Electricity: conductors and insulators – Insulators – Special application
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-22
2001-08-28
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Insulators
Special application
C439S350000, C439S552000, CD13S147000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06281444
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protective cover for a connector, and more particularly to a protective cover for a connector for protecting a terminal engaging portion of a connector in which a lock arm for retaining a connector engaging portion on a mating side is provided projectingly on an outer peripheral wall of a housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in a connector used in a wire harness or the like for a vehicle, there is a possibility of dust entering through an opening of a terminal engaging portion formed at a front end of a terminal accommodating chamber during such as storage or transport prior to being engaged with a connector engaging portion on a mating side, possibly resulting in faulty contact. In addition, in the case of a connector in which a lock arm for retaining the connector engaging portion on the mating side is provided projectingly on an outer peripheral wall of a housing, since the lock arm is exposed to the outside, there is a possibility that the lock arm undergoes plastic deformation or a lock projection becomes damaged due to an external force or contact with other equipment.
Accordingly, as shown in
FIG. 5
, a protective cover
1
for a connector is fitted over a terminal engaging portion
2
a
of a connector
2
so as to prevent dust and protect a lock arm
7
.
The connector
2
has a structure in which the lock arm
7
, which is formed in such a manner as to project from an outer peripheral wall of a housing
5
for accommodating a plurality of wire-attached terminals
4
in an arranged form, has the following: a flexible arm
7
a
extending rearwardly from a terminal-engaging-portion front end side of the outer peripheral wall via a front upright proximal portion; an engaging projection
7
b
formed on the flexible arm
7
a
and serving as an engaging portion; and a tab portion
7
c
formed on a free end side of the flexible arm
7
a
. The engaging projection
7
b
can be engaged with or disengaged from a retaining means provided in a connector engaging portion or the like on the mating side, through a tilting operation in which the tab portion
7
c
is depressed toward the outer peripheral wall of the housing as indicated by arrow (C) in FIG.
5
. Incidentally, in this case, the retaining means provided on the mating connector or the connector engaging portion of an electric or electronic equipment or the like is a recessed portion or a stepped portion capable of retaining the engaging projection
7
b.
The protective cover
1
is comprised of a substantially box-shaped cover body
8
which is fitted over the front end side of the housing
5
and covers a tip opening of the terminal engaging portion
2
a
of the connector
2
, as well as a coupling retaining means
9
which is provided on the cover body
8
in such a manner as to be capable of engaging the engaging projection
7
b
when the cover body
8
is fitted over the housing
5
, and of being disengaged from the engaging projection
7
b
by the tilting operation of the flexible arm
7
a
. The coupling retaining means
9
has the same structure as the retaining means provided on the mating connector or the connector engaging portion of an electric or electronic equipment or the like, i.e., a connecting counterpart of the connector
2
, and is formed as an engaging groove into which the engaging projection
7
b
plunges when the amount of the housing
5
fitted into the cover body
8
reaches a predetermined amount.
Then, when the protective cover
1
is properly fitted over the front end side of the housing
5
, the engaging projection
7
b
on the lock arm
7
of the connector
2
is engaged with the coupling retaining means
9
of the protective cover
1
. As a result, the protective cover
1
is set in a state of being held and fixed by the connector
2
, and the tip opening of the terminal engaging portion
2
a
of the connector
2
is set in a state of being covered with the protective cover
1
.
However, in the above-described protective cover
1
, the tab portion
7
c
of the lock arm
7
projects outwardly of the protective cover
1
, so that there has been a possibility that if another member or the like strikes against the tab portion
7
c
during storage or the like, the lock arm
7
becomes depressed, which cancels the engagement between the engaging projection
7
b
and the coupling retaining means
9
, causing the protective cover
1
to slip off.
In particular, in a case where the connector
2
is a connector for a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) where spring portions of wire-attached terminal are exposed at its terminal engaging portion, such as a connector for a meter of a vehicle, to prevent the deformation of the spring portions the laying operation of the wire harness must be effected with the protective cover
1
fitted thereto until immediately before the engagement with the mating connector engaging portion.
Accordingly, as shown in
FIG. 6
, in a case where the connector
2
is inserted in a connector insertion hole
11
a
formed in an instrument panel
11
, the connector
2
is inserted with the protective cover
1
fitted thereon. However, there is a problem in that, at that juncture, unless the size of the opening of the connector insertion hole
11
a
is sufficiently large, an edge of the connector insertion hole
11
a
can strike on the tab portion
7
c
during the inserting operating, which depresses the lock arm
7
, thereby causing the protective cover
1
to fall inside the instrument panel
11
.
Accordingly, to prevent the occurrence of such a problem, a protective cover
12
for a connector such as the one shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
has been proposed.
The protective cover
12
is disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 8-273745, and a pair of flexible lock walls
14
for the lock arm
7
are provided projectingly on an inner surface of substantially box-shaped cover body
13
which is fitted over the terminal engaging portion
2
a
of the connector
2
. Retaining projections
14
a
which engage a front upright proximal portion of the lock arm
7
rising from the housing
5
are respectively provided on the pair of flexible lock walls
14
.
Namely, when the terminal engaging portion
2
a
of the connector
2
is inserted into the protective cover
12
, the retaining projections
14
a
on the pair of flexible lock walls
14
engage the back of the front upright proximal portion, and are locked with respect to the connector
2
, as shown in FIG.
8
. Accordingly, even if the tab portion
7
c
is depressed, the engagement between the engaging projection
14
a
and the lock arm
7
is prevented from becoming canceled and the protective cover
12
is prevented from coming off the connector
2
, thereby preventing unintentional coming off of the protective cover
12
.
However, with the protective cover
12
shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
, the state of engagement between the lock arm
7
and the pair of retaining projections
14
a
cannot be canceled by the tilting operation in which the tab portion
7
c
of the lock arm
7
is depressed. To remove the protective cover
12
from the connector
2
, the cover body
13
must be forcibly pulled to thereby resiliently deform the pair of flexible lock walls
14
on the inner sides of the cover body
13
.
Accordingly, if the engaging strength of the retaining projections
14
a
is set high so as to prevent the cover body
13
from coming off the connector
2
unintentionally, a force is required for removing the cover body
13
, and removal becomes difficult. Hence, there arises the problem that the operating efficiency in the attachment of the protective cover
12
to the connector and the removal thereof from the connector declines as compared with the protective cover
1
shown in FIG.
6
. In addition, in the protective cover
12
, since the tab portion
7
c
of the lock arm
7
is not protected, the tab portion
7
c
is liable to be caught at the opening edge of the connector insertion hole
11
a
when the connect
Nino Adolfo
Reichard Dean A.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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