Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Limited

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Autonetworks Technologies, Limited

Keiichi Nakamura

Yutaka Kobayashi

Hajime Kawase

Ryotaro Ishikawa

Yutaka Noro

Yoshiyuki Ishikawa

Takahiro Kikuchi

Yutaka Nora

Takahiro Yoneda

Ryo Sawada

Ken Yoshimura

Song Zheng

Nobuhiro Suzuki

Satoru Nishide

Tomoyuki Sakata

Yuuichi Nankou

Masami Sakai

Masahiro Noda

Takahiko Saitou

Hiroko Kato

Takumi Hiraishi

Takeshi Masuda

Hiromu Otani

Takehide Terasawa

A connector that includes a male connector; and a female connector including a housing to be fit to the male connector along a connecting direction, wherein: a first connector of the male connector and the female connector is fixed with a second connector of the male connector and the female connector connected and, a rigidity k [N/m] satisfies k&#x3c;360000 when the second connector is distorted at a test speed of 1 mm/min in a direction intersecting the connecting direction and satisfies k&#x2265;(2.0&#xd7;10)&#xd7;m, where m [kg] denotes a mass of the second connector.

Connector

A tab () of a male terminal () is inserted into a main portion () of a female terminal (). The tab () contacts a contact portion () of a resilient contact piece () to connect the female and male terminals () electrically. A guiding portion () is formed on an inner surface of the main portion () for guiding the tab () inserted into the main portion () to a position where the tab () contacts the contact portion (). The guiding portion () extends from a position before a contact position of the tab () with the contact portion () to the contact position while being inclined with respect to an inserting direction of the tab ().

Female terminal fitting

A terminal fitting (A) to (D,) is provided with a connecting portion () to be connected with a mating terminal, a wire barrel () to be crimped into connection with an end portion of a conductor () exposed by removing an insulation coating () of a wire () in which the conductor () made up of twisted strands is covered by the insulation coating (), and a restriction () capable of restricting the widening of a leading end side of the conductor () by projecting from a wire barrel () side toward the connecting portion ().

Terminal fitting

A connector is provided with a housing () to be connected with a mating connector housing () upon receiving a pushing force from behind, and a slider () (connection detecting member) to be mounted into the housing () relatively movably between a standby position and a connection position. The slider () includes such an operating plate () as to entirely cover the rear end surface of the housing () at a position behind the rear end surface of the connector housing (). If the operating plate () is pushed forward, a connecting operation of two housings () proceeds and the slider () is moved from the standby position to the connection position.

Connector with a connection detector having an operating plate that is pushed during connection

A movable member () is located at a malfunction preventing position and a pair of functional terminals () are shorted by a shorting terminal () unless two housings () are properly connected, whereas the movable member () is moved to a connection detecting position and the shorting terminal () shorts a pair of detection terminals () at the same time as being disengaged from the pair of functional terminals () when the two housings () are properly connected. Since the shorting terminal () is commonly used to short the pair of functional terminals () for the malfunction prevention and the like and to short the pair of detection terminals () for the detection of a connected state of the two housings (), the number of parts can be reduced.

Connector and a connector assembly

A housing () has a lock arm () that pivots about a fulcrum () that is rearward of a pivoting portion () of the lock arm (). A detection terminal () has a rear support () supported on the housing () rearward of the pivoting portion (). An action portion () of the detection terminal () is engaged with the pivoting portion () and displaces with the pivoting portion (). The lock arm () deforms during connection of the housing () and a mating housing () so that contacts () of the detection terminal () are not in contact with mating detection terminals (). However, the lock arm () returns resiliently when the housings () are connected properly so that the contacts () contact the mating detection terminals ().

Connector, connector assembly and a detection terminal

A male terminal fitting () is formed by bending a flat metal plate worked into a specified shape and includes a contact (), a rectangular tube () formed to be wider than the contact (), and a link () between the contact () and the rectangular tube (). The link () is not connected with the front edge of the upper surface of the rectangular tube () over the entire width. Thus, bending resistance against an external force can be improved by increasing deflectability while holding down bending rigidity.

Terminal fitting and a blank therefor

Male terminal fitting and blank therefor

A female housing () is mounted into a male housing () in a direction substantially normal to a connecting direction of the two housings (), and is inserted from this mount position toward the back side of a receptacle along the connecting direction. A moving plate () is assembled inside the receptacle (), has an opening (A) that is open toward a side from which the female housing () is mounted, and is formed with a guiding wall () for positioning the female housing () before the connection is started by being brought into contact with the upper surface and the opposite side surfaces of the female housing () reaching the mount position through the opening (A).

Connector device

A female connector (F) has a housing () with a front end and cavities () extend to the front end. Terminal fittings () are mounted in the cavities (). A front wall () is mounted on the front end of the housing () and is formed with tab insertion holes () that can communicate with cavities (). An operable surface (A) is exposed at an end surface of the front wall (). The front wall () can be moved from a full locking position to a partial locking position along the front end of the housing () by pushing this operable surface (A). Portions of the end surface of the front wall () other than the operable surface (A) are covered at least partly by an wall () of the housing () to limit movement of the front wall ().

Apparatus and method for conducting an electrical test on a terminal fitting in a connector

Connector with moving front wall

A terminal fitting (T) has a rectangular tube () with a side plate (R) and a receiving plate () that extends inwardly in a width direction from the front edge of the side plate (R). A probe (P) can be brought into contact with this receiving plate (). Thus, a contact area of the probe (P) along the width direction is wider than the thickness of the right side plate (R). Thus, the probe (P) can be brought securely into contact with the rectangular tube () even if displaced along the width direction.

Terminal fitting and a connector provided therewith

A male terminal fitting () has a rectangular tube (). A cut is made in wall of the rectangular tube () to form a stabilizer () and produces a cut hole (). An end edge of a closing plate () is arranged to face the cut hole () and a closing piece () is formed at a rear-end opening of the rectangular tube (). The closing plate () and the covering piece () substantially prevent external matter or a leading end of another male terminal fitting () from intruding into the rectangular tube ().

A male terminal fitting () has a rectangular tube (). A locking edge () engageable with a locking portion provided in a cavity is formed over the entire width in an outer surface of a rectangular tube (). No opening is formed in the outer surface of the rectangular tube portion () by forming this locking edge (). Closing pieces () are provided at positions slightly retracted inwardly of the locking edge (). Thus, problems such as the intrusion of external matter from the outside and the deformation of a leading end portion of another male terminal fitting () due to the entrance into the rectangular tube () can be avoided.

Growing community of inventors

Yokkaichi, Japan

Keiichi Nakamura