Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Limited

Takahiro Kikuchi

Yutaka Noro

Yutaka Kobayashi

Keiichi Nakamura

Yoshiyuki Ishikawa

Toshihiro Ito

Tsuyoshi Mase

Masahito Matsuura

A lever is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to a housing to a temporary locking position and a main locking position. One of the housing and the lever is provided with a first locking portion capable of flexible deformation, and another is provided with a second locking portion. The first locking portion includes a first apex portion and a first locking surface that is connected to the first apex portion. The second locking portion includes a second locking surface that contacts the first locking portion and stops the lever at the temporary locking position. The second locking surface includes an inclined side that is disposed, in a state where the first locking portion has bent due to interference between the first apex portion and the second locking portion, so as to be inclined from the first apex portion toward the first locking surface.

Connector with locking portion

A short-canceling projection () has a support () and two plate-shaped insulating parts (). With housings () mated, the support () partitions two elastic contact pieces () of a short terminal (). Plate-shaped insulating portions () protrude in opposite directions relative to the support (), and, with the housings () mated, enter between two female terminal fittings () and the elastic contact pieces () and cancel shorting between the female terminal fittings (). Correction parts () are formed on the support () and the plate-shaped insulating portions () and make contact with the first housing () to displace the short-canceling projection () in the direction of approaching the short terminal ().

Connector housing assembly to be mated even when a-short cancelling projection is deformed

Detecting pieces () are provided on an outer periphery of a connector housing () and a resilient grommet () is mounted on this outer periphery. When the connector housing () is incompletely inserted in a mounting hole () of a panel (), the detecting pieces () project outward by interfering with the panel () and the grommet () is pressed to bulge outward by projecting portions () of the detecting pieces (). When the connector housing () is correctly inserted into the mounting hole () of the panel (), the detecting pieces () are resiliently restored and release a pressed state of the grommet () so that a bulging state of the grommet () disappears.

Panel mountable connector with detecting piece that causes grommet to bulge to indicate incomplete mounting on panel

A joint connector has a housing () with cavities () into which female terminal fittings () are insertable, and a busbar () to be mounted in the housing (). The busbar () has tabs () to be connected to the respective female terminal fittings () and adapted to short the female terminal fittings () to each other. The busbar () includes a base () used to mount the busbar () into the housing () and the tabs () are cantilevered from the base (). The base () includes resilient legs () for allowing displacements of the tabs () in a direction crossing a longitudinal direction of the tabs (). The tabs () can be displaced by displacements of the resilient legs () to absorb a misalignment between the tab pieces () and the female terminal fittings ().

Joint connector and busbar

An opening (K) is formed in one side surface of a housing () to expose cavities () inside. Retaining portions () are formed in the cavities () to prevent female terminal fittings () accommodated from above the opening (K) from coming out backward by engaging the female terminal fittings (). A cover member () includes a cover (), which is slid along a plane direction of the opening (K) from a rear side of the housing (). When the opening (K) is closed by the cover (), thinned portions () of the cover () slip under locking walls () to prevent the cover () from coming out upward. Further, a lock arm () of the housing () is engaged with a locking edge of the cover member (), whereby the cover member () is mounted on the connector housing ().

Connector with open upper surface communicating with cavities and slidable cover for covering cavities

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 ().

Growing community of inventors

Yokkaichi, Japan

Takahiro Kikuchi