Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Limited

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Nobuyoshi Tanaka

Kiyofumi Ichida

Yukinori Saka

Akihito Maegawa

Nori Inoue

Hitoshi Okumura

Tsutomu Sakata

Yoji Kanaoka

Mitsuru Ito

Toshitsugu Morii

Masato Ibaraki

Takayuki Nakatsugawa

A protector () has two half members () forming a tubular shape upon being assembled. One half member () includes a pair of temporary fixing ribs (A,B) projecting more than a contact edge () with the other half member () and standing up at the opposite sides of each of corrugated tubes (A,B), each pair of temporary fixing ribs (A,B) are shaped to be insertable into grooves (A,B) of the corresponding corrugated tube (A,B), and stand-up ends (A,B) of the pair of temporary fixing ribs (A,B) are bent to approach each other along the groove (A,B) of the corrugated tube (A,B).

Protector

A male housing () has a hood () for receiving a female housing () and the female housing () has a locking arm () for engaging the hood () when the housings () are fit together. Protection walls () are formed on the female housing () on opposite sides of the locking arm (). The protection walls () are substantially flush with the hood () when the housings () are fit together. An operation portion () of the locking arm () also is substantially flush with the hood () when the housings () are fit together. A predetermined interval is set between opposed ends of the protection wall () and the hood () and between the operation portion () and the hood (). Thus, an operator's gloves will not be caught while fitting the male and female housing () together.

Connector

A fixing part () has two resiliently deformable legs () separated by a slot (). A locking projection () is formed at a distal end (C) of the fixing part () and has a locking surface (A) spaced from the distal end (C). A maximum cross-sectional dimension (A) of the fixing part () at the locking surface (A) exceeds the diameter (d) of a through-hole () in a substrate (). A tapered sliding-contact surface (B) extends from the locking surface (A) to the distal end (C). Noncontact surfaces () are at opposite circumferential ends of each sliding contact surface (B) and substantially adjacent the slot (). The noncontact surfaces () of each locking projection () are spaced from one another at the slot () by distances that are no greater than the diameter (d) of the through-hole ().

Connector for use in substrate

An unlocking jig () is fit on a female housing () from below. As a result, a guide groove (A) on a bottom portion () of the unlocking jig () engages a convexity (C) on a lower surface of the female housing () and a guide groove (B) on an arm () engages a convexity (B) on a side surface of the female housing (). The unlocking jig () has unlocking claws (a, a) that engage short locking pieces (B,C) when the unlocking jig () is moved and unlock the short locking pieces (B,C) from locks (B,C) on the housing ().

Unlocking jig

A housing () has a terminal-holding part () for holding terminal fittings (). Two sidewalls () extend rearward from the terminal-holding part (), and substrate-fixing parts () project out from outer surfaces of the sidewalls (). Screws (N) are used to fix the substrate-fixing parts () to a substrate (). An alignment plate () is mounted between the sidewalls () and has opening-preventing walls () locked to the sidewalls () to prevent the side walls () from being elastically opened as the screws (N) are tightened.

A cam pin () is provided on a male connector (). A cam groove () is formed on a lever () of a female connector (). On a bottom surface () of a cam part () of the cam groove (), an escape hole () is formed at the side of a cam surface () for separation, with the escape hole () penetrates through an outer wall of a cam plate part (). The groove width of the cam part () is larger than the outer diameter of the cam pin (). Even though foreign matter such as sand penetrates into the cam groove () in a fitted state of the female connector () and the male connector (), the foreign matter can be discharged from the escape hole () to the outside of the connector. If some foreign matter does not pass through the escape hole () but is left in the cam part (), the groove width of the cam part () is larger than the outer diameter of the cam pin () so that the foreign matter does not interfere with a movement of the cam pin ().

Lever-type connector

On a front end surface of a male housing, a columnar sealing projection is formed for a projected portion of each of the male terminals. A sealing member having through-holes formed thereon is formed integrally with a rear surface of a front plate of a holder. When the holder is mounted on a female housing, a contact surface of the sealing member is pressed against the front end surface of the female housing. When the female housing is connected to the male housing, the inner peripheral surfaces of the through-holes of the sealing member closely contact the peripheral surfaces of the sealing projections with the sealing projections breaking the lips of the sealing member.

Waterproof connector

Selectively mounted on a mounting concavity ( ) of a switch-side connector ( ) having a switch terminal ( ) projected therefrom is a first attachment ( ) having a connector fit-on part ( ) and a terminal insertion part ( ) disposed orthogonally to the connector fit-on part ( ) or a second attachment ( ) having a connector fit-on part ( ) and a terminal insertion part ( ) disposed in an approximately straight line. By fitting a mating electric wire-side connector on the connector fit-on part ( ) of the first attachment ( ), an electric wire can be pulled out in the shape of a letter &ldquo;L&rdquo; from the switch-side connector ( ). By fitting the electric wire-side connector on the connector fit-on part ( ) of the second attachment ( ), the electric wire can be pulled out upward and straight from the switch-side connector ( ).

Connector apparatus for switch

A housing ( ) has cavities ( A), and a lance for locking terminal fittings ( ) in the cavities ( A). A region of a lower wall ( ) of the housing ( ) forward from the lance ( ) is formed as an open part ( ). Thus, it is possible to make the entire lower wall ( ) thin, and the housing ( ) can be inserted into a smaller through-hole ( ). A rib ( ) projects between the open parts ( ) of adjacent cavities ( A) and ( A) to increase a distance water would have to creep between the cavities ( A) and ( A). Therefore if a connector ( ) is exposed to water, it is possible to prevent a short circuit between the cavities ( A) and ( A).

A watertight connector has male and female housings ( ). The male housing ( ) has a receptacle ( ) and a gelatinous material accommodating space ( ) rearward of the receptacle ( ). A gelatinous material ( ) is accommodated in the gelatinous material accommodating space ( ). A leading end ( ) of a female housing ( ) is fittable into the receptacle ( ). A slanted surface ( ) is formed on an inner peripheral surface ( ) of the receptacle ( ) continuous with the gelatinous material accommodating space ( ) over the entire periphery of the inner peripheral surface ( ) to define an escaping space ( ). The gelatinous material ( ) is squeezed by the leading end ( ) of the female housing and enters the escaping space ( ).

Terminal fitting

A watertight connector includes male and female housings ( ). The male housing ( ) has an engaging end surface ( A) with a mounting recess ( ) in which a seal ( ) is mountable. The seal ( ) has sealing portions ( ) to be fitted around outer surfaces of pillars ( ) that surround male terminal fittings ( ). A lattice-shaped array of press-in grooves ( ) is provided between the sealing portions ( ), and a peripheral press-in groove ( ) is formed between the sealing portions ( ) and the mounting recess ( ). A peripheral rib ( ) and a lattice-shaped array of ribs ( ) project from an engaging end surface ( A) of the female housing ( ). The ribs ( ) enter the press-in grooves ( ) as the housings ( ) are connected and come into sealing contact with the outer circumferential surfaces of the sealing portions ( ).

Watertight connector and sealing member

Electrical connector

Electrical connector housing

A connector is provided for production by a mold having a simple configuration. Inner surfaces of opposite side walls of a cavity (11) of the connector housing (10) are formed with guiding grooves (16) for permitting the passage of restricting projections (24) when a properly oriented female terminal fitting (20) is inserted. In the outer surfaces of the opposite side walls of the connector housing (10) are formed guide grooves (18) for permitting the passage of engaging projections (42) of a retainer (40). Through holes (17) are so formed in the side walls of the connector housing (10) as to provide partial communication between the guiding grooves (16) and the guide grooves (18).

An electrical connector is provided that includes a hood surrounding a terminal housing having an open front end and a plurality of adjacent terminal receiving chambers for receiving and holding electrical terminals, and each terminal receiving chamber is provided with a resilient locking piece having a free end extending toward the open front end. The resilient locking pieces can be resiliently deflected by a respective terminal from a normal position upon insertion of the terminal within a respective terminal receiving chamber and can resiliently return to the normal position upon complete insertion of the electrical terminal to thereby engage a portion of the electrical terminal to prevent removal from the terminal receiving chamber. Additionally, an insertion space is formed between a wall of the terminal housing and the plurality of terminal receiving chambers, and a retaining member is configured to be inserted within the insertion space. The retaining member includes at least one retaining surface arranged to correspond with a respective resilient locking piece to prevent deflection thereof from the normal position. At least one recess is formed in the retaining member and positioned within an outermost end of a respective terminal receiving chamber to facilitate contact of only an outermost end of the respective electrical terminal by an end face of a probe pin of a test unit. When the retaining member is fully inserted within the insertion space, an outermost end of the retaining member lies substantially coextensive with an outermost end of the front end of the terminal housing. The retaining member also includes a flange projecting outwardly therefrom at the outermost end to facilitate removal thereof from the insertion space, and a recess is formed in the wall of the terminal housing for receiving the flange when the retaining member is fully inserted within the insertion space. A notch is formed in the wall and positioned within the recess, the notch permitting ready access to the flange for engagement of the flange by a tool to facilitate removal of the retaining member.

Growing community of inventors

Yokkaichi, Japan

Nobuyoshi Tanaka