Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-14
2001-05-22
Vu, Hien (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means
C439S352000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06234825
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector locking construction in which a slide member, having elastic retaining projections, is mounted on a female connector housing, and by operating or moving the slide member, the locking of-a mutually-fitted condition of the two (female and male) connector housings, as well as the cancellation of the locking, can be effected.
2. Related Art
In a conventional construction for connecting a male connector
1
, connected to a wire harness, to a female connector
5
connected to an equipment, a lock arm
3
is formed integrally on a male connector housing
2
made of a synthetic resin, and an engagement projection
7
for the lock arm
3
is formed integrally on a female connector housing
6
, and the fitting connection between the two connectors
1
and
5
is locked by the lock arm
3
and the engagement projection
7
.
Particularly, the equipment-side female connector housing
6
need to have thermal resistance, and therefore when a heat-resistant resin is used, the lock arm
3
of high elasticity, in many cases, can not be formed integrally on the female connector housing. Another problem, encountered when the lock arm
3
is formed on the equipment-side female connector housing
6
, is that its operability, obtained when canceling the locked condition, is poor.
For these reasons, the lock arm
3
, including a cancellation operation portion
4
, has been formed on the wire harness-side male connector
1
.
In the above conventional construction, however, the lock arm
3
projects from the male connector housing
2
, and therefore the male connector
1
has an increased size, so that the whole of the connector is increased in size, and besides since the lock arm
3
is liable to interfere with other member, there is a possibility that the locked condition is accidentally canceled.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the above problems in view, it is an object of this invention to provide a connector locking construction of a compact size in which an operating portion of a slide member, mounted on a female connector housing, can be smoothly operated, and the locking of a mutually-fitted condition of the two connector housings, as well as the cancellation of the locking, can be effected easily and positively.
According to the present invention, there is provided a connector locking construction wherein an engagement projection is formed on a male connector housing, and a passage groove for passing the engagement projection therethrough is formed in a hood portion of a female connector housing, and the male connector housing is fitted into and removed from the hood portion, and a slide member, having an elastic retaining projection for engagement with the engagement projection, is movably mounted on the hood portion so that the slide member can be moved by pushing an operating portion of the slide member, and a mutually-fitted condition of the two connector housings is locked by the engagement of the elastic retaining projection of the slide member with the engagement projection of the male connector housing; CHARACTERIZED in that a guide groove is formed in the operating portion of the slide member, and an operating pushing force, applied to the operating portion, is supported at least by one surface of the female connector housing through the guide groove.
In this connector locking construction, the slide member is smoothly moved without receiving a force tending to rotate the slide member, and the operability of the slide member is enhanced.
In the connector locking construction of the present invention, the guide groove has a channel-shape, and the channel-shaped guide groove is slid at least along an upper end surface of the female connector housing.
In this connector locking construction, the slide member is smoothly moved along the upper end surface of the female connector housing without rattling, and the operability of the slide member is enhanced.
In the connector locking construction of the present invention, a withdrawal-prevention retaining projection is provided at the guide groove in the operating portion.
In this connector locking construction, thanks to the provision of the withdrawal-prevention retaining projection, the slide member will not be disengaged from the upper end surface of the female connector housing.
In the connector locking construction of the present invention, the withdrawal-prevention retaining projection is inserted in a guide groove formed in the female connector housing in adjacent relation to the upper end surface of the female connector housing.
In this connector locking construction, the shaking of the slide member in rotational and other directions is positively prevented, and the slide member can be operated smoothly.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4634204 (1987-01-01), Detter et al.
patent: 5605471 (1997-02-01), Plyler
patent: 5628648 (1997-05-01), Higgins et al.
patent: 5720623 (1998-02-01), Polenick et al.
patent: 5820398 (1998-10-01), Stabroth et al.
patent: 62-176987 (1987-11-01), None
patent: 63-20378 (1988-02-01), None
patent: 5-1178 (1993-01-01), None
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Vu Hien
Yazaki -Corporation
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