Electrical connectors – With indicating or identifying provision – Connection indicating provision
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-21
2001-10-30
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With indicating or identifying provision
Connection indicating provision
Reexamination Certificate
active
06309242
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector and more particularly, to an electrical connector having a slider which indicates a coupling state of male and female connectors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Utility Model Registration Application laid-open No. 1-165582 (hereinafter “JP'582”) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 9-251875 (hereinafter “JP'875”) disclose an electrical connector having a slider as a coupling state checking means on a male or female connector.
FIGS. 4
,
5
A,
5
B, and
5
C show a prior art electrical connector disclosed in JP'582.
FIG. 4
is a perspective view showing a first prior art electrical connector consisting of male and female connectors. And,
FIGS. 5A-5C
are partly sectional side views showing movement of a slider of the electrical connector of FIG.
4
.
In
FIG. 4
, the prior art electrical connector
100
consists of a male connector
110
, a slider
120
provided on the male connector
110
as a coupling state checking means, and a female connector
130
to be coupled to the male connector
110
.
A housing
111
of the male connector
110
is provided with a resilient locking arm
112
which has a locking nail
112
a
on the rear end thereof.
As is shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5A
, an engaging projection
113
projects from both sides of a root portion of the locking arm
112
. The engaging projections
113
act as a stopper for the slider
120
.
The slider
120
is slidably provided on an upper portion of the male connector
110
and has a pair of right and left resilient engaging members
121
being in a spear-shape and extending toward the front end of the male connector
110
.
The slider
120
is prevented from sliding forward by an abutment of the front ends of the resilient engaging members
121
against the engaging projections
113
of the male connector
110
.
The top wall of the female connector
130
is provided with a lock opening
132
to engage the locking nail
112
a
of the male connector
110
.
And, inside the housing
131
of the female connector
130
a pair of spear-shaped engagement releasing members
133
project, which engagement releasing members
133
pass under the respective engaging projections
113
of the male connector
110
and slidingly push upwardly the respective resilient engaging members
121
.
Referring to
FIG. 5A-5C
, a checking action of a coupling state of the male and female connectors
110
,
130
by means of the slider
120
is described below.
As shown in
FIG. 5A
, before coupling the male and female connectors
110
,
130
, the slider
120
can not be advanced since the front ends of the resilient engaging members
121
of the slider
120
abut on the engaging projections
113
of the male connector
110
.
Next, as shown in
FIG. 5B
, upon complete coupling of the male and female connectors
110
,
130
, the inclined planes
121
a
of the resilient engaging members
121
of the slider
120
slide on the respective inclined planes
133
a
of the engagement releasing members
133
of the female connector
130
and the resilient engaging members
121
are bent upwardly.
And then, the resilient engaging members
121
are disengaged from the engaging projections
113
and, as shown in
FIG. 5C
, the slider
120
can be inserted forwardly.
That is, the slider
120
can be inserted forwardly only when the male and female connectors
110
,
130
are completely coupled.
Therefore, an operator can check a coupling state of the male and female connectors
110
,
130
according to possibility of the inserting operation.
Further, a second prior art electrical connector disclosed in “JP'875” is described, referring to
FIGS. 6 and 7
.
FIG. 6
is an exploded perspective view showing a second prior art electrical connector consisting of male and female connectors, and
FIG. 7
is a partly sectional plan view showing an initial coupling state of the male and female connectors of FIG.
6
.
In
FIG. 6
, the prior art electrical connector
200
consists of a female connector
210
, a slider
220
provided on the female connector
210
as a coupling state checking means, a cover
230
to slidably cover the slider
220
, and a male connector
240
to be coupled to the female connector
210
.
A housing
211
of the female connector
210
is provided with opposite slide grooves
212
for attaching the slider
220
and the cover
230
.
As shown in
FIGS. 6 and 7
, a number of male terminals project inside the housing
211
, wherein reference numerals
213
and
214
indicate a coupling detecting male terminal and a feeding male terminal, respectively.
These the coupling detecting male terminal
213
and the feeding male terminal
214
are connected to the judging circuit
250
.
And, a warning lamp
260
to indicate a coupling state of the male and female connectors
240
,
210
is connected to the judging circuit
250
.
The judging circuit
250
puts on the warning lamp
260
when the circuit
250
is fed from the feeding male terminal
214
and simultaneously the coupling detecting male terminals
213
are not shorted. On the contrary, the judging circuit
250
puts off the warning lamp
260
when the circuit
250
is fed from the feeding male terminal
214
and simultaneously the coupling detecting male terminals
213
are shorted.
As shown in
FIG. 6
, a guide rib
221
to be guided by one slide groove
212
of the female connector
210
is provided on one side of the slider
220
, and a guide groove
223
to correspond to the other slide groove
212
is provided on the other side of the slider
220
. And, an exposed wall
222
is formed integrally with the guide groove
223
.
As shown in
FIGS. 6 and 7
, a pair, of springs
224
to abut on one end of the cover
230
for pushing the slider
220
toward the other end is provided on one end side of the slider
220
.
On the other hand, on the other end side of the slider
220
, a forked-shape coupling detecting female terminal
226
to short the coupling detecting male terminals
213
of the female connector
210
is provided.
Further, as shown in
FIG. 7
, on the back of the slider
220
, a slide-driving portion
225
to make the slider
220
slide along the slide grooves
212
is integrally formed, which slide-driving portion
225
is provided with an oblique cam
225
a.
In
FIGS. 6 and 7
, a pushing projection
242
projects from the top of a housing
241
of the male connector
240
.
The pushing projection
242
comes into contact with the cam
225
a
of the slide-driving portion
225
in a coupling process of the male and female connectors
240
,
210
and makes the slider
220
slide longitudinally.
And, inside the housing
241
of the male connector
240
, a number of female terminals to be connected to the male terminals of the female connector
210
project. A reference numeral
243
indicates a feeding female terminal which is to be connected to the feeding male terminal
214
of the female connector
210
and feeds to the judging circuit
250
.
Next, referring to
FIG. 7
, a checking action of a coupling state of the male and female connectors
240
,
210
by means of the slider
220
is described.
In
FIG. 7
, as inserting the male connector
240
into the female connector
210
, the pushing projection
242
of the male connector
240
pushes the cam
225
a
of the slide-driving portion
225
and moves the slider
220
back against the springs
224
.
This makes the coupling detecting female terminal
226
of the slider
220
get out of contact with the coupling detecting male terminals
213
of the female connector
210
.
As further inserting the male connector
240
into the female connector
210
, the feeding female terminal
243
of the male connector
240
comes into contact with the feeding male terminal
214
of the female connector
210
and the judging circuit
250
is fed.
By this, the warning lamp
260
is put on, which indicates that the male connector
240
and the female connector
210
are in an incomplete coupling state.
And then, as
Ohsumi Hideki
Ohtaka Kazuto
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Sircus Brian
Webb Brian S.
Yazaki -Corporation
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