Yazaki Corporation

Sachiko Yagome

Ayumu Ishikawa

Yasuhiro Yamaguchi

Kazuki Zaitsu

Sakai Yagi

Hajime Kato

Mitsuhiro Matsumoto

Nobuaki Yoshioka

Kenichi Okamoto

Hajime Katou

Yuichiro Matsumoto

Hiroshi Kawano

A connector unit which prevents a user from contacting a first terminal fitting when fitting a first connector and a second connector together is provided. A connector unitincludes a first connectorhaving a first housingreceiving a first terminal fittingand a contact-preventive housingdisposed between the first terminal fitting and the first housing, and a second housing to be fitted to the first housing. The contact-preventive housing includes a tension springhaving one end fixed at an outer circumference of the contact-preventive housing and the other end being a free-end arranged to engage to the first housing to restrict the contact-preventive housing from sliding. The second housing includes an entering portionwhich enters between the tension spring and the first housing and pushes the tension spring to disengage the tension spring to permit the contact-preventive housing to slide.

Connector unit

For connection and disconnection of both connectors with ease and assurance in a narrow work space and connection, and for disconnection of a safety circuit unit without mistakes and in a saved-space, a low-insertion-force connector assemblyis provided with one connector receiving the one terminal and other connectorreceiving a mating terminal, wherein the one connector includes a driving leverhaving a rotative circular-arc-shaped gear part, and, pivotally supported along a wall partof the one connector, a gear wheel partengaged with the gear part, and a gear memberhaving a spiral groove engaged with a driven projectionof the other connector, wherein the safety circuit unitis slidably disposed in the one connector, a small connectorfor connection is disposed in the other connector, thereby the driving lever, at a provisional position, prevents the safety circuit unit from rotating in a connecting direction of the safety circuit unit, and, at a connecting position, allows the safety circuit unit to move and is blocked to rotate by a flange

Low-insertion-force connector assembly

A waterproof structure, which is for one connector fixed to a mounting hole of an automotive motor's metallic case and another connector fixed to a mounting hole of an automotive inverter's metallic case and connected to the one connector, comprises ring-shaped first and second packings. The first packing resides between the one case's surface and the one connector's surface that are orthogonal to a fitting direction of the connectors such that the one case's mounting hole is surrounded thereby to provide waterproof interface between the one case and the one connector. The second packing resides between the other case's surface and the other connector's surface that are parallel to the fitting direction. The second packing extends on an outer circumferential surface of the other connector to provide waterproof interface between an inner circumferential surface of the other case's mounting hole and the other connector's outer circumferential surface.

Waterproof structure

An object is to surely connect and disconnect the safety circuit for connectors with good workability. A low insertion force connector unit with a safety circuit unitis adopted. The low insertion force connector unit with a safety circuit unitincludes: a driving leverhaving an arc-shaped gear, an arc-shaped notchcontinued to the gear, an arc-shaped cam grooveformed in the same radius from a center axis 'm', and a straight groovecontinued to the cam groove; a gear unithaving a circular gearmeshed with the arc-shaped gear and a spiral groove, and attached to the one connector; a first driven projectionprovided on the other connector, and engaged with the spiral groove; one small connectorof the safety circuit unitprovided on the one connector movably in a connector fitting direction; a second driven projectionprovided on the one small connector; and the other small connectorof the safety circuit unitfixed to the other connector.

Low insertion force connector unit with safety circuit unit

A connectorincludes: a terminal; an inner housing; and an outer housingreceiving the terminaland the inner housing. The terminalis provided with a first electric connecting partreceived and held in the inner housingand electrically connected to the mating connector, a second electric connecting part, and a flexible coupling partmade of conductive material, movably coupling and electrically connecting the first electric connecting partand the second electric connecting part. The outer housingis provided with a receiving partmovably receiving the inner housingwhich receives the first electric connecting part, and a fixing partto which the second electric connecting partis fixed.

Connector

A gasket of an elastic material is housed in a ring-shaped groove formed on the front face of a flange of a connector housing. By bringing the front face into contact with a contact face of a mating member, the space between the mating member and the flange of the connector housing is sealed with the gasket. An L-shaped locking arm is provided on the outer periphery of the ring-shaped gasket to be housed in the ring-shaped groove. The locking arm juts out sideward along the front face of the flange, and then is bent backward leaving the front face. A T-shaped hook is integrally provided to the tip of the locking arm. A receiving portion with a locking slot is provided in a side portion of the flange. The locking arm is engaged, by its own elasticity, with the locking slot, and the hook is engaged with the back face of the receiving portion.

Growing community of inventors

Makinohara, Japan

Sachiko Yagome