Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-30
2002-03-26
Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means
C439S489000, C439S357000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06361347
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 a housing of at least one of a pair of male and female connectors to be fitted together, and the connector, fitted on the mating connector is positively locked.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 11-243940, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various half-fitting prevention connectors have been known. One such example is shown in
FIGS. 9
to
15
. This conventional half-fitting prevention connector will now be described with reference to
FIGS. 9
to
15
.
As shown in
FIGS. 9 and 10
, the conventional half-fitting prevention connector
51
comprises a pair of male and female connectors
52
and
53
to be fitted together, and an exclusive-use housing
55
is formed integrally on an upper side of a housing
54
of the male connector
52
, and spring receiving portions
56
are formed respectively at opposite side portions of the exclusive-use housing
55
, and a pair of compression springs
57
are received in the spring receiving portions
56
, respectively, and a half-fitted condition of the male and female connectors
52
and
53
is prevented by a resilient force of these compression springs
57
.
The male connector includes a lock arm
58
elastically-deformably supported in the housing
54
, and an engagement projection
59
for retaining the mating female connector
53
is formed on a lower surface of this lock arm
58
at a distal end thereof. A slider
62
is slidably mounted within the exclusive-use housing
55
.
Displacement prevention projections
60
are formed on the upper surface of the lock arm
58
facing away from the engagement projection
59
, and a lock beak
61
is formed on the upper surface of the lock arm
58
at a proximal end portion thereof. The exclusive-use housing
55
is originally intended to support the slider
62
in a manner to allow an axial sliding movement of this slider, and most of the exclusive-use housing
55
is formed into an upwardly-open slider receiving portion
63
. Side spaces
64
, as well as guide grooves
65
, are provided at opposite sides of the lock arm
58
, respectively, so that the slider
62
can slide in straddling relation to the lock arm
58
.
The slider
62
includes a slider body
66
which can slide while guided by the guide grooves
65
. Spring retaining portions
67
are formed respectively on opposite side portions of a front end of the slider body
66
, and each of these spring retaining portions
67
is engaged with the associated compression spring
57
so as to compress the same toward the spring receiving portion
56
in the guide groove
65
. A U-shaped notch
68
is formed in the slider body
66
, so that the slider body
66
has a slider arm
69
which can be elastically deformed or turned upwardly about its rear end. A pair of abutment projections
70
are formed on a lower surface of the slider arm
69
at a front end thereof, and can slide in the side spaces
64
, respectively.
A recess-like displacement prevention portion
71
is formed in the lower surface of the front end portion of the slider body
66
, and the displacement prevention projections
60
can abut against the displacement prevention portion
71
to prevent the displacement of the lock arm
58
. A pressing portion
72
is formed on the upper surface of the rear end portion of the slider body
66
, and this pressing portion
72
can be pressed rearwardly by the finger. A slide groove
73
in the form of a rectangular hole is formed in a central portion of the slider arm
69
, and is disposed forwardly of the pressing portion
72
, and the lock beak
61
can move back and forth in this slide groove
73
.
A male connector housing
74
is formed at a lower portion of the housing
54
, and can be fitted into a female connector housing
76
.
A slanting projection
77
for retaining engagement with the engagement projection
59
is formed on an upper surface of a female housing
75
, and a pair of stopper projections
78
for abutting respectively against the abutment projections
70
on the slider
62
are formed on the upper surface of the female housing
75
.
In the half-fitting prevention connector
51
of the above construction, first, the pair of compression springs
57
are inserted respectively into the spring receiving portions
56
formed at the rear end portion of the exclusive-use housing
55
of the male connector
52
as shown in
FIG. 9
, and then when the slider
62
is inserted into the exclusive-use housing
55
along the guide grooves
65
, the lower side of the front end portion of the pressing portion
72
slides over the lock beak
61
while elastically deforming the lock arm
58
downwardly. Then, when the application of the insertion force is stopped as shown in
FIG. 11
, the front end of the pressing portion
72
of the slider
62
, urged forward by the compression springs
57
, abuts against the lock beak
61
, so that the slider
62
is set or positioned in the housing
54
.
Then, female terminals
41
, each connected at its rear end to a sheathed wire W, are inserted into the male connector housing
74
, and also male terminals
42
, each connected to a sheathed wire W, are inserted deep into the female connector housing
76
.
Then, the male and female connectors
52
and
53
are arranged in opposed relation to each other, and are pushed in a fitting direction, as shown in FIG.
11
. As a result, the stopper projections
78
on the housing
75
abut respectively against the abutment projections
70
on the slider
62
, so that the slider
62
is moved toward the rear end of the housing
54
while compressing the compression springs
57
. Then, the engagement projection
59
slides over the slanting projection
77
, so that the lock arm
58
is elastically deformed upwardly, and the slider arm
69
slides over the lock beak
61
to be elastically deformed upwardly.
At this stage, when the application of the fitting force to the male and female connectors
52
and
53
is stopped, the slider
62
is returned by the resilient force of the compression springs
57
, and therefore the female connector
53
is pushed back through the abutment projections
70
and the stopper projections
78
.
Therefore, a half-fitted condition is prevented from being maintained. In this half-fitted condition, the pressing portion
72
is located at the rear end of the exclusive-use housing
55
as shown in
FIG. 12
, and this half-fitted condition can also be confirmed with the eyes since the exclusive-use housing
55
has the open top.
When the fitting operation further proceeds as shown in
FIG. 13
, the slider arm
69
is further elastically deformed upwardly by the lock beak
61
, so that the abutment projections
70
are disengaged from the stopper projections
78
, respectively. As a result, the slider
62
is returned forward by the resilient force of the compression springs
57
, and is stopped when the front end of the pressing portion
72
is brought into abutting engagement with the lock beak
61
.
At this time, the engagement projection
59
is retained by the slanting projection
77
, and therefore the elastically-deformed lock arm
58
is restored into its original shape, and also the displacement prevention portion
71
of the restored slider
62
rests on the displacement prevention projections
60
on the lock arm
58
. Therefore, the lock arm
58
is locked against elastic deformation, and this completely-fitted condition can be confirmed by viewing the position of the pressing portion
72
.
For canceling the fitting connection between the male and female connectors
52
and
53
(see FIG.
14
), the housing
75
is held with the hand, and the pressing portion
72
is pulled with the finger while compressing the compression springs
57
. As a result, the slider
62
is moved rearward, so that the displacement
Fukuda Masaru
Murakami Takao
Bradley Paula
Nguyen Truc
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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