardly-extending inner surfaces
9
c
and
9
c
via the bladed, tapering guide surfaces
9
a.
When the electric wire
7
is gradually forced into the gap between each pair of downwardly-extending inner surfaces
9
c
and
9
c
via the bladed, tapering guide surfaces
9
a
, each pair of press-connecting blades
9
tend to be displaced away from each other respectively toward side walls
11
b
of the connector housing
11
. However, the lower end surfaces
23
a
of the press-connecting blade pressing portions
23
are engaged with the upper end surfaces
9
d
of the press-connecting blades
9
at their step portions, and therefore the press-connecting blades
9
are prevented from displacement, so that the gap G between each pair of press-connecting blades
9
is kept constant.
In the above conventional press-connecting connector
10
, however, there are occasions when variations in thickness of the sheath
7
a
and diameter d of the conductor
7
b
develop. In this case, when the electric wire
7
is forced into the gap G in the press-connecting terminal
1
, the conductor, having a diameter larger than the predetermined diameter d, is excessively cut by the edges
9
b
. As a result, the degree of press-contact of the conductor
7
b
with the opposed, downwardly-extending inner surfaces
9
c
decreases, and an electrical resistance at the area of contact between the conductor and each downwardly-extending inner surface
9
c
increases to generate heat, so that those members around the press-connecting portion
4
are subjected to deterioration, improper contact and so on, and this has invited a problem from the viewpoint of safety of the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems of the conventional construction, and more specifically to provide a press-connecting connector in which a conductor of an electric wire can be properly press-fitted into a press-connecting portion without being excessively cut, and also to provide a wire press-fitting apparatus for use with this press-connecting connector.
To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a press-connecting connector which includes:
a connector housing including a terminal receiving chamber; and
a press-connecting terminal insertable into the terminal receiving chamber, the press-connecting terminal including:
a base,
a connection portion, to which a terminal of a mating connector is electrically connectable, disposed on the base, and
a press-connecting portion, to which a conductor of an electric wire is electrically connectable, disposed on the base, the press-connecting portion including a pair of press-connecting blades which have:
a pair of bladed, tapering guide surfaces which slant inwardly downwardly, and
a pair of opposed inner surfaces, between which a gap smaller than a diameter of the conductor of the electric wire is formed, and which downwardly extend respectively from the pair of tapering guide surfaces;
wherein when the electric wire is press-fitted into the gap, the conductor of the electric wire is electrically connected to and held by the pair of press-connecting blades,
wherein a receiving width between opposed side walls of the terminal receiving chamber, receiving the press-connecting portion, is larger than a w
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
Vu Hien
Yazaki -Corporation
LandOfFree
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