Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Limited

Hiroyuki Hiramatsu

Yoshihiro Mizutani

Hideki Matsunaga

Keisuke Teramoto

Tomohiko Kobayashi

Wataru Shamoto

Brian Nagy

Martin Spencer

Kevin Davis

Lalee Xiong

A male terminalto be accommodated into a cavityof a housingincludes a plate-like tabformed in a front end part, and a box portionin the form of a rectangular tube connected to a rear part of the taband open rearward. A first projectionprojecting in a thickness direction of the tabis formed on one plate surface of the tab, and press-fit to an inner wall of the cavityof the housingfrom behind.

Male connector provided with housing that accomodates male terminal

A connector has a male housing () with a forwardly open receptacle () and a female housing () with a terminal accommodating portion () that fits into the receptacle (). A front wall () is mounted on a front of the terminal accommodating portion () and provides terminal insertion holes (). Fitting projections () are formed on an inner peripheral surface of the receptacle (), and fitting grooves () are formed on an outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion () for receiving the fitting projections (). Backlash preventing ribs () are formed on inner surfaces of the fitting grooves () and are squeezed between inner surfaces of the fitting grooves () and outer surfaces of the fitting projections (). The front wall () has escaping grooves () configured to allow the fitting projections () to be passed therethrough with a clearance and inserted into the fitting grooves ().

Connector having a housing with a backlash preventing rib

A spring lock type connector has a male connector (M) with a front receptacle (). A female connector (F) is fit on an outer peripheral side of the front receptacle () and has a terminal accommodating portion () to be fit into the front receptacle (). A spring () is mounted onto the female connector (F) and deforms to spread as the female connector (F) is connected to the male connector (M). The connectors are locked in a properly connected state by a spring force of the spring. Engaging recesses () are provided on the outer surface of the male connector (M) and engage with the spring (). The recesses () are recessed inwardly of the outer surface of the front receptacle () and are more backward than a connecting bottom surface () on a back end of the inner surface of the front receptacle ().

Spring lock type connector

A spring lock connector has a male connector (M) with a cylindrical front receptacle () and a female connector (F) with a terminal accommodating portion () to be fit into the front receptacle () and on an outer peripheral side of the front receptacle (). A spring () is mounted on the female connector (F) and spreads as the female connector (F) is connected to the male connector (M). The spring () includes engaging portions () arranged in an entrance path for the front receptacle (). Guides () are provided on an opening edge of the front receptacle () and move onto the engaging portions () if a connecting operation is performed in proper connecting postures. Parts of the opening edge of the front receptacle () other than the guides () contact the engaging portions () to prevent connection if the connecting operation is performed in improper connecting postures.

A spring lock connector includes a female connector (F) with a lock arm () capable of releasing locking by lifting up the spring. Left and right protection walls () are arranged at opposite left and right sides of the lock arm (). Left and right resilient pieces () extend in forward and backward directions between the lock arm () and the protection walls () for coupling the lock arm () to the protection walls (). Left and right displacement preventing walls () are provided at an interval narrower than the protection wallsbelow the protection walls (). A rear part of the lock arm () is fit into a clearance between the both displacement preventing walls () together with the resilient pieces () when the lock arm () is unlocked, thereby preventing lateral displacements of the lock arm ().

Spring lock connector

A connector (M) includes a terminal fitting accommodation member (), made of synthetic resin, which accommodates a plurality of terminal fittings () and a tube (), produced separately from the terminal fitting accommodation member (), a front end of which is mounted in a mounting hole (H) of a panel. The connector (M) is constructed by mounting the terminal fitting accommodation member () on the tube ().

Connector

A connector () for a substrate has a tubular hood () in which at least one mating housing can be fit. The hood () is mounted on a surface of a circuit substrate (). Channels () are formed in a bottom wall () of the hood () and define grooves opening into the hood () for preventing the mating housings from being fitted in wrong fit-in concavities () of the hood (). The channels () have flat bottom surfaces that contact and extend along the circuit substrate () for stably supporting the hood () while spacing the bottom wall () from the circuit substrate ().

Connector with channels having concave grooves facing into connector and convex support surfaces for mounting on substrate

A male housing () includes a receptacle () in which male tabs project. A female housing () includes a tower () with cavities () for accommodating terminal fittings. A front holder () is mountable on the tower () and has a front wall (). A surrounding wall () projects from a peripheral edge of the front wall () for covering the outer peripheral surface of the tower (). A receptacle () is fit on the tower () with the front holder () thereon. Inner projections () are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the surrounding wall () and project towards the outer peripheral surface of the tower () and outer projections () are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the surrounding wall () and project towards the inner peripheral surface of the receptacle ().

A prevention part projected forward from a rear-end surface of a hood part () has a first prevention piece () disposed within a region of a rear-end surface of the hood part () from which a plurality of tabs () is projected; and a pair of second prevention pieces () so disposed as to sandwich the first prevention piece () therebetween, with the second prevention pieces () and the first prevention piece () arranged in a row at certain intervals. The tabs () are disposed between the first prevention piece () and the second prevention pieces (). This construction is capable of decreasing a tab-disposing region.

A wire cover () is mounted on a rear part of a housing main body () to cover wires () drawn out from the rear surface of the housing main body (). Cover locks () are provided on side walls () of the wire cover (), and cover engaging portions () are provided on side surfaces of the housing main body (). The cover locks () and the cover engaging portions () resiliently engage each other as the side walls () are resiliently deformed to hold the wire cover () on the housing main body (). Detachment preventing pieces () are provided in parallel with the cover locks () on the side walls (). The detachment preventing pieces () are accommodated in the receptacle when the housings () are connected properly.

Connector and a connector assembly

A connector includes female and male housings () that are connectable along a connecting direction (CD). A connection detector () is mounted on the female housing () for movement along the connecting direction (CD) between standby and detection positions. The connection detector () does not contact receiving portions () of the male housing () when the connection detector () is at the standby position. However, pressing portions () of the connection detector () press the receiving portions () when the connection detector (CD) is at the detection position to prevent relative movements of the connection detector () and the male connector housing (). Thus, connection resistance between the receiving portions () and the pressing portions () is not produced when the connection detector () is at the standby position.

A male terminal fitting (A) is inserted into a cavity () in a housing () from the rear, and has a tab (A) that passes through an open portion () of a front wall () of the cavity (). A proximal portion (A) of the tab (A) is sandwiched in a thickness direction between an inner surface of the open portion () and a front closure () mounted on the open portion (). The thickness of the proximal portion (A) of the tab (A) of the terminal fitting (A) is less than that of a connection portion (A) of the tab (A). Therefore the connection portion (A) of the tab (A) can have a thickness different from a predetermined thickness, provided that the proximal portion (A) of the tab (A) has the predetermined thickness.

A connector has a male housing () with a hood () and a female housing () that can be telescoped into the hood (). The female housing () has an elastic hold-down piece () that elastically contacts the male housing () at an angle to a direction in which the housings () are telescoped together. An elastic pressing force of the elastic hold-down piece () prevents housings () and () from shaking at an angle to the fit-in direction. The elastic hold-down piece () is made of the synthetic resin and has a small elastic deformation amount. Thus, the elastic hold-down piece () has a higher effect than an elastic hold-down piece made of rubber in preventing shaking.

A connector has a front retainer () that can be held at a partial or full locking position, engaging portions () formed on outer surfaces of locking arms () are engaged with partial locks () or full locks (). Thus, even if resilient deforming portions () of the locking arms () are deformed to widen the spacing therebetween due to a thermal shrinkage at the time of resin-molding, areas of engagement of the engaging portions () and the partial locks () and those of the engaging portions () and the full locks () are not reduced. Further, engaged parts of the engaging portions () and the partial or full locks () are in insertion spaces (), and the front retainer () will not be unlocked by interference of external matter.

A lock arm () is in the form of a cantilever and hitting portions () are arranged at positions closer to the free end of the lock arm () than a lock portion (), a distance from a supporting point of the resilient deformation of the lock arm () (leg portion ()) to the hitting portions () can be made longer as compared to a seesaw-shaped lock arm. This means that larger moment forces of the hitting portions () can be ensured when the lock arm () is resiliently deformed. Therefore, a large hitting sound can be produced when two connector housings () are properly connected.

Growing community of inventors

Yokkaichi, Japan

Hiroyuki Hiramatsu