EP0476622B1 - Electrical connector equipped with fuse mount - Google Patents

Description

Background of the Invention Field of the Invention
• The present invention relates to electrical connectors equipped with fuse mount.
Description of the Prior Art
• Electrical connectors for diversity antennas are used to connect cables for transmitting signals to receivers from antennas which are mounted on moving objects such as automobiles. However, most of the conventional electrical connectors are used to connect a cable of a single antennas.
• Fig. 6 shows such a conventional male connector 80 which includes an insulation housing 82 with a fitting cavity 83 having a pair of insulation walls 84. An antennas terminal mount 85 is provided on the upper left-hand corner of the insulation housing 82. A number of male terminals 86 are mounted at predetermined intervals on opposite sides of each insulation wall 84 for serving as signal terminals or power terminals. An antennas male terminal 87 is mounted on the antennas terminal mount 85.
• In Fig. 7, the male connector 80 and a board 88 are mounted on a panel 89 with a screw 90 such that a contact pad 87a of the antennas male terminal 87 is brought into contact with the panel 89.
• In Figs 8 and 9, a conventional female connector 81 includes an insulation housing 91 with two pairs of insulation walls 92. A number of female terminals 93 are mounted at predetermined intervals on the inner sides of each pair of insulation walls 92 for serving as power terminals or signal terminals. An antennas terminal mount 94 is provided on the upper right-hand corner of the insulation housing 91. An antennas female terminal 95 is mounted in the antennas terminal mount 94.
• When the female connector 81 is connected to the male connector 80, the insulation walls 92 of the female connector 81 are fitted into the fitting cavity 83 of the male connector 80 so that the signal terminals and the power terminals of the female connector 81 are brought into contact with those of the male connector 80 while the antennas female terminal 95 is brought into contact with the antennas male terminal 85.
• However, the conventional electrical connector has no fuse box, and the fuse of the power circuit is set in a separate fuse box along with those of other electrical connectors. As a result, it has been very difficult to determine which fuse belongs to which power circuit, making the replacement of a fuse troublesome.
• An electrical connector according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from DE-A-39 28 317.
Summary of the Invention
• Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an electrical connector with which it is easy to replace the fuse.
• According to the invention there is provided an electrical connector as defined in claim 1.
• The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
• Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a male electrical connector for a multiple antenna according to an embodiment of the invention;
• Fig. 2 is a front elevational view thereof;
• Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view thereof;
• Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig 1;
• Fig. 5 is a top-front-side perspective view of an insulation housing for the male electrical connector;
• Fig. 6 is a conventional male electrical connector;
• Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a mounting aperture of the male electrical connector;
• Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of a conventional female electrical connector; and
• Fig. 9 is a side elevational view thereof.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
• In Figs. 1-5, a male connector 2 includes an insulation housing 4 which has a rectangular base 4a and a side wall 4b for defining a fitting cavity 5. The side wall 4b has an expanded section 4c making the fitting cavity 5 asymmetric. A fuse mount 4d is provided on the rectangular base 4a in front of the fitting cavity 5 and is made lower than the side wall 4b. A pair of mounting apertures 6 with a pair of slits 6a are provided on the rectangular base 4a across the fuse mount 4d. A short insulation wall 7 and a long insulation wall 8 extend upwardly from the rectangular base 4a and parallel with each other. A pair of antennas terminal mounts 9 are provided on the rectangular base 4a across the short insulation wall 7.
• The leg portion 20a of the fuse terminal 20 is soldered to the power circuit conductor of a board. A fuse 33 is mounted on the fuse mount 4d of the male connector 2 by inserting its leg portion 33a into the terminal apertures 15 so that they come into contact with the contact portions 20b of the fuse terminals 20.
• As best shown in Fig. 4, the terminal channels 10a communicate with press fit apertures 17 in the rectangular base 4a. The male signal terminals 16 are fitted into the press fit apertures 17. A terminal mount 19 is provided on the bottom of the fuse mount 4d for receiving the fuse terminal 20.

Claims (1)

1. An electrical connector equipped with a fuse mount, comprising:
      an insulation housing (4) for housing a plurality of electrical terminals (16, 18), characterized by
      a fuse mount (4d) formed integrally with said insulation housing (4) for receiving a fuse (33) of the type which has a pair of terminal legs (33a) extending substantially perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of said fuse (33),
      a terminal mount (19) formed integrally with said insulation housing (4) and separated from said fuse mount (4d) by a partition wall which has a pair of terminal apertures (15) for receiving said terminal legs (33a), and
      a fuse terminal (20) mounted in said terminal mount (19) and having a spring contact portion (20b) for contact with said terminal legs (33a) and a leg portion (20a) extending downwardly so that it can be soldered directly to a conductor of a circuit board.

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