Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Plural-contact coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-29
2003-02-11
Nguyen, Khiem (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Plural-contact coupling part
C439S717000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06517389
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal cover to be mounted on an insulator so as to protect terminals held by the insulator, wherein the insulators are laminated with each other to constitute a joint connector.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In a motor vehicle as a mobile unit, a wiring harness is arranged to supply electric power from a power source such as a battery and the like to electronic equipment such as various lamps and motors to be mounted. The wiring harness has a plurality of electric wires, a plurality of terminals attached to ends of the electric wires, and connector housings for receiving the terminals therein. The connector housing and a plurality of terminals constitute a connector. In general the wiring harness has a plurality of connectors.
Recently, in response to the increase of the electronic equipments mounted on the motor vehicle, the wiring harness has been once constituted as a plurality of subhamesses, each of which is for a corresponding function of the electronic equipment, then obtained by assembling these subharnesses. Therefore, the connection of each electric wire among subharnesses becomes complicated, causing a deterioration in the workability during the assembly of the wiring harness and an insecure quality thereof when things come to the worst.
A joint connector
5
as shown in
FIG. 22
, by which the connection among electric wires can be easily carried out, has been proposed. A plurality of housings
40
as insulators shown in
FIG. 17
, on each of which pressure-welded terminals
30
shown in
FIG. 14
for use in a joint connector
5
are mounted, are laminated with each other so as to obtain the joint connector
5
shown in FIG.
22
.
The joint connector is defined as a connector, in which a plurality of terminals received in respective connector housings are electrically connected with each other in accordance with a predetermined pattern. In this case, the housings
40
to be laminated with each other corresponds to an aforementioned connector housing.
The pressure-welded terminal
30
is prepared, for example, by bending an electrically conductive sheet metal. As shown in
FIGS. 14 and 15
, the pressure-welded terminal
30
has a flat base
35
a
on which an electric wire
4
shown in figures such as
FIG. 20
are placed, a pair of sidewalls
35
b,
a wire-connecting part
31
, and an electric contacting part
32
.
The base
35
a
is formed in a band plate-shape. Each of a pair of the sidewalls
35
b
is also formed in a band plate-shape. Each of a pair of the sidewalls
35
b
continues to a corresponding periphery of the base
35
a.
Each of a pair of the sidewalls
35
b
perpendicularly rise from the corresponding periphery of the base
35
a.
The wire-connecting part
31
has a pair of bent pieces
33
facing each other and a pressure-welding part
31
a.
Each bent piece
33
arises perpendicularly with relation to the base
35
a.
A pair of the bent pieces
33
is bent toward the base
35
a
so as to hold the wire
4
placed on the base
35
a.
The pressure-welding part
31
a
has three pairs of press-in blades
34
a,
34
b
and
34
c
facing each other. The three pairs of press-in blades
34
a,
34
b
and
34
c
arise perpendicularly with relation to the base
35
a
and protrude in the direction for accessing to each other from the inner face of the corresponding sidewall
35
b.
The wire
4
is press-fit among the three pairs of press-in blades
34
a,
34
b
and
34
c
so that the blades cut deep into a coating of the wire
4
to come into contact with the core of the wire
4
, thereby the electric connection between the blades and the wire
4
is ensured, that is, the blades
34
a,
34
b
and
34
c
are pressure-welded to the wire
4
.
The electric contacting part
32
has an open hole
36
(as shown in
FIG. 15
) opened in the base
35
a
and a tab
37
as a connecting piece, which can rise from the base
35
a.
The tab
37
is formed in a band-shape. The tab
37
is formed integrally with the base
35
a
at an end of the tab
37
and continues to the wire-connecting part
31
.
By being bent, the tab
37
can be set in either a state in which the tab
37
rises perpendicularly to the base
35
a
or a state in which the tab
37
is set parallel with the base
35
a
as shown in
FIG. 14
by an alternate long and two short dashes line. Once the tab
37
is bent so as to rise perpendicularly to the base
35
a,
the tab
37
keeps this position, while when the tab
37
is set parallel with the base
35
a,
then the tab
37
keeps such a position.
The state in which the tab
37
rises perpendicularly to the base
35
a
corresponds to a state of electric connection, while the state in which the tab
37
is set parallel to the base
35
a
corresponds to a state of electric insulation. When one housing
40
in which the pressure-welded terminals
30
(for use in the joint connector
5
) are held is laminated to another housing, the tab
37
in the electric connection state extends toward a pressure-welded terminal
30
held in the other housing. Moreover, the tab
37
in the electric connection state can be electrically connected to a pressure-welded terminal
30
held in the other housing. As shown in
FIG. 15
, the open hole
36
is provided with a contacting spring piece
36
a
to pressure-weld an end of the base
35
a
to the tab
37
of the other pressure-welded terminal.
The pressure-welded terminals
30
described above are laminated such that the bases
35
a
are set parallel with each other having a space therebetween. The tab
37
of one pressure-welded terminal situated below in
FIG. 15
is inserted into the open hole
36
of the other pressure-welded terminal situated above in
FIG. 15
, thereby the electric contacting part
32
electrically connects the pressure-welded terminals, laminated with each other, to each other.
At this time, the tab
37
of the one pressure-welded terminal
30
situated below is nipped by the end of the base
35
a
and the contacting spring piece
36
a
of the other pressure-welded terminal
30
situated above.
Each pressure-welded terminal
30
is press-fit in a corresponding groove
41
for receiving a terminal in the housing
40
, thereby each pressure-welded terminal
30
is received in and held by the housing
40
.
Upon the press-fitting of the pressure-welded terminal
30
into the groove
41
, when the pressure-welded terminals
30
adjacent to each other are to be electrically connected, a connecting member
39
that connects ends of the base
35
a
near to the wire-connecting part
31
to each other is left without being removed from the base
35
a
as shown in FIG.
16
. When the pressure-welded terminals
30
adjacent to each other are kept being electrically insulated, the connecting member
39
is removed from the base
35
a.
The housing
40
is made of electrically insulating synthetic resin and has a rectangular plate body
42
and a plurality of grooves
41
for receiving a terminal as shown in
FIGS. 17-22
. The plate body
42
has a bottom wall
42
a,
a pair of sidewalls
42
b,
and a plurality of partition walls
43
, each of which rises perpendicularly from the bottom wall
42
a.
The bottom wall
42
a
is formed flat and rectangular in its plane shape. The sidewalls
42
b
are arranged in parallel facing each other. Each sidewall
42
b
is formed continuously from the corresponding periphery of the bottom wall
42
a.
Each sidewall
42
b
rises perpendicularly to the bottom wall
42
a,
that is, each sidewall
42
b
arises perpendicularly from the corresponding periphery of the bottom wall
42
a.
Each sidewall
42
b
is provided with a guide projection
42
c.
The guide projection
42
c
protrudes in the direction for leaving from the bottom wall
42
a
from an end of the sidewall
42
b,
which is distant from the bottom wall
42
a.
That is, the guide projection
42
c
rises perpendicularly from the corresponding periphery of the bottom wall
42
a.
Each guide projection
42
c
is formed in a blade-shape
Nguyen Khiem
Yazaki -Corporation
LandOfFree
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