Half-fitting prevention connector

Details Half-fitting prevention connector Half-fitting prevention connector

1999-10-21

2001-05-01

Vu, Hien (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...

Retaining means

Reexamination Certificate

active

06224414

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a half fitting-prevention connector in which a half-fitted condition is positively prevented by a resilient force of a spring member mounted in at least one of a pair of connectors to be fitted and connected together, and the connector, fitted on the mating connector, is positively locked.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 10-301269, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Usually, various electronic equipments are mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and therefore, naturally, various types of female and male connectors are provided at connection ends of various kinds of wires forming wire harnesses or the like.
Various half-fitting prevention connectors, in which a condition of fitting between female and male connectors, can be detected, have been used, and one such example is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei. 5-81967.
This half-fitting prevention connector comprises a pin-type connector, having a plurality of juxtaposed pin contacts mounted therein, and a socket-type connector having a plurality of juxtaposed socket contacts mounted therein. A movable cover is mounted on the outer periphery of the female connector for movement back and forth. Spring receiving portions are provided at opposite side portions of this movable cover, respectively, and spring member are received respectively in these spring receiving portions, and extend in a forward-rearward direction.
In this half-fitting prevention connector, however, although the half-fitted condition can be prevented by the resilient force of the compression springs, there is encountered a problem that when trying to fit the two connectors together while holding the opposite side surfaces of the movable cover with the hand, the movable cover can not be moved, and therefore the efficiency of the fitting operation is low.
A connector fitting construction for solving the above problem has been proposed by Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 10-50408 and so on.
A female connector
1
A (one of two connectors of the half-fitting prevention connector shown in FIG.
13
), comprises a housing
3
which includes a connector housing
3
a
, having a terminal receiving chamber, and an exclusive-use housing (slider housing)
3
b
formed above the connector housing
3
a
, the exclusive-use housing
3
b
forming a slider receiving portion
4
for slidably receiving a slider
10
A (described later). Guide grooves
5
for respectively guiding opposite side portions of a body of the slider
10
A are formed respectively in opposite side portions of the exclusive-use housing
3
b
, and a spring receiving portion
3
c
of a tubular shape is formed at a rear end of each of the guide grooves
5
.
A lock arm
6
is formed integrally with the exclusive-use housing
3
b
at a widthwise central portion thereof, and extends in a fitting direction, the lock arm
6
having an elastic, free end portion. The lock arm
6
has a lock beak
7
formed on an upper surface thereof, and the lock beak
7
has a slanting surface, and a housing lock
8
for retaining engagement with the mating connector is formed on a lower surface of the lock arm at a distal end thereof. Displacement prevention projections
8
a
for preventing the displacement of the lock arm
6
are formed on the upper surface of the lock arm
6
, and face away from the housing lock
8
. Side spaces
4
a
for receiving part of the slider
10
A are formed at opposite sides of the lock arm
6
, respectively.
The slider
10
A includes an elastic slider arm
12
provided at a generally central portion of the slider body
11
, and the slider arm
12
has a pair of abutment projections
14
formed respectively at opposite side portions of a lower surface thereof at a front end thereof. The slider includes a pressing portion
15
, which is formed on an upper surface thereof at a rear end thereof, and is operated when canceling the fitting connection, and a slide groove
13
formed in the slider arm
12
and the pressing portion
15
. Spring retaining portions
16
for respectively retaining compression springs (spring members)
9
are formed respectively at opposite side portions of a lower portion of the slider body
11
at the rear end thereof. A displacement prevention portion
17
for preventing the displacement of the lock arm
6
is formed at the front end of the slider body
11
.
As shown in
FIG. 14
, the male connector (the other connector)
2
A includes a housing
21
having a terminal receiving chamber, a pair of stopper projections
22
A, which are formed on a surface of the housing
21
so as to abut respectively against the abutment projections
14
of the slider
10
A during the connector-fitting operation, a slanting projection
23
, which is provided between the stopper projections
22
A, and has a slanting surface for flexing the lock arm
6
, and an engagement groove
24
which is formed at a rear side of the slanting projection
23
so as to be engaged with the housing lock
8
of the lock arm
6
when the housing lock
8
slides over the slanting projection
23
.
When the slider
10
A, having the compression springs
9
held respectively on the spring retaining portions
16
, is pushed into the slider receiving portion
4
of the female connector
1
A from the front side thereof as shown in
FIG. 13
, the slider body
11
moves along the guide grooves
5
toward the rear end of the female connector. At this time, the abutment projections
14
, formed at the lower surface of the slider arm
12
, are received respectively in the side spaces
4
a
formed respectively at the opposite sides of the lock arm
6
. Then, the compression springs
9
are received in the spring receiving portions
3
c
, respectively, and the lock beak
7
is fitted in the slide groove
13
, so that the slider
10
A is held on the housing
3
for movement between a lock position and a non-lock position. In the non-lock position (which is near to the proximal end of the lock arm
6
) of the slider
10
A, the slider
10
A allows the lock arm
6
to be elastically deformed when the lock arm
6
is brought out of engagement with the mating housing. In the lock position (which is near to the distal end of the lock arm) of the slider
10
A, the slider
10
A prevents the elastic deformation of the lock arm
6
.
In the slider-mounted condition, the slider
10
A is urged forward (i.e., toward the lock position) by the resilient force of the compression springs
9
as shown in
FIG. 14
, and the front end of the pressing portion
15
is retainingly held against the lock beak
7
in the slide groove
13
, and the displacement prevention projections
8
a
, formed at the distal end of the lock arm
6
, abut against the displacement prevention portion
17
formed on the lower surface of the slider
10
A at the front end thereof, thereby preventing the upward elastic deformation of the lock arm
6
.
Then, when the operation for fitting the female and male connectors
1
A and
2
A together is started as shown in
FIG. 14
, the stopper projections
22
A of the male connector
2
A are inserted respectively into the side spaces
4
a
(see FIG.
13
), formed respectively at the opposite sides of the lock arm
6
of the female connector
1
A, and these stopper projections
22
A abut against the abutment projections
14
of the slider
10
A, respectively. From this time on, the resilient force of the compression springs
9
is produced. At this stage, pin contacts
31
, mounted in the male connector
2
A, are not yet fitted respectively in socket contacts
30
mounted in the female connector
1
A.
Then, when the fitting operation further proceeds, the slider
10
A is pushed rearward (right in
FIG. 15
) against the bias of the compression springs
9
, so that the housing lock
8
, formed at the distal end of the lock arm
6
, abuts against the slanting projection
23
of the male connector
2
A. If the pushing operation is

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