Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Limited

Ryotaro Ishikawa

Hajime Kawase

Yuuichi Nankou

Keiichi Nakamura

Hideto Nakamura

Yutaka Kobayashi

Yutaka Noro

Takeshi Tsuji

Satoru Nishide

Naoya Kurimoto

Yukihiro Fukatsu

Shinya Fujita

Toshikazu Sakurai

Takahiro Yoneda

Kiyofumi Ichida

Ryo Sawada

Ken Yoshimura

Kozue Takatsuki

Yutaka Nora

Kazuaki Takeda

Song Zheng

Nobuhiro Suzuki

Takamaru Amano

Yoshihiro Uchiyama

Tomoaki Yasuda

Hiroki Osawa

Masahiro Noda

Katsuya Uezono

Yuki Hirose

Shunsuke Tanimura

It is aimed to provide a connector capable of ensuring predetermined sealability. A connector is provided with a housing connectable to a mating housing, a seal to be mounted into the housing, and a moving member movable with respect to the housing. The seal has a sealing surface to be held in close contact with the mating housing. The moving member is arranged at a position facing the sealing surface of the seal before connection of the both housings.

Liquid-tight movable connector

A seal () to be mounted into a rear part of a housingand is formed with seal holes () configured to allow wires () connected to rear parts of terminal fittings () to pass therethrough in a liquid-tight manner. The seal () includes a body () constituting rear areas (R) of the seal holes () and having an outer peripheral lip () formed on an outer periphery. An area between inner peripheries of the seal holes () and the outer peripheral lip () defines a solid resilient portion (). Following portions () project forwardly of the outer peripheral lip () from a front surface of the body (). The following portions () constitute front areas (F) of the seal holes () and are resiliently deformable in directions intersecting a penetrating direction of the seal holes ().

Seal member and waterproof connector

A lever type connector includes: a first housing; a lever that is rotatably fixed to the first housing; a cam groove formed in the lever; and a second housing having a cam follower. The first housing and the second housing are fitted together by rotating the leverin a fitting direction in a state in which the cam groove and the cam follower are engaged to each other. A plurality of operation protrusions (fitting operating portions) are formed on the lever so as to contact an operator's finger at the time of a fitting operation, and are arranged at an interval in the rotating direction of the lever.

Lever type connector

A connector (A) includes a partition () for partitioning an insertion hole () for a tab () and a mold removal space () for a locking lance (). A retainer () is pivoted between a partial locking position and a full locking position. A lock () restricts a displacement of the retainer (). A retracted portion () is formed in an area (R) of a facing wall () behind the retainer () to mold the lock () and retracted from an insertion path for a male terminal fitting () as compared with an area (F) of the facing wall () before the retainer (). The retainer () includes a restriction () for restricting the inclination of the male terminal fitting () by being so displaced, at the partial locking position, that a rear end of the male terminal fitting () moves toward the retracted portion ().

Connector formed with a retainer having terminal alignment features

A terminal fitting () has a rectangular tubular box () with an open rear end. A tab () extends forward from the box () and a crimping portion () is behind the box () for connection to a wire (). The box () includes a base plate (), two side plates () extending from opposite left and right sides of the base plate (), and a supporting plate () extending from the side plates () substantially parallel to the base plate (). The rear end of the supporting plate () defines a locking portion () to engage a locking lance (). Only one restricting plate () extends from an extending end edge of a supporting plate () toward the base plate () substantially parallel to the side plates (). A rear end (R) of the restricting plate () is in the box () forward of the locking portion ().

Terminal fitting

A rectangular tubular terminal connecting portion () includes two side plates () standing up from opposite sides of a base plate () via curved portions (). A resilient contact piece () includes a substantially arcuate turned portion () extending forward from a front end (F) of the base plate () and a main portion () extending back from an extending end of the turned portion (). First slits () extend back from a front end (F) of the terminal connecting portion () along lateral edges (S) of the turned portion (), second slits () extend from the rear ends of the first slits () along the front ends (F,F) of the base plate () and the curved portions (), and protecting plates () defined by the first and second slits () are cantilevered toward the turned portion ().

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 locking projection () projecting from a cantilever-shaped locking lance () extending forward along an inner wall of a cavity () includes a first locking area () and a second locking area (). The first locking area () is arranged at a projecting end of the locking projection () and is engaged with a terminal fitting () in a state where the locking lance () is not resiliently deformed. The second locking area () is arranged at a base end of the locking projection () and is not engaged with the terminal fitting () in the state where the locking lance () is not resiliently deformed, but engaged with the terminal fitting () by the resilient deformation of the locking lance toward the cavity.

Connector

A female housing () is divided into a first and a second blocks (A,B) that can be united by fitting a rib () of the second block (B) into a dovetail groove () of the first block (A). With the two blocks (A,B) united, tab-shaped terminal insertion passages () are formed up to the dovetail groove () and the rib () in the female housing (). This enables male tabs () to enter the tab-shaped terminal insertion passages () and prevents them from interfering with the female housing (), wherefore a male housing () can be used commonly for a unitary female housing () and the divided female housing ().

Connector and a connector assembly

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 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.

Growing community of inventors

Yokkaichi, Japan

Ryotaro Ishikawa