Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Limited

Autonetworks Technologies, Limited

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Hidefumi Horiuchi

Yasuo Omori

Hideto Nakamura

Takamaru Amano

Takashi Tsuchiya

Yuji Kitagawa

Norihito Hashimoto

Wataru Yamanaka

Yuichi Goto

Kimiyasu Okumura

A housing () includes a lock arm () for resiliently connecting and holding a mating housing (). A detector () is movable to a standby position and a detection position with respect to the lock arm (), and includes a resilient arm () to be resiliently locked by the lock arm () at the standby position. The lock arm () includes colliding portions () arranged at both sides of a front part of the resilient arm () and projecting farther forward than a front end of the resilient arm () and configured to contact a wall surface of the housing () or the mating housing () by a resilient returning movement of the lock arm () when the detector () is at the detection position.

Connector

A connector is provided with a housing () including a lock arm () configured to hold a mating housing () in a connected state and a detector () to be assembled movably to a standby position and a detection position with respect to the housing (). The lock arm () includes pressure receiving portions (). The detector () includes pressing portions () configured to displace the lock arm () in a direction to increase a locking margin with a lock portion by pressing the pressure receiving portions () at least either when the detector () reaches the detection position or when an external force acts on the detector () in a direction opposite to a direction toward the standby position.

A connector includes a first housing () with a lock arm (), a second housing () with a lock () is connectable to the first housing (), and a detector () is mounted movably on the first housing (). The lock () includes a standing wall () extending along a direction intersecting a connecting direction of the first and second housings (). A locking area () to be locked by the lock arm () when the first and second housings () are connected properly is provided on one wall surface of the standing wall () and a pressing area () for pressing the detector () in the process of connecting the first and second housings () is provided on another wall surface of the standing wall ().

A connector includes a substantially rectangular seal ring () with four corners formed by arcuate portions (). Ear-like protruding portions () are formed on the seal ring () to extend along the arcuate portions () on the four corners and project toward an outer periphery. The ear-like protruding portions () are configured to regulate rattling in a connecting direction of first and second housings () by being resiliently compressed between a back end surface (S) of a connection space () of the first housing () and a tip surface (S) of a receptacle () of the second housing () with the first and second housings () connected. Pressure receiving portions (A,B) project from surfaces of the ear-like protruding portions () facing the receptacle () and are divided in a circumferential direction by grooves ().

Connector with seal ring having ear-like protruding portions

A connector includes a detector () movable to a standby position and a detection position with respect to a housing (). The detector () is kept at the standby position in the process of connecting two housings () and is biased by biasing members () and brought to the detection position when the two housings () are properly connected. The detector () includes a resilient arm () configured to slide on a sliding surface () of the housing () while being resiliently deformed in the process of reaching the detection position.

It is aimed to provide a connector capable of ensuring the integrity of a lock arm and a detector in the process of deflecting the lock arm and enhancing a degree of freedom in designing the lock arm. A detector () movable in a front-back direction between a standby position and a detection position is assembled with a housing (). The detector () includes a contact portion () displaceable together with a front end part () of a lock arm () during the interference of the front end part () of the lock arm () and a mating lock () contacting the front part () of the lock arm () in a height direction intersecting with the front-back direction at the standby position. The contact portion () stands up in the height direction from a front end part of the locking arm and then projects forward.

A connector has a housing () with a lock arm () and a slider () that is movable on the housing () between an advanced position and a retracted position. A deflection regulating portion () projects from the slider () into a deflection space () for the lock arm () on a rear part of the lock arm () when the slider () is at the retracted position. The deflection regulating portion () is configured to regulate deflection of a lock arm (). The slider () includes an unlocking portion () configured to cover a releasing surface of the lock arm () from a side opposite the deflection space () at the advanced position and has a shape suspended toward the deflection space (). The unlocking portion () presses the releasing surface by receiving an operation force (F) that deflects the lock arm () in an unlocking direction.

A connector housing is provided capable of reliably preventing a terminal fitting from being inserted and accommodated in a vertically inverted posture into a cavity. A connector housing includes a cavity capable of accommodating a terminal fitting provided with a projection on an outer side surface of a terminal main body portion in the form of a rectangular tube. The cavity includes a main body accommodating portion into which the terminal main body portion is to be accommodated and a groove portion into which the projection is insertable and movable forward when the terminal fitting is inserted in a proper posture into the cavity. A guiding portion for angularly displacing the terminal main body portion by coming into contact with the projection when the terminal fitting is inserted in a vertically inverted posture into the cavity is provided on a side of the cavity before the main body accommodating portion.

Connector housing

A detector () configured to be pressed and moved by a second housing () in the process of connecting first and second housings () and separate the second housingfrom the first housing () when a connecting operation of the first and second housings is stopped halfway is mounted on the first housing (). The detector () integrally includes a resilient arm () configured to apply a separation force to the second housing () in a direction to separate the second housing () from the first housing () by sliding on a guiding surface () in one of the first and second housings () to be deflected and deformed in a direction intersecting a connecting direction of the first and second housings () in the process of connecting the first and second housings ().

A joint connector () for electrically connecting a plurality of terminal fittings () mounted on ends of a plurality of ground wires (W) of a vehicle includes a pair of terminal holding portions (A,A) for holding a pair of the terminal fittings (). A pair of locking lances () deflectable with respect to each other and configured to suppress the withdrawal of the pair of terminal fittings () by locking the pair of terminal fittings () are arranged back to back with each other via a deflection permitting space () between the pair of terminal holding portions (A,A).

Joint connector with pairs of locking lances and communication space extending between the pairs of locking lances

Full lock receiving portions () are provided on a widthwise central part of a housing (), and partial lock receiving portions () are provided on opposite widthwise end parts of the housing (). Full locking portions () configured to prevent a movement of a retainer () to a full locking position by coming into contact with a facing wall surface of a housing () at a partial locking position and prevent the retainer () from returning to the partial locking position by being locked to the full lock receiving portions () at the full locking position are provided on a widthwise central part of the retainer (). Partial locking portions () configured to prevent the retainer () from coming out of the housing () by being locked to the partial lock receiving portions () at the partial locking position are provided on opposite widthwise end parts of the retainer ().

A conductive plate () for grounding a plurality of first ground wires (W) to a body of a vehicle includes a conductive plate main body () with a body-side grounding portion () to be grounded to the body by being bolted to the body. Terminal connecting portions (B) are on one end of the conductive plate main body () and are to be connected to wire-side terminals () electrically connected to the respective first ground wires (W). A first rib group () and a second rib group () project from the conductive plate main body () in a thickness direction of the conductive plate main body () and set the rigidity of the conductive plate main body () to be low at a position close to the body-side grounding portion () and high at a position distant from the body-side grounding portion ().

Conductive plate and joint connector

A ground terminal assembly includes ground terminals (A,B) and a connecting fitting (). Each ground terminal (A,B) has a main portion (A,B) with a bolt insertion hole (). A barrel (A,B) extends from the main portion (A,B) and can be crimped to a ground wire W. The connecting fitting () has superimposing portions (A,B) formed with bolt insertion holes () and on which the main portions (A,B) of the ground terminals (A,B) are placed. The barrels (A,B) of the ground terminals (A,B) are arranged so that their extending ends () come close to each other when the main portions (A,B) of the ground terminals (A,B) are placed on and connected to the corresponding superimposing portions (A,B) of the connecting fitting () at positions where the bolt insertion holes () align.

Ground terminal assembly structure

A connector assembling jig is used for a housing () that includes a main body () with terminal accommodating portions () and locking pieces () for locking terminal fittings () in the terminal accommodating portions () and in which each locking piece () projects from the main body () in an insufficient inserted state of the corresponding terminal fitting (), and can detect insufficient insertion of the terminal fitting () when the terminal fitting () is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion (). The connector assembling jig has a holder () including an accommodating recess () for the housing () and a detection arm () which is set to an insufficient insertion detecting posture when any locking piece () projects, and the accommodating recess () is formed with a positioning groove () for receiving a positioning rib () of the housing ().

Connector assembling jig

A connector assembly has a male connector () with a receptacle (), a female connector () to be fit into the receptacle () and a moving plate () for positioning male terminal fittings (). The moving plate () includes a plate-like plate main body () with positioning holesand is movable toward a back side of the receptacle () together with the female connector () from an initial position where leading ends of the male terminal fittings () project through the positioning holes (). Protection walls () project forward to protect the leading ends of the male terminal fittings () projecting at the initial position. The female connector () is formed with recesses () for permitting the protection walls () to escape. Each protection wall () is arranged between adjacent male terminal fitting groups ().

Growing community of inventors

Mie, Japan

Hidefumi Horiuchi