Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Limited

Takao Hata

Yoshihiro Mizutani

Shinji Hirano

Tomohiko Kobayashi

Satoshi Morikawa

Keishi Kitamura

Tomonari Itou

Shinichi Yamada

Nori Inoue

Hideki Matsunaga

Hirotaka Makino

Hiroko Kato

Masatoshi Itou

A connector assembly has first and second housings (). Ribs () project from an inner surface of a receptacle () of the second housing (). The first housing () has a main body () that can fit into the receptacle (), a seal ring () is mounted externally on the housing main body () and a retaining member is mounted into the main body (). The retaining member includes a pressing surface () for preventing detachment of the seal ring () and grooves () that receive the ribs () when the housings are connected. Reverse tapered surfaces () are formed on the back surfaces of the grooves () at a side facing and opposite to the pressing surface () of the retaining member and incline toward the housing main body () to approach the pressing surface ().

Connector and connector assembly

Entrance restricting portions () project in a receptacle () and are arranged in a width direction at each of opposite sides of a plurality of tabs () in a height direction. Drop-in spaces (A-E) are formed at an inner side of the entrance restricting portions () and () adjacently arranged at the substantially opposite sides of the tabs (). When a spherical surface of a spherical body () inserted into the receptacle () contacts the front ends of a plurality of entrance restricting portions (), a top () on a central axis of the spherical body () is offset from the tabs ().

Connector with entrance restricting portions in a receptacle to prevent damage to tabs in the receptacle

A lever () mounted on a cover () is held at a standby position and, in that state, the cover () is fitted to a housing () in a connecting direction to a position where the cover () is not aligned with the housing (). At this position, gear teeth of the lever () and rack teeth of sliders () do not interfere with each other and are not engaged. If the cover () is subsequently moved in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction via a guiding action of the engagement of guide receiving portions () of the connector housing () and U-shaped guide portions () formed on the cover (), the cover () is smoothly mounted at a proper mounting position. At this time, since the guide portions () vertically sandwich the guide receiving portions (), upward detachment of the cover () is prevented.

Lever-type connector

A connector has a female terminal () with stabilizers () that contact restricting surfaces () of an edge of a terminal accommodating hole () at a side opposite to a side where insertion paths () are provided, thereby preventing any further insertion of the female terminal () when a female terminal () is inserted in a posture vertically inverted from a proper posture. Posture displacing portions () are provided on the restricting surfaces () of the terminal accommodating hole () and engage the stabilizers () of the female terminal () inserted in the inverted posture to displace extending postures of the stabilizers () to increase engaging margins with the restricting surfaces ().

Connector

A connector () formed by removing front and rear shaping dies in forward and backward directions. The connector () includes a housing (), a lock arm () provided displaceably relative to the outer surface of the housing () and adapted to hold a mating housing and the housing () in a connected state. Couplings () connect the lock arm () and the housing () and have front and rear curved surfaces (F,R). Front steps (F) extend continuously forward from the end edge (F) of the front curved surfaces (F) closer to the rear curved surfaces (R). Rear steps (R) extend continuously back from end edges of the rear curved surfaces (R) closer to the front curved surfaces (F). Pairs of curved portions (F,R) facing forward and back are provided at opposite ends of the curved surfaces (F,R) in directions crossing the curving directions.

Connector with curved coupling between lock arm and housing

A wire fixing portion () is so formed with a slit () as to minimize a tightening diameter at the wire fixing portion () by narrowing the slit (). Thus, there is no likelihood of displacing a fixing band () fastened to a middle part of the wire fixing portion () toward a side where the tightening diameter is larger. Accordingly, displacements of the fixing band () relative to the wire fixing portion () are restricted, wherefore displacements of the wires (W) relative to the wire fixing portion () are suppressed.

Wire holder

Front shake preventing ribs () are provided at positions spread over the entire inner periphery of a front end of an inner housing () and contact a receptacle () of a male housing () to prevent shaking between an inner housing () and a receptacle (). A wall () faces an opening edge portion of the receptacle () at a rear end of the inner housing () with respect to the connecting direction with the male connector (). The receptacle () is formed with an annular rib () projecting in a connecting direction the connectors () at a position to surround the inner housing () over the entire periphery. The wall () has an annular groove () that engages the annular rib () to prevent shaking between the connectors ().

Connector device

A watertight connector has a rubber member () mounted on an inner housing (), and this rubber member () includes a sealing portion () substantially in the form of a tube fittable on the outer circumferential surface of the inner housing () before a flange (), legs () integral to the sealing portion () and shaped to be insertable backward through pass-through openings (), and backlash preventing portions () integral to the legs (), shaped to be engageable with the peripheral edges of the pass-through openings () from behind and arranged between the flange () and a facing wall ().

Fluidtight connector and connector assembly

An insertion area for an unlocking jig (D) differs depending on whether unlocking is effected using a first fulcrum portion () as a fulcrum or using a second fulcrum portion () as a fulcrum. Since this enables an unlocking operation to be carried out by inserting the unlocking jig (D) into the selected one of the different insertion areas, restriction on the insertion area for the unlocking jig (D) can be alleviated and consequently restriction in terms of the arrangement of parts can be alleviated as compared to the case where the insertion area is limited to one spot.

Locking construction and a connector provided therewith

A wire cover () is provided with a wall (WL) for surrounding wires drawn out from a connector (), and water-draining holes (A) penetrate the wall surface (WL) in a nonlinear manner. An inner surface () forming a bent portion () of each water-draining hole (A) is formed into a slanted surface inclined toward an outer side of the wall (WL) as it extends from a connecting portion () with a communication hole () at an inner side of the wall (WL) toward a connecting portion () with a communication hole () at the outer side of the wall (WL).

Wire cover and connector provided therewith

An elastic contact piece is formed from a front edge of a bottom portion forming a box-shaped body part. A contact portion extended from a side edge of the elastic contact piece faces a window hole formed on a side wall. In a stopper forming a lower edge of the window hole, a receiving portion is formed on a cut-off portion in such a manner that a lengthwise center portion of the cut-off portion tapers off inward. Because the contact portion is received by the receiving portion of the stopper, the elastic contact piece is prevented from deforming excessively. At this time, the contact portion is received in a wide range as far as a deep portion thereof by the receiving portion tapering off inward. Thus, the force acting on the contact portion can be dispersed.

Female terminal

A platelike member (10) for being associated with an electrical device (70), includes openings or recesses (30) for receiving terminals (50) therein, the openings or recesses (30) being arranged in columns and rows. The openings or recesses (30) in one column and/or row are at least partly offset with respect to ones in adjacent columns and/or rows, and at least some of the columns and rows are intersected by at least one means (20) for reducing or absorbing stress and/or strain. Thus, the platelike member (10) can absorb and/or reduce thermal and/or mechanical stress and/or strain induced during the assembling and mounting operation while allowing a high density arrangement of the terminals (50).

Platelike member

A terminal main body 3 has a supporting member 2 that clamps the periphery of a battery post P, and a pair of clamp arms 7. Each arm 7 has two angled bolt through holes 6. When a bolt 4 is attached, the attachment axis L and the attachment axis M of the post P are inclined at an angle thus increasing access possibilities for a wrench 15.

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Yokkaichi, Japan

Takao Hata