Title: Connector
Abstract: A terminal fitting (30) has a connecting portion (31) and a stabilizer (41) projects from an outer surface of the connecting portion (31). The stabilizer (41) is received in an insertion groove (18) in an inner wall of a cavity (12) for guiding the terminal fitting (30) into the cavity (12). A lock (11) is provided at the inner wall of the cavity (12) and has a locking section (27) engageable with an engaging surface (40A) of a protrusion (40) and a front edge (39A) of a locking hole (39) provided in the connecting portion (31). An escaping recess (28) is formed in a part of the lock (11) behind the locking section (27) and overlaps the locking section (27) with respect to a width direction. The escaping groove (28) communicates with the insertion groove (18) and receives the stabilizer (41).
Patent Number: 7,014,505 Issued on 03/21/2006 to Tanaka, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Tanaka; Tsutomu (Yokkaichi, JP);
Mase; Tsuyoshi (Yokkaichi, JP)
|
| Assignee:
|
Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. (JP)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
075482 |
| Filed:
|
March 9, 2005 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Mar 09, 2004[JP] | 2004-065451 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
439/595 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
H01R 12/00 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
439/595,744,752.5,752,603,594
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 5240434 | Aug., 1993 | Yagi et al.
| |
| 5752859 | May., 1998 | Abe et al.
| |
| 6244900 | Jun., 2001 | Ishikawa et al.
| |
| 6375501 | Apr., 2002 | Kojima.
| |
| 6623313 | Sep., 2003 | Ichida et al.
| |
| 6790085 | Sep., 2004 | Nankou et al.
| |
| 6796836 | Sep., 2004 | Ichida et al.
| |
| 6817904 | Nov., 2004 | Ishikawa et al.
| |
| 6835095 | Dec., 2004 | Chen.
| |
| 6835097 | Dec., 2004 | Nankou et al.
| |
| 2004/0005821 | Jan., 2004 | Nankou et al.
| |
Primary Examiner: Patel; Tulsidas C.
Assistant Examiner: Patel; Harshad C
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hespos; Gerald E., Casella; Anthony J.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A connector, comprising:
a connector housing having opposite front and rear ends and at least one cavity
extending between the ends, an insertion groove being formed in an inner wall of
the cavity and extending forward from the rear end of the housing;
at least one terminal fitting insertable into the cavity in a rear to front direction,
a stabilizer projecting from an outer surface of the terminal fitting and receivable
in the insertion groove for guiding the terminal fitting into the cavity; and
a resiliently deformable lock on an inner wall of the cavity forward of the insertion
groove and engageable with the terminal fitting properly accommodated in the cavity,
the lock including a locking section engageable with an engaging section of the
terminal fitting and an escaping recess formed at a part of the lock rearward of
the locking section and at least partly overlapping the locking section with respect
to a width direction, the escaping recess being adjacent to, forward of and communicating
with the insertion groove and being disposed and dimensioned for receiving the stabilizers.
2. The connector of claim 1, wherein the terminal fitting has a connecting portion
for connection with a mating terminal fitting, and wherein the stabilizer projects
from an outer surface of the connecting portion.
3. The connector of claim 2, wherein the locking section is engageable with the
engaging section provided at the connecting portion over substantially the entire width.
4. The connector of claim 2, wherein the connecting portion is substantially
box-shaped, projecting plates at opposite sides of the connecting portion being
placed at least partly one inside the other.
5. The connector of claim 4, wherein at least the outer projecting plate is formed
with a locking hole over substantially the entire width, and a front edge of the
locking hole in the outer projecting plate being embossed to project outward, thereby
forming a protrusions.
6. The connector of claim 5, wherein the engaging section includes a rear end
of the protrusion and the front edge of the locking hole.
7. The connector of claim 6, wherein the stabilizer projects along a side plate
at a lateral edge of the projecting plate behind the locking hole.
8. The connector of claim 1, wherein the lock is supported at both front and
rear ends.
9. The connector of claim 8, wherein a front end portion of the lock is forked
and is coupled to opposite inner side surfaces of the cavity.
10. The connector of claim 1, wherein a locking surface of the locking section
and an engaging surface of the engaging section contact each other along an oblique
direction intersecting with a withdrawing direction of the terminal fitting.
11. The connector of claim 1, wherein a guiding groove is formed in an inner
side surface of the cavity to be substantially parallel with the insertion groove
for receiving the guiding projection.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,900 discloses a connector with a housing that has a cavity
and a resilient lock that projects from an inner wall of the cavity. The connector
also has a terminal fitting that is inserted into the cavity. A box-shaped connecting
portion is provided at a front end of the terminal fitting, and a locking hole
is formed in the connecting portion. A locking projection of the lock fits into
the locking hole to lock the terminal fitting to lock the terminal fitting in the cavity.
The width of the lock may be increased to increase an area of engagement of the
lock with the front edge of the locking hole, and hence to increase a terminal
fitting holding force. However, stabilizers project at the rear ends of outer surfaces
of connecting portions of some terminal fittings for stabilizing the posture of
the terminal fittings. The lock and the stabilizer overlap and interfere with each
other if the lock has substantially the same width over its entire length. The
connecting portion of the terminal fitting can be widened to move the stabilizer
transversely and to avoid interference between the lock and the stabilizer. However,
a larger connector with a wider cavity is needed to accommodate the wider connecting portion.
The invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof
is to increase a terminal fitting holding force.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a connector with a housing and at least one cavity in
the housing for receiving a terminal fitting. A resilient lock is provided on an
inner wall of the cavity and is engageable with the terminal fitting that has been
accommodated in the cavity. A stabilizer projects from an outer surface of the
terminal fitting and is received in an insertion groove in an inner wall of the
cavity for guiding the terminal fitting into the cavity. The lock has a locking
section that is engageable with an engaging section of the terminal fitting and
an escaping recess that communicates with the insertion groove and permits entry
of the stabilizer. The escaping recess is formed at a part of the lock behind the
locking section and overlaps the locking section with respect to widthwise direction.
Thus, interference with the stabilizer can be avoided, and it is not necessary
to widen the connecting portion to avoid interference.
The terminal fitting comprises a connecting portion to be connected with a mating
terminal fitting, and the stabilizer projects from an outer surface of the connecting portion.
The locking preferably is engageable with an engaging section of the connecting
portion over substantially the entire width. Thus, a terminal holding force increases
and there is stronger against shear forces.
The connecting portion preferably is formed into a substantially box shape by
bending, folding and/or embossing a conductive plate in the width direction. Thus,
projecting plates at the opposite widthwise sides of the connecting portion are
placed at least partly one inside the other.
At least the outer projecting plate preferably is formed with a locking hole
over
the entire width, and a front edge of the locking hole in the outer projecting
plate preferably is embossed outward to form a protrusion.
The engaging section preferably includes a rear end of the protrusion and the
front edge of the locking hole. Thus, a wide area of engagement can be ensured
between the engaging section and the locking section, thereby further increasing
the terminal holding force.
The stabilizer preferably projects along a side plate on a lateral edge of a
side of the projecting plate behind the locking hole. Thus, the escaping recess
allows the stabilizer to escape, and interference with the lock can be avoided
without increasing the width of the connecting portion.
The lock preferably is supported at both front and rear ends. Thus, the strength
of the lock is enhanced.
A front end of the lock preferably is forked and may be coupled to the opposite
inner side surfaces of the cavity.
A locking surface of the locking section and an engaging surface of the engaging
section preferably contact each other along an oblique direction intersecting a
withdrawing direction of the terminal fitting.
A guiding groove preferably is formed in an inner side surface of the cavity
substantially
parallel with the insertion groove for receiving the guiding projections.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent
upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying
drawings. Even though embodiments are described separately, single features thereof
may be combined to additional embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing essential portions of a lock
and a terminal fitting of a connector according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an essential portion of the lock engaged
with the terminal fitting.
FIG. 3 is a side view in section of a housing.
FIG. 4 is a side view in section of the housing having the terminal fitting
accommodated therein.
FIG. 5 is a side view in section showing an inner wall of a cavity.
FIG. 6 is a vertical section of the housing and the terminal fitting.
FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the terminal fitting.
FIG. 8 is a left side view of the terminal fitting.
FIG. 9 is a right side view of the terminal fitting.
FIG. 10 is a side view in section of the terminal fitting.
FIG. 11 is a front view of the terminal fitting.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A connector according to the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 11. The connector
has a female housing
10 that is connectable with a mating male connector
housing (not shown). The connector also includes female terminal fittings
30
that are connectable with ends of wires W. In the following description, a side
of the housing
10 to be connected with the mating housing is referred to
as the front concerning forward and backward directions FBD.
Each terminal fitting
30 is formed by stamping or cutting a conductive
metal plate into a specified shape and then bending, folding or embossing the metal
plate shown in FIGS. 7 to 11. The terminal fitting
30 has a substantially
box-shaped connecting portion
31 that is hollow in forward and backward
directions FBD and a barrel
46 that is coupled behind the connecting portion
31. The barrel
46 includes front crimping pieces
47 that are
configured to be crimped, bent or folded into connection with a core
91
of the wire W and rear crimping pieces
47 that are configured to be crimped,
bent or folded into connection with an insulation coating
92 of the wire W.
As shown in FIG. 11, the connecting portion
31 has a base plate
32
and two side plates
33 that extend from opposite lateral edges of the base
plate
32. An inner projecting plate
34 projects from the projecting
end of one side plate
33 to face the base plate
32, and an outer
projecting plate
35 projects from the projecting end of the other side plate
and is placed on the outer surface of the inner projecting plate
34. The
inner and outer projecting plates
34,
35 are placed one over the
other to form a double-wall. A resilient contact piece
36 is folded at the
front end of the base plate
32 and cantilevers back into the connecting
portion
31, as shown in FIG. 10. A deformation support
36A is located
at the front end of the base plate
32 and is positioned to face a tab of
a male terminal fitting (not shown) in the inserting direction. Thus, the deformation
support
36A contacts the tab inserted from the front. A part of the inner
projecting plate
34 facing the resilient contact piece
36 is embossed
to form an inwardly directed bulge
38 for ensuring a suitable contact pressure
with the tab. A space between the bulge
38 and a contact portion
36B
of the resilient contact piece
36 opposed to the bulge
38 is slightly
smaller than the thickness of the tab when the resilient contact piece
36
is in its natural state.
As shown in FIG. 7, an intermediate part of the outer projecting plate
35
is cut to form a locking hole
39. The locking hole
39 has a length
of more than about half, preferably about two thirds of the entire length of the
connecting portion
31 and has a width substantially equal to the entire
width of the connecting portion
31. A front edge
39A of the locking
hole
39 in the outer projecting plate
35 is embossed or cut and bent
to form an outwardly projecting protrusion
40 substantially in the form
of a half cone that tapers towards the front end. The rear end surface of the protrusion
40 is formed into an engaging surface
40A sloped back toward its
bottom end. The engaging surface
40A and the front edge
39A of the
locking hole
39 form an engaging section.
A stabilizer
41 projects out along the side plate
33 at a rear
side
of the lateral edge of the outer projecting plate
35. As shown in FIG. 7,
the stabilizer
41 is formed by making a quarter circular cut from the outer
projecting plate
35 to the other side plate
33 and bending this cut
piece to stand up substantially at a right angle. An intermediate part of the rear
end of the outer projecting plate
35 is embossed or cut and bent at a position
lying within a range of projection of the protrusion
40 when viewed from
front to form a first guiding projection
42 substantially in the form of
a half cone. On the other hand, a front end portion of the side plate
33
is embossed out to form a substantially rectangular second guiding projection
43
for preventing loose movements of the terminal fitting
30 substantially
along height direction HD. A rectangular third guiding projection
44 is
embossed at a front end of the one side plate
33. The third guiding projection
44 is narrower than the second guiding projection
43 and is slightly
higher than the second guiding projection
43 along the height direction
HD. A jaw
45 is provided at the rear end of the connecting portion
31
and is substantially continuous and substantially flush with the rear surface of
the first guiding projection
42.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the housing
10 is made e.g. of a synthetic
resin
into a substantially block shape, and cavities
12 are provided in the housing
10 for accommodating the terminal fittings
30. A lock arm
13
extends back from the front end of the upper surface of the housing
10,
and is resiliently deformable towards and away from the housing
10. A lock
projection
14 projects from the upper surface of the lock arm
13
and is engageable with the male connector housing. Two protection walls
15
project from the opposite lateral edges of the upper surface of the housing
10
to protect the lock arm
13 from external forces. Opposite lateral edges
of the rear end of the lock arm
13 are coupled to the inner surfaces of
the corresponding protection walls
15. As a result, the lock arm
13
is supported at three points. The protection walls
15 are coupled to each
other by a bridge
16 that spans at a position behind the lock projection
14 to reinforcing the coupled portions.
A retainer mount hole
17 is open in the bottom and the opposite side surfaces
of the housing and communicates with the cavities
12. A retainer
70
is mountable into the retainer mount hole
17, so that inner side surfaces
of the retainer
70 are movable along the opposite side surfaces of the housing
10. The retainer
70 has locking projections
71 disposed to
engage the jaws
45 of the terminal fittings
30 inserted to a substantially
proper depth in the cavities
12. The retainer
70 is movable between
a full locking position where the locking projections
71 enter the cavities
12 to retain the terminal fittings
30 and a partial locking position
where the locking projections
71 are retracted from the cavities
12
to permit the insertion and withdrawal of the terminal fittings
30.
The cavities
12 are arranged substantially side by side along the width
direction WD in the housing
10, so that the connector has a small size.
An insertion groove
18 is formed at the lateral edge of the inner bottom
surface of each cavity
12 along which the stabilizer
41 of the terminal
fitting
30 is at inserted into the cavity
12. As shown in FIG. 1,
the insertion groove
18 extends along forward and backward directions FBD
and opens in the rear end surface of the housing
10. As shown in FIGS. 3
and 6, a guiding groove
19 is formed in an inner side surface of the cavity
12 substantially parallel with the insertion groove
18 for receiving
the second and third guiding projections
43,
44.
As shown in FIG. 1, a U-shaped channel
20 is formed in the inner bottom
surface of the cavity
12. A lock
11 also is provided at the inner
lateral bottom surface of the cavity
12 and is engageable with the properly
inserted terminal fitting
30. The lock
11 is formed by cutting an
area of the bottom wall of the housing
10 before the retainer mount hole
17, and includes an arm
21 that extends substantially along forward
and backward directions FBD.
The arm
21 has a rear end coupled to the front end of the insertion groove
18 in the inner bottom surface of the cavity
12 and a front end coupled
to a front wall
22 of the housing
10. Thus, the arm
21 is
supported at both ends to provide high strength. Portions of the arm
21
between the front and rear supports are resiliently deformable outwardly in a deforming
direction DD that is substantially normal to the inserting direction of the terminal
fitting
30 into the cavity
12. Accordingly, the arm
21 is
retractable into a deformation space
23 below the arm
21. The resiliently
deformed arm
21 takes a substantially arch shape in which an intermediate
portion along forward and backward directions FBD is at a bottommost position.
These intermediate parts of the arm
21 are displaced substantially straight
and vertically along the deforming direction DD as the arm
21 deforms.
The deformation space
23 is open in the bottom surface of the housing
10. As shown in FIG. 4, a jig insertion hole
29 is formed in the
front surface of the housing
10 and communicates with the deformation space
23. Thus, the leading end of a disengagement jig G is insertable from the
front through the jig insertion hole
29 and between the terminal fitting
30 and the lock
11. The disengagement jig J can press the arm
21
down in the deforming direction DD to deform the lock
11. A guiding surface
24 slopes up along an inserting direction of the disengagement jig G is
in the widthwise middle of the front end of the arm
21 to guide the disengagement
jig G rearwardly beyond the jig insertion hole
29. A front end portion of
the arm
21 is forked due to the removal of a mold for forming the guiding
surface
24, and both divided ends are coupled to the opposite inner side
surfaces of the cavity
12. However, the rear of the arm
21 is coupled
to the inner bottom surface of the cavity
12 at one position over substantially
the entire width of the arm portion
21. Thus, the arm portion
21
is supported at three points.
A raised portion
25 is provided on the upper surface of the arm
21
and is slightly narrower than the arm
21. Additionally, the raised portion
25 has a moderate upward inclination from the rear end of the arm
21
to an intermediate position towards the front end. A groove
26 opens in
the front surface of the raised portion
25 and extends substantially in
forward and backward directions FBD along a middle part of the upper surface of
the raised portion
25. The protrusion
40 of the terminal fitting
30 can enter the groove
26 when the terminal fitting
30 is
inserted to a proper depth in the cavity
12. A locking section
27
is formed at the front end of the raised portion
25 and engages the projecting
end of the protrusion
40 that has entered the groove
26. The locking
section
27 is formed over substantially the entire width of the raised portion
25, and a locking surface
27A slopes down and back at the lower part
of the locking section
27, as shown in FIG. 5. The locking surface
27A
of the locking section
27 and the engaging surface
40A of the protrusion
40 contact each other along an oblique direction that intersects a withdrawing
direction of the terminal fitting
30 to strengthen the engagement of the
lock
11 with the terminal fitting
30.
An escaping recess
28 is formed at an edge of the arm
21 behind
the locking section
27 and overlaps the locking section
27 with respect
to the width direction WD. The escaping recess
28 is substantially continuous
with the insertion groove
18 and permits insertion of the stabilizer
41.
The escaping recess
28 penetrates the rear edge of the arm
21 along
the height direction HD, and an end surface
28A of the escaping recess
28
extends substantially vertically and normal to the insertion and withdrawal direction
of the terminal fitting
30. The end surface
28A is slightly behind
the rear end of the groove
26.
The connector is assembled by mounting the retainer
70 at the partial
locking position in the housing
10. The terminal fittings
30 then
are inserted into the respective cavities
12 from behind and along an insertion
direction. As a result, the stabilizer
41 slides in contact with the inner
side surfaces of the insertion groove
18 and the protrusion
40 slides
in contact with the inner side surfaces of the channel
20 so that the terminal
fitting
30 moves smoothly into the cavity
12. A lower part of the
front end of the connecting portion
31 moves onto the upper surface of the
raised portion
25 of the lock
11 when the terminal fitting
30
is inserted to a specified depth. Thus, the arm
21 is deformed down in the
deforming direction DD. The protrusion
40 enters the groove
26 and
the bottom end of the protrusion
40 presses the bottom surface of the groove
26 down in the deforming direction DD as the insertion of the terminal fitting
30 progresses. During this time, the protrusion
40 slides in contact
with the groove
26 to prevent shaking of the terminal fitting
30
in the width direction WD. The second and third guiding projections
43,
44 also slide in contact with the inner side surfaces of the guiding groove
19.
The raised portion
25 enters the locking hole
39 of the connecting
portion
31 when the terminal fitting
30 is inserted to a proper depth.
Thus, the arm
21 is restored resiliently, and the locking section
27
engages both the engaging surface
40A of the protrusion
40 and the
front edge
39A of the locking hole
39 over substantially the entire
width to partly lock the terminal fitting
30, as shown in FIGS. 2,
4
and
6. The stabilizer
41 starts entering the escaping recess
28
of the arm
21 from the insertion groove
18 before the terminal fitting
30 reaches the proper depth. The stabilizer
41 is near the end surface
28A of the escaping recess
28 when the terminal fitting
30
reaches the proper depth.
The retainer
70 is moved from the partial locking position to the full
locking position after the terminal fittings
30 have been inserted into
the cavities
12. Thus, the locking projections
71 of the retainer
70 engage the jaws
25 of the connecting portions
31 to lock
the terminal fittings
30 fully. As a result, the terminal fittings
30
are held securely in the cavities
12 and will not come out. Thereafter,
the unillustrated mating male housing is connected with the housing
10,
and the tabs of the male terminal fittings in the male housing enter the connecting
portions
31 to contact the resilient contact pieces
36 so that the
male and female terminal fittings are connected electrically.
As described above, the locking section
27 of the lock
11 engages
the engaging surface
40A of the protrusion
40 and the front edge
39A of the locking hole
39 in the connecting portion
31 of
the terminal fitting
30 over substantially the entire width to ensure a
wide area of engagement. This increases a terminal holding force and makes the
construction stronger against shear forces.
The escaping recess
28 for permitting entry of the stabilizer
41
is formed in a part of the lock
11 behind the locking section
27
and overlaps at least part of the locking section
27 with respect to width
direction WD. Thus, interference of the stabilizer
41 and the lock
11
is avoided without enlarging the connector.
The escaping recess
28 reduces the rigidity of the rear support of the
lock
11. However, the lock
11 preferably is supported at both front
and rear ends to increase the strength of the lock
11.
The wires W connected with the terminal fittings
30 have a small diameter
in a small connector and may buckle when the terminal fittings
30 are inserted
into the cavities
12. However, the escaping recess
28 is at a supporting
point for the deformation of the locks
11. Thus, insertion forces are lower
and the wires W are less likely to buckle.
The invention is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiment.
For example, the following embodiments are also embraced by the technical scope
of the present invention as defined by the claims. Beside the following embodiments,
various changes can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the
present invention as defined by the claims.
Although female terminal fittings are described in the foregoing embodiment,
the invention is applicable to male terminal fittings.
The stabilizer is provided at the lateral edge at the rear side of the connecting
portion in the foregoing embodiment. However, the stabilizer may, for example,
be at an intermediate portion of the rear side of the connecting portion according
to the invention.
The engaging section engageable with the locking section is formed by the protrusion
and the front edge of the locking hole in the foregoing embodiment. However, the
engaging section may be formed, for example, only by the front edge of the locking
hole according to the present invention.
Although the locking portion is supported at both ends in the foregoing
embodiment, the present invention is also applicable to locking portions supported
only at one end.
*
