Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-03
2002-05-14
Nguyen, Khiem (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means
C439S489000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06386898
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector fitting construction in which a half-fitted condition is positively prevented by a resilient force of a resilient member mounted in at least one of a pair of female and male 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. 10-219125, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Usually, many 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 sliding movement back and forth. Spring receiving portions are provided at opposite side portions of this movable cover, respectively, and compression springs 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.
On the other hand, a connector fitting construction, which has been disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 10-50408 and so on, may solve the above problem.
A male connector
1
A, shown in
FIGS. 9 and 10
, comprises a housing
3
which includes a connector housing
3
a
, having a terminal receiving chamber, and an 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
a
, 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 a 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
10
A includes a depressing 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 depressing portion
15
. Spring retaining portions
16
for respectively retaining compression springs
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 prevention the displacement of the lock arm
6
is formed at the front end of the slider body
11
.
The female connector (the other connector)
2
A, shown in
FIG. 11
, 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
.
A procedure of fitting the above female and male connectors together will now be described. 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 male connector
1
A from the front side thereof as shown in
FIG. 9
, the slider body
11
moves along the guide grooves
5
toward the rear end of the male 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 slidably mounted in the slider receiving portion
4
.
In the above condition shown in
FIG. 10
, the slider
10
A is urged forward by the resilient force of the compression springs
9
, and the front end of the depressing 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 displacement of the lock arm
6
.
Then, when the operation for fitting the female and male connectors together is started as shown in
FIG. 11
, the stopper projections
22
A of the female connector
2
A are inserted respectively into the side spaces
4
a
(see FIG.
9
), formed respectively at the opposite sides of the lock arm
6
of the male 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 is produced. At this stage, pin contacts
31
, mounted in the female connector
2
A, are not yet fitted respectively in socket contacts
30
mounted in the male connector
1
A.
Then, when the fitting operation further proceeds, the slider
10
A is pushed rearwardly against the resilient force of the compression springs, so that the housing lock
8
, formed at the distal end of the lock arm
6
, abuts against the slanting projection
23
of the female connector
2
A. If the pushing operation is stopped in this half-fitted condition, the male and female connectors
1
A and
2
A are returned or moved away from each other (that is, in a disconnecting direction opposite to the fitting direction) by the resilient force of the compression springs
9
, and therefore such half-fitted condition can be easily detected.
Then, when the fitting operation further proceeds, the slider arm
12
of the slider
12
A is flexed (elastically deformed) upwardly by the lock beak
7
, so that the abutment of the stopper projections
22
A with the abutment projections
14
of the slider
10
A is released. Then, under the influence of
Nguyen Khiem
Yazaki -Corporation
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