Terminal extracting tool

Details Terminal extracting tool Terminal extracting tool

2001-10-05

2003-04-29

Arbes, Carl J. (Department: 3729)

Metal working

Means to assemble or disassemble

Means to disassemble electrical device

C029S762000, C029S764000, C029S758000, C029S750000, C029S876000, C029S881000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06553655

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a terminal extracting to relieve locked terminal by bending a flexible locking piece in a connector housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 13 and 14
show terminal extracting tools by prior art.
FIG. 13
shows a terminal extracting tool
60
for a male type terminal
63
which is received in a female type connector housing
68
and locked by a flexible locking piece
67
with fixed one-end. The male type terminal
63
is provided at one end thereof with a tab-shape electrical contact portion
64
and at the other end thereof with an electric wire joint portion
65
and between the electrical contact portion
64
and the electric wire joint portion
65
with a locking portion
66
. The flexible locking piece
67
is extended forwardly to project cantilever-likely into an inner wall of a terminal receiving section
69
of the connector housing
68
. The flexible locking piece
67
is locking the terminal by contacting with the locking portion
66
. The terminal extracting tool
60
is provided at the end thereof with an upper slant sharp edge portion
61
to release locking by the flexible locking piece
67
.
Extracting the male type terminal
63
with such an extracting tool is done by holding the connector housing
68
by one hand, holding a grip portion
62
of the extracting tool
60
by the other hand, inserting the end of the extracting tool
60
from the front of the connector housing
68
into the terminal receiving section
69
, pushing the sharp edge portion
61
into a gap between the flexible locking piece
67
and the locking portion
66
and bending the flexible locking piece
67
upwardly to release locking. And then, the male type terminal
63
is extracted from the terminal receiving section
69
by pulling an electric wire
50
.
FIG. 14
shows a terminal extracting tool
70
for a female type terminal
76
which is received in a male type connector housing
80
and locked by a flexible locking piece
81
. Detailed description overlapped above will be omitted here. The female type terminal
76
is provided at one end thereof with an electric wire joint portion
77
and at the other end thereof with a female type electrical contact portion
78
and on a outer surface of the electrical contact portion
78
with a concave portion to contact with a flexible locking piece
81
. The female type electrical contact portion
78
is formed into a hollow structure and provided inside with an elastic contact piece
79
to increase contact surface pressure with a mating male type electrical contact portion. The extracting tool
70
is comprised of an outer case
73
having a guide groove, a positioning member
74
engaging with the guide groove and having a convex portion
75
which engages a terminal insertion opening
82
at a front end of the connector housing
80
and a release plate
71
fixed on the outer case
73
and provided with an elastic member for energizing the positioning member
74
and with a lock release pin
72
for the flexible locking piece
81
in the connector housing
80
. The lock release pin
72
is placed behind the convex portion
75
. When engaging the convex portion
75
with the terminal insertion opening
82
and pushing it forwardly, the convex portion
75
moves back and the lock release pin
72
comes out forwardly. The lock release pin
72
is provided on the front end with a slant surface which has the same angle and direction as those of a slant surface on the front end of the flexible locking piece
81
. Pushing the terminal extracting tool
70
forwardly, the slant surface on the front end of the lock release pin
72
contacts the slant surface of the flexible locking piece
81
and bends the flexible locking piece
81
upwardly. Thus, locking by the flexible locking piece
81
is released and the female type terminal
76
can be extracted easily by pulling the electric wire
50
rearwardly.
Objects to be Solved
Regarding the first prior art as mentioned above, it is hard to position a lock release pin smoothly to a flexible locking piece for locking a terminal and then operation of releasing terminal lock is skilled job. Extracting action is required to concentrate a very small gap between a flexible locking piece and a locking portion with holding a connector housing. Further, inexperienced handling of terminal extracting tool may cause damaging a connector housing by inserting a lock release pin into wrong portion in a connector housing or deforming a terminal by pushing the terminal because of an obstacle by a tab-shape electrical contact portion. Furthermore, an operator may be hurt by a front end of the lock release pin that is thin and has a relative sharp top edge.
Regarding the second prior art as mentioned above, positioning a lock release pin can be controlled preciously and releasing terminal lock can be done securely without much experience. However, the extracting tool is only for a male type connector receiving a female type terminal therein and can not be applied to a female type connector because of the extracting tool structure. Therefore, a terminal extracting tool, which can be applied to a female type connector and can release lock of a male type terminal easily, is desired.
This invention has been accomplished to overcome the above drawbacks and an object of this invention is to provide a terminal extracting tool which can be applied to a female type connector and be operated easily without fail to release a male type terminal.
How to Attain the Object
In order to attain the objects, there is provided a terminal extracting tool, for extracting a terminal locked by a flexible locking piece in a terminal receiving section of a connector housing, comprising a beam member including a lock release pin at front end thereof to be contacted with the flexible locking piece, a beam member guide hole for receiving the beam member slidably and freely therein, a pin guide hole communicating with the beam member guide hole, a holder provided with an escape for an electrical contact portion of the terminal and an elastic member mounted in said beam member guide hole for energizing the beam member rearwardly (claim
1
).
Preferably, placing a front end of the lock release pin in said beam member energized by the elastic member behind a front end surface of said holder is effective (claim
2
).
Preferably, comprising said beam member juxtapositionaly at least two members that can slide in an axial direction independently of each other is effective (claim
3
).
Preferably, energizing each of said members rearwardly by respective elastic member is effective (claim
4
).
Preferably, providing the beam member at a rear position thereof with a grip which is separated for each of said members is effective (claim
5
).
Preferably, providing the beam member on one side wall thereof with a positioning projection as a stopper and providing the holder on a side wall thereof with an oval opening to engage with the positioning projection to slide freely are effective (claim
6
).
Preferably, providing the holder with a stepped end surface for positioning itself to insert it into the connector is effective (claim
7
).
Preferably, providing the holder on a bottom surface thereof with a convex spline for engaging with a groove of a connector fitting section to slide freely is effective (claim
8
).
Acting and effects according to above structure will be described as following.
In case of claim
1
of this invention, when inserting a holder into a connector fitting section and pushing it inwardly, the front end surface of the holder abuts on a rear wall of the connector fitting section and then moving the holder forwardly is limited. At that time, the electrical contact portion, projecting like a cantilever, of the male type terminal is received in an escape of the holder. Furthermore, sliding the beam member forwardly, the front end of the lock release pin comes out from the front end surface of the holder and abuts to the front end portion of the flexible

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