Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Metallic connector or contact secured to insulation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-17
2001-12-11
Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Metallic connector or contact secured to insulation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328613
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal double locking connector having a rear holder for locking a terminal, in which the rear holder reliably engages with a housing of the connector.
2. Prior Art
FIGS. 18 and 19
show a known terminal double locking connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H. 8-88042.
As illustrated in
FIG. 18
, a double locking connector
41
has a synthetic resin, male-type connector housing
42
, a rear holder
44
joined to the connector housing
42
via a pair of hinges
43
, and receptacle-type terminals
45
inserted into the connector housing
42
.
The rear holder
44
has terminal locking projections
46
in a fore end portion thereof for locking the terminals
45
. The rear holder
44
has a final locking projection
47
(
FIG. 19
) in a rear end thereof for the holder
44
to be locked in the connector housing
42
. The preliminary lock projection will not be further discussed herein. In
FIG. 19
, the connector housing
42
is upside-down as compared with that of FIG.
18
. As illustrated in
FIG. 19
, the connector housing
42
has an opening
48
faced perpendicular to the terminal insertion direction. In a rear end portion of the opening
48
, there is provided an engagement groove
49
mating with the final locking projection
47
.
In a lock released state of the rear holder
44
shown in
FIG. 18
, the terminal
45
is forwardly inserted into the connector housing
42
. The terminal
45
is preliminarily locked by a resilient lock lance
50
(
FIG. 19
) of the connector housing
42
. Next, inserting the rear holder
44
diagonally forward into the connector housing
42
causes the terminal locking projection
46
to further lock the terminal
45
as illustrated in FIG.
19
. On releasing of the terminal
45
for maintenance, the rear holder
44
is forcedly unlocked by using a bar tool (not shown) or the like so that the final locking projection
47
disengages from the groove
49
to release the rear holder
44
.
In
FIG. 19
, denoted
51
is a female-type connector housing,
52
an opposing pin terminal,
54
a lock arm,
55
a lock projection of the lock arm
54
, and
56
an engagement portion associated with the lock projection
55
. The rear holder
44
is positioned as opposed to the lock arm
54
.
However, the known double locking connector has the disadvantage that a repetition of engagement and disengagement of the rear holder
44
causes a wear or a permanent deformation (sagging) of the final locking projection
47
, resulted in a reduced engagement force to bring about an unintentional release of the rear holder
44
. In addition, a larger clearance between the rear holder
44
and the connector housing
42
tends to disengage the final locking projection
47
from the engagement groove
49
, causing disadvantageously an unintentional release of the rear holder
44
. Particularly, a larger drawing-out force exerted on an electric cable
53
tends to cause a lock release of the rear holder
44
, which reduces the locking force of the terminal
45
, resulting in an undesirable disengagement of the terminal
45
from the connector housing
42
.
Meanwhile,
FIGS. 20 and 21
show a known double locking connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H. 8-298152.
As illustrated in
FIG. 20
, the double locking connector
100
consists of a male-type connector housing
103
formed with two-layered upper and lower terminal accommodating chambers
101
,
102
, a pair of rear holders (retainers)
107
,
108
each inserted diagonally forward into one of upper and lower openings
104
,
105
formed in a rear part of the connector housing
103
, and receptacle-type terminals (not shown) received in the terminal accommodating chambers
101
,
102
. The pair of rear holders
107
,
108
each have a shape different from each other.
The connector housing
103
has an upper wall formed with a resilient lock arm
109
for locking an opposing male-type connector (not shown). The lock arm
109
has a lock projection
110
in the middle thereof and has a push projection
111
at a rear end side thereof. The lock projection
110
engages with, for example, an opening formed in a hood wall of an opposing male-type connector housing (not shown). The upper rear holder
107
is inserted into the connector housing
103
with the holder crossing over the lock arm
109
, and a narrow middle portion
112
of the rear holder
107
is positioned between the lock projection
110
and the push projection
111
.
The upper opening
104
communicates with the terminal accommodating chambers
101
by way of entrance holes
113
. In a rear end side of the opening
104
, there is provided a guide inclined surface
114
for the rear holder
107
. In each side portion of the opening
104
of the connector housing
103
, there are provided a preliminary lock projection
115
, a guide projection
116
, and a final locking projection
117
, which are associated with one of the rear holders
107
,
108
.
Each rear holder
107
or
108
has a base plate
118
or
119
and terminal locking projections
120
or
121
. Each rear holder
107
or
108
has side walls
122
,
123
, and each side wall
122
or
123
has an engagement recess
124
receiving one of the projections
115
to
117
formed on the side portions of the connector housing
103
. The upper rear holder
107
has a raised middle portion which is reduced in width. Meanwhile, the lower rear holder
108
transversely extends straight with a uniform width.
Inserting diagonally forward each rear holder
107
or
108
into the opening
104
or
105
of the connector housing
103
allows a preliminary lock of the rear holders
107
,
108
, as illustrated in FIG.
21
. In this preliminary lock state, for example, there may be a clearance L
2
between the side wall
122
of the rear holder
107
and a fore end of the opening
104
of the connector housing
103
, and there may be also another clearance L
3
between the middle portion
112
of the rear holder
107
and the lock projection
110
. In the preliminary lock state, the connector housing
103
of the rear holder
107
receives the terminals (not shown) inserted therein.
A further advancement of the rear holder
107
abuts a fore end of the rear holder
107
against a fore edge of the opening
104
, and the side final locking projections
117
finally lock the rear holder
107
. Between the lock projection
110
and the middle portion
112
of the rear holder
107
, there is a small clearance of L
3
−L
2
.
However, the known double locking connector
100
has the disadvantage that the rear holder
107
tends to be unintentionally drawn out diagonally upward along an inclined surface
114
(
FIG. 20
) of the connector housing
103
. This unintentional drawn-out of the finally locked rear holder
107
occurs when an electric cable (not shown) connected to a terminal is forcibly pulled or when a terminal is forcibly pushed rearward on mating with an opposing connector. Particularly, since the connector housing
103
has the final locking projection
117
provided in each side thereof for engaging with the engagement portion
124
of the rear holder
107
, the rear holder
107
tends to deflect at its middle part
112
by a forcible pulling force exerted on the electric cable with the terminal. This may cause a disengagement of the rear holder
107
against the lock force of the final locking projections
117
. Furthermore, between the lock projection
110
and the middle part
112
of the rear holder
107
, there is a small clearance of L
3
−L
2
on a finally locked state of the rear holder
107
. Thus, as illustrated in
FIG. 22
, the width L
5
of an engagement portion
126
of an opposing male-type connector housing
125
must be smaller so as to be received within the distance L
4
between the lock projection
110
and the push projection
111
of the lock arm
109
. This causes a reduced rigidity of the engagement portion
126
, resulted in an undesir
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Paumen Gary F.
Yazaki -Corporation
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