Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Limited

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Hirotaka Makino

Hajime Okada

Eiji Kojima

Kazuhiko Nimura

Kouichi Shirouzu

Masahiko Aoyama

Masashi Saito

Masahide Hio

Kazuyuki Shiraki

Takatoshi Katsuma

Takao Hata

A terminal fitting ( ) has connecting portion ( ) with an engaging portion ( ) to be engaged with a resin lock ( ) of a connector ( ). The engaging portion ( ) projects with a step from an upper wall ( ) to ensure a large engaging area with the resin lock ( ). An outer edge ( A) of the engaging portion ( ) is closer to the resin lock ( ) than an inner edge ( B) thereof. Thus, when the terminal fitting ( ) is pulled back in withdrawing direction, a force acts to move the leading end of the resin lock ( ) from the outer edge ( A) of the engaging portion ( ) toward the inner edge ( B). Therefore, the terminal fitting ( ) is difficult to disengage from the resin lock ( ), and a large engaging force is secured.

Terminal fitting with outwardly projecting engagement portion for engaging a resin lock and a method of forming the terminal fitting

A female terminal fitting ( ) has a rectangular tubular connecting portion ( ) for connection with a male tab ( ). First and second contacts ( C, ) are provided respectively on first and second opposed walls ( ) of the connecting portion ( ). The contacts ( C, ) resiliently contact and hold the male tab ( ). The first contact ( C) is provided at the leading end of a resilient contact piece ( ). An engaging edge ( ) projects from one side of a base ( A) of the resilient contact piece ( ) and is fit into a locking hole ( ) formed in a sidewall ( ) to position the base ( A) of the resilient contact piece ( ) and prevent it from being raised.

Female terminal fitting with a resilient contact piece locked at a specified position therein

A connector has a retainer which is insertable through one side surface of a housing . The retainer is provided with forked locking arms. The width and/or thickness of partial locking arms is set smaller than the full locking arms to thereby set the elastic forces of the partial locking arms smaller than those of the full locking arms

Connector

A connector is provided to prevent an increase of stresses in soldered portions between terminals and a circuit board during thermal expansion. Terminals 11 are mounted in a housing 10 and are positioned by an alignment plate 12 for mounting in holes H of a circuit board P. Movable holding portions 17, which are elastically deformable, are formed in a plate main body 13 of the alignment plate 12. The movable holding portions 17 are connected with the plate main body 13 via connection portions 18. Positioning holes 15 for aligning the terminals 11 are formed in each movable holding portion 17. Even if the plate main body 13 is displaced with respect to the circuit board P due to thermal expansion with the terminals 11 fitted in and soldered to connection holes of the circuit board P, such a relative displacement is corrected by the elastic deformation of the movable holding portions 17 and the connection portions 18 and, accordingly, the positioning holes 15 are held in specified positions with respect to the connection holes. Therefore, there is no likelihood that stresses in the soldered portions increase due to the displacement of the positioning holes 15 with respect to the connection holes.

Connector for a circuit board

An electrical connector C for a circuit board P has elongate terminals 11 extending therefrom. An alignment plate 12 supports the ends of the terminals 11 against bending and ensures alignment of the terminals 11 with corresponding apertures of the circuit board. A guide portion 13 of the alignment plate 12 is movable relative to an attachment portion so as to accommodate relative thermal expansion and thereby reduces stress on the electrical connection between the terminals 11 and the circuit board P.

A platelike member (10) for being associated with an electrical device (70), includes openings or recesses (30) for receiving terminals (50) therein, the openings or recesses (30) being arranged in columns and rows. The openings or recesses (30) in one column and/or row are at least partly offset with respect to ones in adjacent columns and/or rows, and at least some of the columns and rows are intersected by at least one means (20) for reducing or absorbing stress and/or strain. Thus, the platelike member (10) can absorb and/or reduce thermal and/or mechanical stress and/or strain induced during the assembling and mounting operation while allowing a high density arrangement of the terminals (50).

Platelike member

A cover 20 is attached to connector body 10, and has a connecting and supporting member 30 engageable with a receiving member 16. Once engaged the member 30 cannot be removed. The connecting and supporting member 30 can be released only by breaking a breakable member 32. Consequently the connection of the cover 20 with the connector body 10 is maintained with certainty. In a preferred embodiment a part of the breakable member 31 is retained after breaking, this giving evidence that the cover has been removed.

A lever connector assembly has a stopping projection 35, which serves to hold a lever 30 in an initial position, and is located in such a position that it is distant from a trace described by a cam pin 12 as the cam pin 12 is inserted into a cam groove 34. When connectors 10 and 20 are in an initial fitting state, the cam pin 12 is inserted into the cam groove 34. Pivoting of the lever 30 results in a pressing member 13 engaging the stopping projection 35 and moving it outwards, to separate from the fitting groove 24. The amount of movement of the projection 35 is reduced compared with the prior art, and as a consequence frictional resistance to movement is lower.

Lever type connector

A retainer includes a retainer body and flexible locking strips for locking the retainer to a connector housing at a predetermined position. The retainer body has a plurality of through-holes through which terminals are inserted and a plurality of engaging portions each for preventing each terminal inserted into the connector housing from being moved in a return direction. The flexible locking strips form a part of each of front and rear walls of the retainer body.

Connector with retainer including central, Integrally formed locking

A holding tool (40) is inserted into a retainer-attaching hole or a holding tool-accommodating space (22) with the holding tool (40) supporting a short-circuit terminal (15) therein. The short-circuit terminal (15) is inserted into a cavity (14) in a connector housing (10) by pushing a rear end of the terminal (15) through a handling aperture (23) by means of a pushing pin (45). Since the terminal (15) is inserted into the connector housing (10) from its lower side, a front opening of the cavity (14) can be formed into the smallest size so that a short-circuit-releasing member (31) can enter the opening (20). Extraneous substances hardly enter the cavity (14) in the connector housing (10) through the opening (20). Also, since the handling aperture (23) may be formed into the smallest size so that the pushing pin (45) can enter the aperture (23), the connector housing (10) becomes a small size. Thus, the connector housing (10) can be prevented from becoming a large-sized configuration and from entrance of the extraneous substances through the front opening (20) of the cavity (14).

Connector assembly containing a short circuit terminal

To facilitate the insertion of a metal terminal with a waterproof seal into a cavity, a tool is provided with a stepped tubular portion and a grip portion connected to the tubular portion. The stepped tubular portion has, in one embodiment, four cylindrical portions having different outer diameters, and the outer diameters decrease stepwise toward a distal end of the tubular portion. A slit is formed in the tubular portion and extends from the distal end thereof into the fourth cylindrical portion. The slit has a width so as to allow a wire to pass therethrough. With this construction, the distal end of the cylindrical portion can easily push the waterproof seal without deformation.

Metal terminal insertion tool and method for inserting a metal terminal

A waterproofed connector has an outlet for an electrical cable which is molded by a resin material under a structure which can prevent a mold resin material from entering into terminal metal fixtures. The waterproofed connector includes a connector housing (10) having a cavity (12), terminal metal fixtures (40) each connected to an end of each core wire (22) of an electrical cable (20) and inserted into a terminal opening (131) in the cavity (12), a plug body (50) inserted into the cavity (12) and having a pair of through holes (53) for permitting each core wire (22) to pass through and a mold resin layer (100) formed around a rear end of the connector housing (10). The plug body (50) made of a resilient material contacts firmly with an interior of the opening (131), so that the plug body (50) can prevent the mold resin material from entering into the terminal metal fixtures when molding and also can perform waterproofing even if any clearance is formed between the mold resin layer (100) and the electrical cables (22). The plug body (50) and an accommodating chamber in the cavity (12) may be provided with tapered exterior and interior, respectively, thereby causing a close contact between the plug body (50) and the connector housing (10) by an injection pressure of a mold resin material. The plug body and accommodating chamber may not be provided with the tapered exterior and interior. A waterproofing seal (30) may be mounted on each terminal metal fixture (40) through the opening (131) in the cavity (12) so that the seal (30) makes close contact with the interior of the cavity (12). Even if any clearance may be formed between the mold resin layer (100) and the electrical cables (22) or the connector housing (10), the water which enters into the cavity (12) through the clearance is prevented from further advancing in the cavity by the waterproofing seal (30).

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Yokkaichi, Japan

Hirotaka Makino