Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Metallic connector or contact secured to insulation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-01
2001-09-04
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Metallic connector or contact secured to insulation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283799
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to male and female electrical connectors with a terminal locking device and an electrical connector assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
A connector
150
as shown in
FIG. 30
has conventionally been proposed in EP0703643A1.
The connector
150
consists of a housing body
151
which receives terminals
152
therein, a hood
153
projecting from the housing body
151
, a terminal locking device
154
which is mounted on the housing body
151
, and a terminal holder
155
for holding the terminals
152
which project from the terminal locking device
154
. By sliding the terminal locking device
154
in a direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of terminals
152
into terminal receiving cavities
156
in the housing body
151
, the terminals
152
are locked. An operating lever
157
projects forwardly from the terminal locking device
154
and is formed at the tip end with a slide surface
157
a.
On advancing a mating connector (not shown) into the hood
153
of the connector
150
, an inclined surface provided inside the mating connector comes into contact with the slide surface
157
a
. By the inclined surface pressing on the slide surface
157
a
, the terminal locking device
154
is slid to lock the terminals
152
in position.
A drawback to the construction as mentioned above, however, is that the inserted condition of a terminal
152
into the housing body
151
cannot be detected. As a result, there is a danger that an electrical contact failure may be caused after coupling with a mating connector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention has been accomplished to overcome the above drawback and an object of this invention is to provide male and female electrical connectors with a terminal locking device and a connector assembly which enable to detect an inserted condition therein of a terminal.
In order to attain the object, according to an aspect of this invention, there is provided a male connector with a terminal locking device, which comprises: a female terminal with a shoulder; a male housing body with a terminal receiving cavity formed therein; a holder receiving hood extending in an insertion direction of the female terminal into the terminal receiving cavity from an outer circumferential wall of the male housing body; a female terminal holder having a terminal insertion cavity corresponding to the terminal receiving cavity, which is assembled to the male housing body inside the holder receiving hood; and a female terminal locking device for detecting an inserted condition of the female terminal into the terminal receiving cavity, which is engaged at a side of the female terminal holder toward the male housing body to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the female terminal and has a terminal introducing opening corresponding to the terminal receiving cavity.
Preferably, the female terminal locking device comprises a frame body which is engaged in preliminary and full locked positions on the female terminal holder; at least one vertical wall which engages with the shoulder of the female terminal in full locked position, and an operating lever which extends from the frame body in the insertion direction of the female terminal and, when the female terminal locking device is located inside the holder receiving hood, projects outside thereof.
According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a female connector with a terminal locking device, which comprises: a male terminal with a shoulder; a female housing body with a terminal receiving cavity formed therein; a hood extending in an insertion direction of the male terminal into the terminal receiving cavity from an outer circumferential wall of the female housing body; a holder receiving section formed between the female housing body and the hood; a male terminal holder which is assembled to the female housing body inside the holder receiving section and has a terminal insertion cavity corresponding to the terminal receiving cavity; and a male terminal locking device for detecting an inserted condition of the male terminal into the terminal receiving cavity, which is engaged at a side of the male terminal holder toward the female housing body to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the male terminal and has a terminal introducing opening corresponding to the terminal receiving cavity.
Preferably, the male terminal locking device comprises a frame body which is engaged in preliminary and full locked positions on the male terminal holder; at least one vertical wall by which the male terminal passes through the frame body when in preliminary locked position and which extends in a direction perpendicular to a sliding direction of the frame body to engage with the shoulder of the male terminal in full locked position; and at least one operating lever which extends from the vertical wall in the insertion direction of the male terminal.
Preferably, the operating lever is located substantially at a center of the male terminal locking device and projects through the male terminal holder into the hood to prevent distortion of the male terminal when the male terminal is passed through the terminal insertion cavity in preliminary locked position.
According to yet another aspect of this invention, there is provided an electrical connector assembly having a male connector and a female connector, the male connector comprising: a female terminal with a shoulder; a male housing body with a terminal receiving cavity formed therein; a holder receiving hood extending in an insertion direction of the female terminal into the terminal receiving cavity from an outer circumferential wall of the male housing body; a female terminal holder having a terminal insertion cavity corresponding to the terminal receiving cavity, which is assembled to the male housing body inside the holder receiving hood; and a female terminal locking device for detecting an inserted condition of the female terminal into the terminal receiving cavity, which is engaged at a side of the female terminal holder toward the male housing body to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the female terminal and has a terminal introducing opening corresponding to the terminal receiving cavity, the female connector comprising: a male terminal with a shoulder; a female housing body with a terminal receiving cavity formed therein; a hood extending in an insertion direction of the male terminal into the terminal receiving cavity from an outer circumferential wall of the female housing body; a holder receiving section formed between the female housing body and the hood; a male terminal holder which is assembled to the female housing body inside the holder receiving section and has a terminal insertion cavity corresponding to the terminal receiving cavity; and a male terminal locking device for detecting an inserted condition of the male terminal into the terminal receiving cavity, which is engaged at a side of the male terminal holder toward the female housing body to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the male terminal and has a terminal introducing opening corresponding to the terminal receiving cavity, wherein the female terminal holder further comprises a lever receiving opening for receiving the operating lever of the male terminal locking device when the male connector is fitted in the hood of the female connector to be coupled with the female connector, and the female connector further comprises a lever receiving space formed in the holder receiving section for receiving the operating lever of the female terminal locking device.
Preferably, the female terminal locking device of the male connector further comprises a lever receiving opening formed therein which corresponds to the lever receiving opening of the female terminal holder.
Preferably, the electrical connector assembly further comprises a cam mechanism which allows the female
Fukase Yoshihiro
Nagano Toru
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Nasri Javaid
Sircus Brian
Yazaki -Corporation
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