Electrical connectors – Coupling part including flexing insulation – Coupling part housing hinged for coupling part assembly
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-01
2001-06-12
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part including flexing insulation
Coupling part housing hinged for coupling part assembly
C439S595000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244901
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector and to a connection method for connecting one or more terminal fittings of a connector with one or more wires.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 11
to
15
show a prior art connector disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 6(HEI)-34367. The prior art connector of
FIGS. 11-15
includes a plurality of terminal fittings
111
. Each terminal fitting
111
used in this prior art connector includes female contacts
112
provided at the front end, wire barrels
113
provided in the middle and insulation barrels
114
provided at the rear end. The wire barrels
113
are to be connected to a core
123
of a wire
121
and the insulation barrels
114
are to be connected with an insulation coating
122
of the wire
121
. The terminal fittings
111
are mounted in a connector housing
131
(hereinafter, merely “housing
131
”) as shown in
FIG. 11
to form the prior art connector.
The housing
131
of the prior art connector is formed with four cavities
137
, in which the terminal fittings
111
are mounted. Further, the upper surface of the housing
131
is cut away from the rear end to a position slightly forward than the middle, thereby forming an opening
133
. Openings are made in the rear end surface of the prior art housing
131
to correspond to the respective cavities
137
. Further, partition walls
134
are provided at the boundaries between the respective cavities
137
.
As shown in
FIG. 13
, the lower surface of the prior art housing
131
is formed with openings
135
in positions corresponding to the positions of the wire barrels
113
at bottom walls
116
of the terminal fittings
111
. An anvil
141
for crimping the wire barrels
113
is insertable through the openings
135
. A crimper
142
, which crimps the wire barrels
113
in cooperation with the anvil
141
, is insertable through the opening
133
in the upper surface of the housing
131
.
An anvil
143
for crimping the insulation barrels
114
can be brought into contact with the lower surface of the housing
131
in positions corresponding to those of the insulation barrels
114
of the terminal fittings
111
. A crimper
144
, which crimps the insulation barrels
114
in cooperation with the anvil
143
, is insertable through the opening
133
in the upper surface of the housing
131
. The anvils
141
,
143
are made integral to each other at their lower parts, whereas the crimpers
141
,
142
are made integral to each other at their upper parts. Accordingly, the crimping operation of the anvil
141
and the crimper
142
and that of the anvil
143
and the crimper
144
are performed simultaneously by an unillustrated cylinder or like driving source via a toggle mechanism or the like.
To assembly the prior art connector, the housing
131
having the terminal fittings
111
mounted in the cavities
137
is transported to a location where the crimping operation is performed. The wire
121
is brought with the core
123
exposed by peeling the insulation coating
122
by a specified length. The wire
121
is located above the connector in such a state as shown in
FIG. 12
(the housing
131
is shown in FIG.
12
). If the wire
121
is lowered in this state, the core
123
exposed at the leading end is fitted between the wire barrels
113
and a portion of the wire
121
still covered by the insulation coating
122
is fitted between the insulation barrels
114
.
The crimpers
142
,
144
are lowered and the anvils
141
,
143
are raised by driving an unillustrated driving mechanism in the state shown in FIG.
13
. Then, the crimper
142
strikes against the wire barrels
113
, and the crimper
144
strikes against the insulation barrels
114
. Simultaneously, the anvil
141
strikes against the bottom walls
116
of the terminal fittings
111
through the openings
135
in the lower surface of the housing
131
and the anvil
143
strikes against the lower surface of the housing
131
.
By further driving the driving mechanism, the wire barrels
113
of the terminal fittings
111
are crimped by the anvil
141
and the crimper
142
as shown in
FIG. 15
, thereby holding the cores
123
. Although this crimping force is considerably strong, the anvil
141
and the crimper
142
do not break or damage the housing
131
since they act directly on the terminal fittings
111
.
Further, the insulation coatings
122
of the wires
121
are held by crimping th insulation barrels
114
of the terminal fittings
111
by the anvil
143
and the crimper
144
.
As described above, a floor surface
131
A of the housing
131
is left as it is below the insulation barrels
114
and the crimper
144
enters between the partition walls
134
. Thus, it becomes extremely difficult to perform the crimping operation if the housing
131
and the terminal fittings
111
are considerably smaller.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problem, and an object thereof is to provide a connector and a connection method in which insulation coatings of wires can be securely connected with the terminal fittings mounted in a connector housing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a connector, comprising: terminal fittings each having insulation barrels to be crimped for connection with an insulation coating of a wire. The connector further includes a connector housing formed with a plurality of cavities for accommodating the terminal fittings. Portions of walls of the connector housing, which substantially correspond to the insulation barrels, when the terminal fittings are accommodated in the corresponding cavities of the connector housing, are made open over substantially the entire width of the connector housing to enable the connection of the wires with the insulation barrels of the respective terminal fittings with the terminal fittings accommodated in the corresponding cavities. Thus portions of walls of the connector housing, which are located on access paths of a crimper and/or an anvil for crimping the insulation barrels, are made open over substantially the entire width to avoid interference between the housing and the crimper and/or anvil.
According to a preferred embodiment, there is provided a connector, comprising terminal fittings each having insulation barrels to be crimped for the connection with an insulation coating of a wire, and a connector housing formed with a plurality of cavities for accommodating the terminal fittings. Portions of walls of the connector housing, which are located on access paths of a crimper and an anvil for crimping the insulation barrels, are made open over the entire width of the connector housing to enable the connection of the wires with the insulation barrels of the respective terminal fittings while the terminal fittings are accommodated in the corresponding cavities. Accordingly, when the terminal fittings are first accommodated in the cavities, the insulation barrels are exposed to the outside since the wall portions of the connector housings corresponding to the access paths of the crimper and the anvil are made open over the entire width of the connector housing. Wires can be placed between-the corresponding pairs of insulation barrels. The crimper and the anvil then can be moved into the cavities. Thus, the insulation barrels are directly crimped by the crimper and the anvil for connection with the insulation coatings of the wires.
Since the wall portions of the connector housings corresponding to the access paths of the crimper and the anvil are made open over the entire width of the connector housing, the interference with the crimper and the anvil can be more easily avoided as compared to a connector in which a hole is formed in each cavity for the same purpose. Further, this construction is advantageous when the intervals between the cavities are narrowed, and hence the connector housing can be made smaller.
Preferably, the portions of the connector housing, which are made open so as not to interfere the access
Fujii Masayasu
Motomatsu Yukimasa
Casella Anthony J.
Duverne J. F.
Hespos Gerald E.
Porco Michael J.
Sircus Brian
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