Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Limited

Shozo Hamakita

Hajime Kawase

Osamu Taniuchi

Yutaka Yokoyama

A connector includes the connector housing and the retainer for securing the terminals in the terminal housings formed in the connector housing. A retainer insertion space enabling insertion of the retainer from either right or left side is formed continuously through and intersecting all of the terminal housings. The retainer insertion space is formed by a channel open through from the front almost to the back of the connector housing, and by a channel open through from the back almost to the front of the connector housing. Locking members formed on the retainer engage and hold the terminals inserted to the terminal housings when the retainer is fully inserted in the connector housing together with the engagement between the recess formed in the terminal and the lance provided in the terminal housing.

Connector

A connector assembly comprises first and second connector housings having first and second terminal elements, respectively, adapted to be electrically connected with each other when the first and second connector housings are completely coupled with each other. The first housing has a pair of engagement pins on respective sides thereof while a lock handle having a pair of arms is mounted on the second housing for rotation between release and locked position. A free end portion of each of the arms is formed with a generally arcuate guide path along which the associated engagement pin slides, as the lock handle is rotated from the release position towards the locked position, so that the first housing can be positively drawn close towards the second housing thereby to connect the first and second terminal elements together. The arcuate guide path defined in each of the arms is delimited by long and short cam edges opposite to each other and between leading and trailing ends thereof. To minimize a friction which occurs between each engagement pin and one of the long and short cam edges during the rotation of the lock handle, each engagement pin is provided with a friction reducing element. The connector assembly may also comprises a detector for detecting a complete electric connection between the first and second terminal elements upon arrival of the lock handle at the locked position.

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Suzuka, Japan

Shozo Hamakita