EP1970998A2 - Electric connector - Google Patents
Electric connector Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1970998A2 EP1970998A2 EP08250784A EP08250784A EP1970998A2 EP 1970998 A2 EP1970998 A2 EP 1970998A2 EP 08250784 A EP08250784 A EP 08250784A EP 08250784 A EP08250784 A EP 08250784A EP 1970998 A2 EP1970998 A2 EP 1970998A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- latching
- holder
- connector housing
- connector
- wall
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
- H01R13/502—Bases; Cases composed of different pieces
- H01R13/506—Bases; Cases composed of different pieces assembled by snap action of the parts
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/64—Means for preventing incorrect coupling
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
- H01R13/52—Dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof, or flameproof cases
- H01R13/5202—Sealing means between parts of housing or between housing part and a wall, e.g. sealing rings
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
- H01R13/52—Dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof, or flameproof cases
- H01R13/5205—Sealing means between cable and housing, e.g. grommet
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
- H01R13/52—Dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof, or flameproof cases
- H01R13/5213—Covers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
- H01R13/629—Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances
- H01R13/62933—Comprising exclusively pivoting lever
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/40—Securing contact members in or to a base or case; Insulating of contact members
- H01R13/42—Securing in a demountable manner
- H01R13/436—Securing a plurality of contact members by one locking piece or operation
- H01R13/4361—Insertion of locking piece perpendicular to direction of contact insertion
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
- H01R13/629—Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances
- H01R13/62933—Comprising exclusively pivoting lever
- H01R13/62938—Pivoting lever comprising own camming means
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
- H01R13/629—Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances
- H01R13/62933—Comprising exclusively pivoting lever
- H01R13/6295—Pivoting lever comprising means indicating incorrect coupling of mating connectors
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an electric connector. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electric connector whose coupling with a counterpart connector is facilitated by a latch portion.
- Fig. 18 is an exploded perspective view of a related art electric connector
- Fig. 19 is a sectional view of the electric connector of Fig. 18 in the assembled state.
- the electric connector 50 set forth in JP-A-2005-123102 includes: a plurality of pins 51; a connector housing 52 in which the pins 51 are housed; a rear holder 55 that is installed to the rear portion of the connector housing 52 and has a plurality of through-holes through which the pins 51 are inserted; a sealing member 54 that is interposed between the connector housing 52 and the rear holder 55; and a manipulation lever 53 and rear cover 56 that are fitted to the rear portion of the connector housing 52.
- the connector housing 52 is provided with a rail 52 A that extends in the horizontal direction
- the rear cover 56 is provided with a guide slot 56 A into which the rail 52 A is inserted.
- a guide slot 56 A is also provided in the bottom wall of the rear cover 56 in Fig. 18 .
- these guide slots 56 A , 56 A are each provided with a rear holder pressing portion 56 B , 56 B , these rear holder pressing portions 56 B , 56 B being composed of a level portion 57 that contacts against the rear surface of the rear holder 55, and an inclined portion 58 that slides over the edge of the rear face of the rear holder 55.
- the rear cover 56 is mounted to the connector housing 52 by being slid horizontally onto the rear portion of the connector housing 52. More precisely, the guide slots 56 A , 56 A of the rear cover 56 are mounted onto the upper and lower rails 52 A , 52 A of the connector housing 52, then the rear cover 56 is fitted by being slid onto the rear portion of the connector housing 52. By means of such sliding motion, the rear holder pressing portions 56 B , 56 B of the rear cover 56 contact with and are pressed against the rear portion of the rear holder 55. As a result, the rear holder 55 is moved toward the fixed position on the connector housing 52, while clamping the seal member 54 between itself and the rear portion of the connector housing 52.
- the inclined portions 58 contact against the rear surface edges of the rear holder 55, so that the rear holder 55 slides along the sloping surfaces of the inclined portions 58 and is moved toward the rear portion of the connector housing 52. Then the inclined portions 58 move beyond the rear surface edges, and the level portions 57 contact with the rear surfaces of the rear holder 55. Thereby, the pressed state is maintained, and watertightness is preserved between the outer surfaces of the electric wire portions of the wired pins 51 that were installed earlier and the sealing member (see Fig. 19 ).
- the sliding of the rear cover 56 results in the rear holder 55 being fixed to the connector housing 52, and simultaneously in the sealing member 54 being clamped, so that watertightness is preserved between the outer surfaces of the electric wire portions of the wired pins 51 and the sealing member 54.
- guide slots 56 A and rear holder pressing portions 56 B are provided in the rear cover 56, and horizontally-extending rails 52 A are provided on the connector housing 52; by mounting the guide slots 56 A in the rear cover 56 onto the rails 52 A on the connector housing 52, and sliding the rear cover 56 onto to the rear portion of the connector housing 52, the rear holder 55 is fixed to the connector housing 52, and at the same time the sealing member 54 is clamped, so that watertightness exists between the outer surfaces of the wired pins 51 and the sealing member.
- the rails 52 A that are provided on the connector housing 52 are formed as strip protrusions that project from the outer walls of the connector housing 52, because of which, limits are placed on the mechanical strength.
- An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide an electric connector that can proactively detect misassembly of the connector components when the rear cover is fitted.
- Another advantage of the present invention is to provide an electric connector that can determine the mounting status of the sealing member, and the joining status of the connector housing and rear holder, when the rear cover is fitted.
- an electric connector includes: a connector housing inside which pins are housed, and which has at the front an insertion portion into which a counterpart connector is inserted, and at the rear a holder mounting portion; a sealing member that is mounted onto the outer periphery of the holder mounting portion; a rear holder the front end portion of which is a contacting surface for contacting with the sealing member; which has at the front a mating cavity that is fixed onto the holder mounting portion, and at the rear a cover installation portion; and which is fixed to the connector housing with the sealing member interposed; and a rear cover which is mounted to the cover installation portion via sliding motion.
- the electric connector incorporates the features that a latching portion is provided in location adjacent to the cover installation portion at the rear of the rear holder, an engaging portion into which the latching portion engages are provided in the holder mounting portion of the connector housing, and if the latching portion is in a state of non-engagement with the engaging portion when the rear holder is mounted to the connector housing, the sliding motion of the rear cover is blocked.
- the latching portions and engaging portions may preferably be provided in locations on the rear holder and the holder mounting portion, respectively, that are opposite each other.
- the latching portions may preferably be constituted of a latching member possessing resilience and formed on part of the outer wall of the rear holder, the latching member may preferably have a latching bar and projecting block, and the engaging portion may preferably have a latching slot that is formed in the wall of the connector housing, so that if the connector housing and rear holder are not completely fixed together and the latching portion do not engage onto the engaging portion, then, just before latching into the latching slot, the latching bar will run up the connector housing's wall, with the result that the latching member will be pushed upward, and consequently the projecting block will block the rear cover from being mounted via sliding motion onto the cover installation portion.
- part of the outer wall of the rear holder may preferably be formed as a double wall constituted of an inner plate and an outer plate with a gap therebetween, and the latching portion may preferably be provided on the inner plate.
- a manipulation lever one portion of which latches into the counterpart connector to effect coupling of the two connectors may preferably be mounted to the wall of the rear holder.
- a latching portion and an engaging portion are provided at the rear of the rear holder and in the holder mounting portion, respectively, and if the latching portion fails to engage with the engaging portion when the rear holder is fitted into the connector housing, so that a non-engaged state results, then sliding motion of the rear cover at the cover installation portion will be blocked by the latching portion.
- the sealing member and joining of the connector housing and rear holder be incomplete, it will not be possible to mount the rear cover. Consequently, during mounting of the rear cover it is possible to sense whether the sealing member, and the connector housing and rear holder, have been fully mounted, and hence to proactively detect incomplete assembly of the connector.
- providing the latching portion and the engaging portion in locations on the rear holder and the connector housing, respectively, that are opposite each other, will enable the rear holder to be fixed to the connector housing by means of the latching portion and engaging portion, which will be opposite each other, so that engagement of the rear holder to the connector housing will be stable and firm.
- the latching portion and engaging portion can be formed in a simple manner by machining the outer wall of the rear holder and the wall surface of the connector housing.
- the rear cover can be fitted by being slid into the gap between the inner wall plate and outer wall plate, and therefore can be fitted stably without being exposed to the exterior. Further, the manipulation lever for effecting coupling of the two connectors can also be fitted in the gap between the double walls.
- the fact that the manipulation lever is fitted to the rear holder facilitates coupling with the counterpart connector.
- FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the whole connector and Fig. 1B is an exploded version of the perspective view of Fig. 1A .
- Illustrating the electric connector of Fig. 1 turned through 180 degrees Fig. 2A is a perspective view of the whole connector and Fig. 2B is an exploded version of the perspective view of Fig. 2A .
- Illustrating the connector housing of Figs. 1 and 2 Fig. 3A is an enlarged perspective view of the connector housing in Fig. 1B , and Fig.
- FIG. 3B is an enlarged perspective view of the connector housing in Fig. 2B .
- Fig. 4A is an enlarged perspective view of the rear holder in Fig. 1B
- Fig. 4B is an enlarged perspective view of the rear holder in Fig. 2B .
- Illustrating the rear cover of Figs. 1 and 2 Fig. 5A is an enlarged perspective view of the rear cover in Fig. 1B
- Fig. 5B is an enlarged perspective view of the rear cover in Fig. 2B .
- Illustrating the manipulation lever of Figs. 1 and 2 Fig. 6A is an enlarged perspective view of the manipulation lever in Fig.
- Fig. 6B is an enlarged perspective view of the manipulation lever in Fig. 2B .
- Fig. 7A is a perspective view with a cut made through the relevant parts
- Fig. 7B is a side view of Fig. 7A
- Illustrating the manipulation lever after mounting to the rear holder, Fig. 8A is a perspective view with a cut made through the relevant parts
- Fig. 8B is a side view of Fig. 8A
- Illustrating the process of joining the connector housing and the rear holder, Fig. 9A is a perspective view of the items prior to being joined, Fig.
- FIG. 9B is a perspective view of the items after being joined
- Fig. 9C is an enlarged sectional view of portion IXC in Fig. 9B
- Fig. 10A is a perspective view of the items prior to such mounting
- Fig. 10B is a perspective view of the items after such mounting
- Fig. 10C is an enlarged sectional view of portion XC in Fig. 10B
- Fig. 11A is a perspective view of the items prior to being joined
- Fig. 11B is a perspective view of the items after being joined
- Fig. 11A is a perspective view of the items prior to being joined
- Fig. 11B is a perspective view of the items after being joined
- Fig. 11A is a perspective view of the items prior to being joined
- Fig. 11B is a perspective view of the items after being joined
- Fig. 11A is a perspective view of the items prior to being joined
- Fig. 11B is a perspective view of the items after being joined
- FIG. 11C is an enlarged sectional view of portion XIC in Fig. 11B .
- Fig. 12A is a perspective view of the items prior to being joined
- Fig. 12B is a perspective view of the items in the process of being joined
- Fig. 12C is an enlarged view of portion XIIC in Fig. 12B .
- Illustrating mounting of the rear cover to the rear holder, Fig. 13A is a plan view, and Figs. 13B to 13D show stepwise the states in the mounting of the rear cover, being sectional views along line XIIIB - XIIIB in Fig. 13A .
- FIG. 14A Illustrating mounting of the rear cover to the rear holder, Fig. 14A is a plan view, and Figs. 14B and 14C show stepwise the states in the mounting of the rear cover, being sectional views along line XIVB - XIVB in Fig. 14A .
- Illustrating the male connector Fig. 15A is a perspective view of the whole connector, and Fig. 15B is an exploded version of the perspective view of Fig. 15A .
- Fig. 16A Illustrating the two connectors in the state prior to coupling, Fig. 16A is a perspective view of the whole, Fig. 16B is a rear view seen in direction X in Fig. 16A, Fig.
- FIG. 16C is a sectional view of the housing side of a line cut along XVIC - XVIC in Fig. 16B
- Fig. 16D is a sectional view of the manipulation lever side of a line cut along XVIC - XVIC in Fig. 16B
- Fig. 17A is a perspective view of the whole
- Fig. 17B is a rear view seen in direction X in Fig. 17A
- Fig. 17C is a sectional view of the housing side of a line cut along XVIIC - XVIIC in Fig. 17B
- Fig. 17C is a sectional view of the housing side of a line cut along XVIIC - XVIIC in Fig. 17B
- Fig. 17A is a perspective view of the whole
- Fig. 17B is a rear view seen in direction X in Fig. 17A
- Fig. 17C is a sectional view of the housing side of a line cut along
- FIG. 17D is a sectional view of the manipulation lever side of a line cut along XVIIC - XVIIC in Fig. 17B .
- Fig. 18 is an exploded perspective view of a related art electric connector.
- Fig. 19 is a sectional view of the electric connector of Fig. 18 in the assembled state.
- FIG. 1 the whole of an electric connector according to a first embodiment, and the individual parts composing such connector.
- Figs. 1 and 2 show the whole connector and its individual parts, while Figs. 3 to 6 show the individual parts.
- the arrows between the parts in Figs. 1B and 2B indicate the direction of assembly.
- this electric connector (“connector” below) 1 consists of a female connector, and has a plurality of female pins 2, a female connector housing 3 in which the pins 2 are housed ("connector housing” below), a rear holder 6 that is mounted to the rear of the connector housing 3, a manipulation lever 30 that is mounted to the outer wall of the rear holder 6 and facilitates coupling with the counterpart connector, and a rear cover 20 that is mounted to the rear portion of the rear holder 6 and covers the rear end portions of the pins 2.
- the structure is such that a ring-like sealing member 35 is mounted to the outer periphery wall of the connector housing 3, and a terminal position assurance (“TPA" below) 38 that senses the fitting condition of the pins is mounted to a sidewall of the connector housing 3.
- TPA terminal position assurance
- the female pins 2 are made up of two types of female pin of differing sizes; more precisely, relatively large-sized female pins ("large pins" below) 2 A , and female pins of a smaller size (“small pins” below) 2 B .
- the female pins of each type have a contacting portion at the forward end and a lead wire fixing portion at the rear end, the lead wires being connected to the fixing portions.
- Ring-shaped sealing members 2c are fitted around the outer peripheries of the lead wires of the large pins 2 A .
- the small pins 2 B are gathered into a cluster of, for example, 20 pins, and a ring-like sealing member 2 D is fitted around the periphery of such pin cluster.
- the connector housing 3 is enclosed by roughly rectangular front and rear walls 3 1 , 3 2 at the front and rear and by a pair of opposed top and bottom walls 3 3 , 3 3 and left and right sidewalls 3 4 , 3 4 , around its periphery, and has a front portion constituted of an insertion portion 3 A for insertion of the counterpart connector, and a rear portion constituted of a roughly oblong member having a coupling portion 3 B that is fitted into the rear holder 6.
- Such member is formed as a molding of insulating synthetic resin.
- this connector housing 3 In the interior of this connector housing 3 there are formed, from the rear wall 3 2 towards the front wall 3 1 , through-holes 4 A , 4 B through which the two types of female pins 2 A , 2 B are inserted (see Fig. 3B ). The large pins 2 A are inserted into the through-holes 4 A , and the cluster of small pins 2 B is inserted into the through-hole 4 B .
- the front wall 3 1 there are formed insertion holes for insertion of the male pins of the counterpart connector 40 (see Fig. 15 ) that connect with the pins 2 A , 2 B inserted through the insertion holes 4 A , 4 B in the rear wall 3 2 .
- the front wall 3 1 of the connector housing 3 is divided up by a narrow slot. Division of the front wall 3 1 by such slot means that coupling with the counterpart connector will be smooth, since during insertion into such connector the slot's width will contract.
- a mounting hole 5 B into which the TPA 38 is mounted.
- a flat-bottomed latching groove 5 A into which a latching bar 11 B of the rear holder 6 to be described later (see Fig. 9 ) latches.
- a sidewall portion 5 A' that constitutes the sidewall of the flat-bottomed latching groove 5 A .
- This sidewall portion 5 A' is formed as a part of the top wall 3 3 .
- a similar latching groove 5 A and sidewall portion 5 A' are also formed in the bottom wall 3 3 . Further, a rib 3 0 that restricts the motion of the sealing member 35 is formed on the outer periphery of the connector housing 3 at the boundary between the insertion portion 3 A and the holder coupling portion 3 B .
- the rear holder 6 has roughly rectangular front and rear walls 6 1 , 6 2 at the front and rear, and an outer periphery constituted of a member that is enclosed by pairs of opposed outer walls, namely top and bottom walls 6 3 , 6 3 and left and right sidewalls 6 4 , 6 4 .
- Such member is formed as a molding of insulating synthetic resin.
- a mating cavity 6c for insertion of the coupling portion 3 B of the connector housing 3.
- the interior of this mating cavity 6c is partitioned by a partitioning wall 6 D , and in the partitioning wall 6 D there are formed through-holes through which the two types of pin 2 A , 2 B are inserted.
- the top and bottom walls 6 3 , 6 3 are each provided with a cover mounting portion RC and a lever mounting portion LC, to which are mounted a rear cover 20 and a manipulation lever 30 respectively, and with a housing latching portion LA that engages with the connector housing 3.
- the top and the bottom cover mounting portions RC, lever mounting portions LC and housing latching portions LA are each formed with the same structure, and all are formed by molding of the top and bottom walls 6 3 , 6 3 into a particular structure.
- the bottom wall 6 3 and the top wall 6 3 both have the same structure. To avoid duplication in the description therefore, the top wall 6 3 only is described below.
- the top wall 6 3 has a particular thickness and a certain gap 6 G formed between the inner and outer surfaces, being a double wall, or more precisely being composed of an outer plate 6 A and an inner plate 6 B with the gap 6 G interposed.
- This gap 6 G is of a dimension such that the flange 33 B of the manipulation lever 30 to be described later can be inserted therein and turned.
- the outer plate 6 A is foreshortened in the front-rear direction, that is, extends from the front wall 6 1 to a point short of the rear wall 6 2 . In other words, the width of the outer plate 6 A stops short compared to that of the left and right sidewalls 6 4 , 6 4 .
- the rear wall 6 2 is also foreshortened compared to the front wall. It is in between the foreshortened outer plate 6 A and rear wall 6 2 that the cover and lever mounting portions RC, LB and the housing latching portion LA are formed.
- the outer plate 6 A is partitioned by plural slits 8 0 , 8 0 , which extend from the rear edge to shortly before the front wall 6 1 , into three areas, namely into first to third areas 6 A1 to 6 A3 , being in this manner partially divided up.
- the first and third areas 6 A1 and 6 A3 are formed to the same size, while the second area 6 A2 is formed larger than the first and third areas 6 A1 and 6 A3 .
- the second area 6 A2 is further divided into subareas 6 A21 , 6 A21 at the two ends of the recess 9.
- the bottom 9 A of the recess 9 is formed to be flat. Thanks to the recess bottom 9 A being made flat, the cut portion 33 B' of the flange 33 B of the pivot projection 33 to be described later can be aligned with such flat surface, and hence it will be a simple matter to remove the pivot projection 33 from the gap 6 G .
- the rear portions of the first and third areas 6 A1 and 6 A3 are extended past a step difference 6 0 toward the rear wall 6 2 .
- Such extensions constitute support projections 7 A , 7 A of a particular thickness and width.
- the thickness of these support projections 7 A , 7 A is such as to enable insertion into the flat-bottomed slots 22 0 of the rear cover 20.
- the inner plate 6 B is partitioned into five areas, namely into first to fifth areas 6 B1 to 6 B5 , being in this manner partially divided up.
- the first and fifth areas 6 B1 and 6 B5 - the side areas - are the same size.
- the second and fourth areas 6 B2 and 6 B4 are the same size.
- the first and fifth areas 6 B1 and 6 B5 form support projections 7 A , 7 A .
- the third area 6 B3 has a larger surface area than the other areas, and an edge that is extended to the rear.
- a receiving hole 10 A into which the pivot projection 33 of the manipulation lever 30 fits.
- the receiving hole 10 A is formed almost exactly beneath the recess 9 in the outer plate 6 A .
- the receiving hole 10 A communicates with the gap 6 0 .
- a guide surface 10 B which consists of an inclined plane.
- the bottom of the third area 6 B3 forms a surface of the inner wall 6 B' surrounding the mating cavity 6c, the thickness thereof being such as to enable insertion into the flat-bottomed slots 22 0 of the rear cover 20.
- the support projections 7 A , 7 A and the inner plate 6 B are formed to the same thickness, and are inserted into the flat-bottomed slots 22 0 of the rear cover 20 to be described later.
- the mounting portions 12 A , 12 A are formed into which the rear cover 20 will be inserted.
- a rail projection 6 2A with top and bottom edges projecting outward at particular heights.
- Such a rail projection 6 2A is also formed at the bottom of the rear wall 6 2 . Thanks to the provision of these rail projections 6 2A , the rear cover 20 will, for example, when inserted into one of the fitting portions 12 A , be guided by the rail projections 6 2A and as a result will be held to the rear holder 6, and will not separate from the rear holder 6.
- the rail projections 6 2A are separation prevention projections since they prevent separation of the rear cover 20.
- Latching portions 11, 11 that engage with the connector housing 3 are formed in the second and fourth areas 6 B2 , 6 B4 . These latching portions 11, 11 are formed almost exactly beneath the subareas 6 A21 , 6 A21 of the outer plate 6 A , and have each the same structure.
- these latching portions 11 have: a base portion 11 0 that is joined to the inner plate 6 B ; a latching arm 11 A that extends from the base portion and has a particular length; and, located at the end of the latching arm 11 A , an upper projection that projects upward from the end portion, that is, a projecting block 11c, and a lower projection that projects downward, that is, a latching bar 11 B .
- the latching arm 11 A is an elastic arm piece possessing resilience.
- the latching bar 11 B engages into the flat-bottomed latching groove 5 A in the connector housing 3.
- the projecting block 11c performs the role of inhibiting mounting of the rear cover 20 to the rear holder 6 if engagement of the latching bar 11 B with the latching groove 5 A is incomplete. Further, when engagement of the latching bar 11 B with the latching groove 5 A is completely effected, the top of the projecting block 11c will contact against the sidewall 22 A of the rear cover 20, so that motion of the latching arm 11 A will be restricted, rendering firm the engagement of the latching bar 11 B with the latching groove 5 A . As a result, the connector housing 3 and rear holder 6 will be soundly joined.
- the cover and lever mounting portions RC, LB and the housing latching portion LA are formed between the outer and inner plates 6 A and 6 B and the rear wall 6 2 , as shown in Fig. 4 .
- the cover mounting portion RC is composed principally of the support projections 7 A , 7 A , the inner plate 6 B of the second area 6 B2 between the support projections 7 A , 7 A , and the rail projection 6 2A .
- the lever mounting portion LB is composed principally of the gap 6 G between the inner and outer plates 6 A , 6 B , and the receiving hole 10 A provided in the inner plate 6 B .
- the housing latching portion LA is made up of the latching portions 11, 11 provided in the second and fourth areas 6 B2 , 6 B4 of the inner plate 6 B , and the latching portions 11 are composed of a base portion 11 0 that is joined to the inner plate 6 B , a latching arm 11 A that extends from the base portion and has a particular length, and, located at the end of the latching arm 11 A , a projecting block 11c that projects upward from the end portion and a latching bar 11 B that projects downward (see Fig. 9C ).
- the housing latching portion LA, cover mounting portion RC and lever mounting portion LB are gathered in the rear holder 6; consequently it is a simple matter to form these, and moreover it is possible to link the cover mounting portion RC and lever mounting portion LB with the housing latching portion LA.
- the connector housing 3 usually houses the pins and their accessories, etc., and therefore has a complex structure, so that providing the above-mentioned latching portion, etc., on the connector housing 3 would render the structure thereof even more complex, whereas it is a simple matter to form the housing latching portion LA, etc., on the rear holder 6 since few other parts are mounted thereon.
- housing latching portion LA cover mounting portion RC
- lever mounting portion LB lever mounting portion LB
- gathering together the housing latching portion LA, cover mounting portion RC and lever mounting portion LB in the rear holder facilitates linking of these items, so that it is possible, for example, to first link the rear holder 6 to the connector housing 3 via the housing latching portion LA, then mount the manipulation lever 30 via the lever mounting portion LB, and then install the rear cover 20 via the cover mounting portion RC, thus effecting assembly of the connector in a successive and simple manner.
- the rear cover 20 is a member for leading out in a particular direction the multiple lead wires that are drawn out from the rear wall 6 2 of the rear holder 6, and has a pair of opposed sidewalls 21, 21 with a space 25 of a particular size therebetween, and a top wall 24 connected to the sidewalls 21, 21, being formed as a molding of insulating synthetic resin.
- the top wall 24 is formed as a curved surface, being joined to the sidewalls 21, 21 at its side and top edges, and having one edge formed as an opening 26.
- the inner interior of this opening 26, that is, at the end portions of the sidewalls 21, 21, is approximately enclosed by an enclosing wall 24 A .
- a projection 24 B onto which the latching portion 32 A of the manipulation lever 30 latches.
- the opening 26 serves as a lead-out hole that leads the lead wires out to the exterior.
- the gap 25 between the pair of sidewalls 21, 21 serves as an insertion opening for insertion of the rear wall 6 2 of the rear holder 6. Since both sidewalls 21, 21 have the same structure, the description below will deal with one sidewall only.
- the sidewall 21 is formed with a thick edge, and in this thick edge there is formed a flat-bottomed slot 22 0 enclosed by opposed first and second sidewall portions 22 A , 22 B . More precisely, the flat-bottomed slot 22 0 has opposed first and second sidewall portions 22 A , 22 B of which one, the first sidewall portion 22 A , constitutes part of the sidewall 21, and the other, the second sidewall portion 22 B , constitutes part of the inner wall. Roughly at the longitudinal center of the outer face of the first sidewall portion 22 A there is formed a latching projection 22c that projects upward. This latching projection 22c is formed as a roughly square-shaped low-profile projection.
- the latching projection 22c performs a misinsertion prevention role, preventing the rear cover 20 from being mounted in the wrong direction because of the manipulation lever 30 after the manipulation lever 30 has been mounted to the rear holder 6.
- the latching projection 22c also performs the role of fixing the manipulation lever 30 in the required position.
- the space between the first and second sidewall portions 22 A , 22 B or in other words the gap that is the flat-bottomed slot 22 0 , is formed to have a width that is almost the same as or slightly larger than the thickness of the support projections 7 A , 7 A of the rear holder 6.
- the flat-bottomed slot 22 0 serves as a guide slot for when the rear cover 20 is mounted to the rear holder 6, and as an installation slot for the rear cover 20.
- the second sidewall portion 22 B is provided with a guide rail 23.
- the manipulation lever 30 has a pair of opposed lever arms 31, 31, and a connecting piece 32 that connects the lever arms 31, 31, the whole being formed as a molding of insulating synthetic resin.
- Each of the lever arms 31, 31 is constituted of a flat plate body and both have the same structure. More precisely, each lever arm 31 has an outer wall 31 A and an inner wall 31 B , and in each inner wall 31 B there are formed a pivot projection 33 that supports the lever, a cam hole 34, and a pair of first and second cam slots 36, 37.
- the pivot projection 33 is formed to have an axle 33 A whose base rises from the inner wall 31 B of the lever arm 31, and a flange 33 B integrated with the top of the axle 33 A .
- the cam hole 34 runs through both the inner and the outer walls 31 A , 31 B .
- the connecting piece 32 is provided with a latching portion 32 A . During coupling with the counterpart connector 40, this latching portion 32 A is latched onto the projection 29 B of the rear cover 20, thereby fixing the manipulation lever 30 in the required position.
- the manipulation lever 30 is mounted to the rear holder 6 so as to turn freely, but the axle 33 A is provided with a turn restricting portion 33 A , that restricts such turning.
- this turn restricting portion 33 A' is of a teardrop shape, such that its cross-section, supposing the axle 33 A to be cut through in a plane orthogonal to the direction in which the axle 33 A rises up from the lever arm 31, has flat edges 33 A1 and a circular edge 33 A2 .
- the flange 33 B is in the shape of a disc with a cut-off portion 33 B' at the edge, and is of a size that enables insertion into the receiving hole 10 A .
- the provision of the cut-off portion 33 B' facilitates installation to the receiving hole 10 A .
- the pair of first and second cam slots 36, 37 are formed on the side that faces in the opposite direction to the pivot projection 33's direction of insertion. These cam slots 36, 37 are formed by further reducing the thickness of the lever arm 31 past the step difference portion 31c. More precisely, the first cam slot 36 has: a guide face 36 A over which the latching projection 22c of the rear cover 20 slides; a first stopper 36 1 against which the latching projection 22c contacts; and a latching slot 36 B into which the latching projection 22c latches, the first stopper 36 1 and latching slot 36 B being formed as a part of the step difference portion 31c.
- the guide face 36 A is formed to extend from the connecting piece 32 toward the edge of the lever arm 31, with a particular width and length.
- the pivot projection 33 is formed in a location near to the first stopper 36 1 .
- the second cam slot 37 is provided on the opposite edge to that where the connecting piece 32 of the lever arm 31 is provided.
- the second cam slot 37 is formed as a reduced-thickness portion with a guide surface 37 A in the inner wall 31 B past the step difference 31 C' .
- This guide surface 37 A of the second cam slot 37 formed past the step difference 31 C' is also a surface over which the latching projection 22c slides, but is formed to have a size that is smaller than the guide surface 36 A of the first cam slot 36.
- the step difference 31 C' serves as a second stopper.
- the cam hole 34 runs through both the inner and the outer walls 31 A , 31 B of the lever arm 31.
- the cam hole 34 has a guide hole 34 A that guides the engaging projection 42 (see Fig. 15 ) of the counterpart connector 40 to be described later.
- a step difference portion 34 B is formed around the guide hole 34 A .
- the flange 42 B of the engaging projection 42 of the counterpart connector 40 latches onto this step difference portion 34 B .
- the sealing member 35 is constituted of a ring-like member with a hollow interior, and is formed from rubber material possessing resilience.
- the outer peripheral surface of this ring-like member will preferably be given an indented-and-protruding form. Rendering the outer peripheral surface indented-and-protruding will make for good watertightness with the counterpart connector 40.
- Figs. 7 and 8 are explanatory views illustrating the mounting of the manipulation lever to the rear holder.
- parts of the rear holder and manipulation lever are excised to facilitate understanding of the internal structure.
- Figs. 8 to 12 are explanatory views illustrating joining of the rear holder to the connector housing, while Figs. 13 and 14 are explanatory views illustrating installation of the rear cover to the rear holder.
- This connector 1 is assembled via the following processes: (I) sealing member mounting process, (II) holder joining process, (III) pin mounting process, (IV) TPA mounting process, (V) lever mounting process, and (VI) rear cover mounting process.
- the sealing member 35 is mounted over the outer surface of the coupling portion 3 B of the connector housing 3 until contact is made with the rib 3 0 , these items being among the connector components shown in, for example, Figs. 1 and 2 .
- the sealing member 35 is mounted as far as the position where it contacts the rib 3 0 , the inner periphery of the sealing member 35 fits tightly against the outer periphery of the connector housing 3, enabling mounting of the rear holder 6.
- Mounting of the sealing member 35 effects a watertight sealing between the housing connector 3 and rear holder 6 to be described later.
- the coupling portion 3 B of the connector housing 3 is inserted into the rear holder 6.
- the latching bar 11 B of the latching portion 11 is sunk into the latching groove 5 A and engages into the mating cavity 6C.
- the rear holder 6 is thereby latched and fixed to the connector housing 3.
- the large pins 2 A and the cluster of small pins 2 B are inserted from the rear of the rear holder 6 through the through-holes 4 A and 4 B , respectively, in the connector housing 3, and thereby both sets of pins are housed and fixed inside the connector housing 3 with the rear holder 6 mounted thereto.
- the TPA 38 is inserted into the mounting hole 5 B in the connector housing 3, fixing the female pins 2 inside the connector housing 3.
- the edges of the flanges 33 B , 33 B enter into the gaps 6 G , 6 G between the inner and outer plates 6 A , 6 B , becoming undislodgeable therefrom, and the manipulation lever 30 is installed in a freely turnable state relative to the rear holder 6.
- the flanges 33 B , 33 B will not be dislodged even if subjected to an external force opposite to that exerted when the manipulation lever 30 was pushed in. This means that after being mounted to the rear holder 6, the manipulation lever 30 will not become detached therefrom even if an impact or other strong external force should act on the manipulation lever 30.
- a gap G (see Fig. 13B ) into which the first sidewall portion of the rear cover 20 will be pushed is formed between the lever arms 31, 31 of the manipulation lever 30 and the inner plates 6 B , 6 B of the rear holder 6.
- This gap G is composed of a first gap G 1 that is opposite the guide surface 36 A of the manipulation lever 30, and a second gap G 2 that is opposite the inner wall 31 B , the first gap G 1 being wider than the second gap G 2 .
- the rear cover 20 is installed to the rear holder 6.
- the rear cover 20 is positioned at the part of the connector housing 3 indicated by arrow A 1 in Fig. 13A , that is, on the side where the manipulation lever 30's connecting piece 32 is located, and the rear cover 20 is inserted in the direction of the first gap G 1 between the rear holder and the manipulation lever 30.
- Such insertion is effected along the direction of one of the mounting portions 12 A , so that one of the support projections 7 A will be inserted into the flat-bottomed slots 22 0 , 22 0 of the rear cover 20.
- the rear cover 20's guide rails 23, 23 will be inserted along the rail projections 6 2A , 6 2A .
- Figs. 11 and 12 are explanatory views illustrating the misassembly, and correspond to Figs. 9 and 10 respectively.
- the sealing member 35 is mounted to the coupling portion 3 B at the rear of the connector housing 3, the mating cavity 6c at the front of the rear holder 6 is mated onto the coupling portion 3 B , and the rear holder 6 is pushed onto the coupling portion 3 B .
- Such pushing-on of the rear holder 6 brings the front wall 6 1 surface of the rear holder 6 into contact with an edge face of the sealing member 35. If the rear holder 6 is incompletely pushed in at this point, then due to the resilience of the latching arm 11 A , the latching bar 11 B of the latching portion 11 will climb on top of the sidewall portion 5 A' of the latching groove 5 A , and the projecting block 11 C will be lifted upward (see Fig. 11C ).
- the pair of opposed sidewalls 21, 21 have identical structure, which might pose a risk of the rear cover 20 being mounted in the direction of arrow A 2 in Fig. 14A . If the rear cover 20 were mounted in that direction, the manipulation lever 30 could not be manipulated. Accordingly this connector 1 is so contrived that it is not possible to mount the rear cover 20 in the direction of arrow A 2 . More precisely, if the rear cover 20 is mounted to the rear holder 6 in the direction of arrow A 2 in Fig.
- the first sidewall portion 22 A of the rear cover 20 will enter inside the second gap G 2 , and although the entrance of the second gap G 2 is rendered large by the presence of the manipulation lever 30's second cam slot 37 at such opening, the second cam slot 37's length is less than the width of the first cam slot 36, so that when the rear cover 20 is pushed in further, the latching projection 22c on the sidewall 22 A surface will collide with the step difference portion 31 C' that serves as second stopper, and any further pushing-in of the rear cover 20 will be blocked. In this way, mounting of the rear cover 20 in the direction of arrow A 2 is rendered impossible.
- Fig. 15 illustrates the male connector
- Fig. 15A being a perspective view of the whole male connector
- Fig. 15B being an exploded version of the perspective view in Fig. 15A .
- the counterpart connector 40 consists of a male connector, being composed, as Fig. 15 shows, of a plurality of male pins 43 and a male connector housing 41 in which such pins are housed.
- the male pins 43 are composed of relatively large-sized male pins 43 A and smaller-sized male pins 43 B that are connected to the female large pins 2 A and small pins 2 B , respectively, of the connector 1.
- the male connector housing 42 has roughly rectangular front and rear walls 41 1 , 41 2 at the front and rear, and an outer periphery that is enclosed by pairs of opposed outer walls, specifically by upper and lower walls 41 3 , 41 3 and left and right sidewalls 41 4 , 41 4 .
- In the front wall 41 1 there is formed a hollow cavity having an insertion opening into which the connector 1 is inserted, and the inner wall of this hollow cavity stands close to the rear wall 41 2 , the whole being formed as a molding of insulating synthetic resin.
- fitting holes 41 A , 41 B into which the male pins 42 fit.
- engaging projections 42, 42 that project outwards from locations close to the insertion opening.
- These engaging projections 42, 42 are composed of a pivot 42 A that rises from the wall surface, and a flange 42 B that is provided on top of the pivot 42 A ; these are formed to be integrated with the male connector housing 41.
- the flange 42 B is roughly a disc in shape.
- the engaging projections 42 are of a size to engage with the cam holes 34 of the manipulation lever 30 of the connector 1.
- the large pins 43 A and small pins 43 B are inserted into the fitting holes 41 A and 41 B respectively of the male connector housing 41 and fixed therein.
- FIGs. 16 and 17 are explanatory views illustrating coupling of the two connectors, Fig. 16 illustrating the uncoupled and Fig. 17 the coupled state.
- Figs. 16B, 16C , 17B and 17C the counterpart connector 40 is omitted.
- the connector 1 is brought near to the counterpart connector 40, and the insertion portion 3 A of the connector housing 3 located at the front of the connector 1 is inserted into the fitting hole 41 A in the front face of the connector housing 41 of the counterpart connector 40 (see Fig. 16A ).
- the cam holes 34, 34 of the manipulation lever 30 are, as shown in Figs, 16A to 16C , held in positions parallel to the rear holder 6 without being engaged onto the engaging projections 42, 42 of the counterpart connector 40.
- the counterpart connector 40's latching projections 42, 42 are inserted into the open portions of the manipulation lever 30's cam holes 34, 34 as shown in Fig. 17 , after which the manipulation lever 30 is rotated to the rear of the rear cover 20, by grasping the manipulation lever 30's connecting piece 32 between finger and thumb.
- the counterpart connector 40's latching projections 42, 42 are guided into the guide portions of the cam holes 34, 34 and the two connectors 1, 40 are drawn in directions such that they approach each other.
- the connecting piece 32 moves to the rear of the rear cover 20, whereupon coupling of the two connectors 1, 40 is complete and electric contact is effected between the pins 2, 43 of the two connectors 1, 40.
- the manipulation lever 30 Upon such completion of the coupling of the two connectors 1, 40, the manipulation lever 30 is fixed in the position at the rear of the rear cover 20 to which the connecting piece 32 thereof moved.
- the fixing of the manipulation lever 30 in this position is effected as follows.
- the latching projection 22c of the rear cover 20 enters inside the latching groove 36 B , and a flat edge 33 A1 of the turn restricting portion 33 A contacts against an outer face of the latching projection 22c in such entered state, so that turning of the pivot projection 33 - that is, turning of the manipulation lever 30 - is restricted, as shown in Fig, 17D .
- the manipulation lever 30 will not rock in the arrow C directions.
- latching of the manipulation lever 30 is rendered even more reliable by the fact that the latching portion 32 A provided on the connecting piece 32 latches onto the projection 24 B on the top wall 24 of the rear cover 20.
Landscapes
- Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
- Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
- Cable Accessories (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to an electric connector. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electric connector whose coupling with a counterpart connector is facilitated by a latch portion.
- Large numbers of patents present electric connectors that are so contrived that a manipulation lever is fitted to the housing of either one of a pair of first and second connectors that couple together, and by engaging this manipulation lever with the housing of the other connector and turning it, coupling of the first and second connectors can be effected smoothly. A representative example is set forth in
JP-A-2005-123102 -
Fig. 18 is an exploded perspective view of a related art electric connector, andFig. 19 is a sectional view of the electric connector ofFig. 18 in the assembled state. AsFig. 18 shows, theelectric connector 50 set forth inJP-A-2005-123102 pins 51; aconnector housing 52 in which thepins 51 are housed; arear holder 55 that is installed to the rear portion of theconnector housing 52 and has a plurality of through-holes through which thepins 51 are inserted; asealing member 54 that is interposed between theconnector housing 52 and therear holder 55; and amanipulation lever 53 andrear cover 56 that are fitted to the rear portion of theconnector housing 52. - Among these component parts, the
connector housing 52 is provided with arail 52A that extends in the horizontal direction, and therear cover 56 is provided with aguide slot 56A into which therail 52A is inserted. Aguide slot 56A is also provided in the bottom wall of therear cover 56 inFig. 18 . Further, theseguide slots holder pressing portion holder pressing portions level portion 57 that contacts against the rear surface of therear holder 55, and aninclined portion 58 that slides over the edge of the rear face of therear holder 55. - The
rear cover 56 is mounted to theconnector housing 52 by being slid horizontally onto the rear portion of theconnector housing 52. More precisely, theguide slots rear cover 56 are mounted onto the upper andlower rails connector housing 52, then therear cover 56 is fitted by being slid onto the rear portion of theconnector housing 52. By means of such sliding motion, the rearholder pressing portions rear cover 56 contact with and are pressed against the rear portion of therear holder 55. As a result, therear holder 55 is moved toward the fixed position on theconnector housing 52, while clamping theseal member 54 between itself and the rear portion of theconnector housing 52. In tandem with the sliding motion of therear cover 56, theinclined portions 58 contact against the rear surface edges of therear holder 55, so that therear holder 55 slides along the sloping surfaces of theinclined portions 58 and is moved toward the rear portion of theconnector housing 52. Then theinclined portions 58 move beyond the rear surface edges, and thelevel portions 57 contact with the rear surfaces of therear holder 55. Thereby, the pressed state is maintained, and watertightness is preserved between the outer surfaces of the electric wire portions of thewired pins 51 that were installed earlier and the sealing member (seeFig. 19 ). - According to this
electric connector 50, the sliding of therear cover 56 results in therear holder 55 being fixed to theconnector housing 52, and simultaneously in the sealingmember 54 being clamped, so that watertightness is preserved between the outer surfaces of the electric wire portions of thewired pins 51 and the sealingmember 54. More precisely,guide slots 56A and rearholder pressing portions 56B are provided in therear cover 56, and horizontally-extendingrails 52A are provided on theconnector housing 52; by mounting theguide slots 56A in therear cover 56 onto therails 52A on theconnector housing 52, and sliding therear cover 56 onto to the rear portion of theconnector housing 52, therear holder 55 is fixed to theconnector housing 52, and at the same time the sealingmember 54 is clamped, so that watertightness exists between the outer surfaces of thewired pins 51 and the sealing member. With this structure however, therails 52A that are provided on theconnector housing 52 are formed as strip protrusions that project from the outer walls of theconnector housing 52, because of which, limits are placed on the mechanical strength. In particular, a large load is imposed on therails 52A when therear cover 56 is mounted, and when such load acts on the rails there will be danger of breakage or similar. Further, fabrication of therear cover 56 is troublesome because therear cover 56 must be provided with rearholder pressing portions 56B that have a complex shape made up of alevel portion 57 that contacts with the rear surface of therear holder 55 and aninclined portion 58 that slides over the rear surface edges of therear holder 55. Moreover, assembling these items is also troublesome. - Various aspects and features of the present invention are defined in the appended claims.
- An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide an electric connector that can proactively detect misassembly of the connector components when the rear cover is fitted.
- Another advantage of the present invention is to provide an electric connector that can determine the mounting status of the sealing member, and the joining status of the connector housing and rear holder, when the rear cover is fitted.
- According to an aspect of the invention, an electric connector includes: a connector housing inside which pins are housed, and which has at the front an insertion portion into which a counterpart connector is inserted, and at the rear a holder mounting portion; a sealing member that is mounted onto the outer periphery of the holder mounting portion; a rear holder the front end portion of which is a contacting surface for contacting with the sealing member; which has at the front a mating cavity that is fixed onto the holder mounting portion, and at the rear a cover installation portion; and which is fixed to the connector housing with the sealing member interposed; and a rear cover which is mounted to the cover installation portion via sliding motion. The electric connector incorporates the features that a latching portion is provided in location adjacent to the cover installation portion at the rear of the rear holder, an engaging portion into which the latching portion engages are provided in the holder mounting portion of the connector housing, and if the latching portion is in a state of non-engagement with the engaging portion when the rear holder is mounted to the connector housing, the sliding motion of the rear cover is blocked.
- The latching portions and engaging portions may preferably be provided in locations on the rear holder and the holder mounting portion, respectively, that are opposite each other.
- The latching portions may preferably be constituted of a latching member possessing resilience and formed on part of the outer wall of the rear holder, the latching member may preferably have a latching bar and projecting block, and the engaging portion may preferably have a latching slot that is formed in the wall of the connector housing, so that if the connector housing and rear holder are not completely fixed together and the latching portion do not engage onto the engaging portion, then, just before latching into the latching slot, the latching bar will run up the connector housing's wall, with the result that the latching member will be pushed upward, and consequently the projecting block will block the rear cover from being mounted via sliding motion onto the cover installation portion.
- Also, part of the outer wall of the rear holder may preferably be formed as a double wall constituted of an inner plate and an outer plate with a gap therebetween, and the latching portion may preferably be provided on the inner plate.
- Also, a manipulation lever one portion of which latches into the counterpart connector to effect coupling of the two connectors may preferably be mounted to the wall of the rear holder.
- Thanks to the foregoing structure, the present invention yields the superior advantages that will now be described. Namely, according to an aspect of the invention, a latching portion and an engaging portion are provided at the rear of the rear holder and in the holder mounting portion, respectively, and if the latching portion fails to engage with the engaging portion when the rear holder is fitted into the connector housing, so that a non-engaged state results, then sliding motion of the rear cover at the cover installation portion will be blocked by the latching portion. Thus, should mounting of the sealing member and joining of the connector housing and rear holder be incomplete, it will not be possible to mount the rear cover. Consequently, during mounting of the rear cover it is possible to sense whether the sealing member, and the connector housing and rear holder, have been fully mounted, and hence to proactively detect incomplete assembly of the connector.
- According to another preferable aspect, providing the latching portion and the engaging portion in locations on the rear holder and the connector housing, respectively, that are opposite each other, will enable the rear holder to be fixed to the connector housing by means of the latching portion and engaging portion, which will be opposite each other, so that engagement of the rear holder to the connector housing will be stable and firm.
- According to another preferable aspect, the latching portion and engaging portion can be formed in a simple manner by machining the outer wall of the rear holder and the wall surface of the connector housing.
- According to another preferable aspect, by making a part of the outer wall of the rear holder to be a double wall constituted of an inner plate and an outer plate, the rear cover can be fitted by being slid into the gap between the inner wall plate and outer wall plate, and therefore can be fitted stably without being exposed to the exterior. Further, the manipulation lever for effecting coupling of the two connectors can also be fitted in the gap between the double walls.
- According to another preferable aspect, the fact that the manipulation lever is fitted to the rear holder facilitates coupling with the counterpart connector.
- Example embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.
Illustrating an electric connector of an embodiment of the invention,Fig. 1A is a perspective view of the whole connector andFig. 1B is an exploded version of the perspective view ofFig. 1A .
Illustrating the electric connector ofFig. 1 turned through 180 degrees,Fig. 2A is a perspective view of the whole connector andFig. 2B is an exploded version of the perspective view ofFig. 2A .
Illustrating the connector housing ofFigs. 1 and2 ,Fig. 3A is an enlarged perspective view of the connector housing inFig. 1B , andFig. 3B is an enlarged perspective view of the connector housing inFig. 2B .
Illustrating the rear holder ofFigs. 1 and2 ,Fig. 4A is an enlarged perspective view of the rear holder inFig. 1B , andFig. 4B is an enlarged perspective view of the rear holder inFig. 2B .
Illustrating the rear cover ofFigs. 1 and2 ,Fig. 5A is an enlarged perspective view of the rear cover inFig. 1B , andFig. 5B is an enlarged perspective view of the rear cover inFig. 2B .
Illustrating the manipulation lever ofFigs. 1 and2 ,Fig. 6A is an enlarged perspective view of the manipulation lever inFig. 1B , andFig. 6B is an enlarged perspective view of the manipulation lever inFig. 2B .
Illustrating the manipulation lever in the process of being mounted to the rear holder,Fig. 7A is a perspective view with a cut made through the relevant parts, andFig. 7B is a side view ofFig. 7A .
Illustrating the manipulation lever after mounting to the rear holder,Fig. 8A is a perspective view with a cut made through the relevant parts, andFig. 8B is a side view ofFig. 8A .
Illustrating the process of joining the connector housing and the rear holder,Fig. 9A is a perspective view of the items prior to being joined,Fig. 9B is a perspective view of the items after being joined, andFig. 9C is an enlarged sectional view of portion IXC inFig. 9B .
Illustrating the process of mounting the rear cover to the connector housing plus rear holder assembly shown inFig. 9 ,Fig. 10A is a perspective view of the items prior to such mounting,Fig. 10B is a perspective view of the items after such mounting, andFig. 10C is an enlarged sectional view of portion XC inFig. 10B .
Illustrating the process of joining the connector housing and the rear holder,Fig. 11A is a perspective view of the items prior to being joined,Fig. 11B is a perspective view of the items after being joined, andFig. 11C is an enlarged sectional view of portion XIC inFig. 11B .
Illustrating the process of mounting the rear cover to the connector housing plus rear holder assembly shown inFig. 11 ,Fig. 12A is a perspective view of the items prior to being joined,Fig. 12B is a perspective view of the items in the process of being joined, andFig. 12C is an enlarged view of portion XIIC inFig. 12B .
Illustrating mounting of the rear cover to the rear holder,Fig. 13A is a plan view, andFigs. 13B to 13D show stepwise the states in the mounting of the rear cover, being sectional views along line XIIIB - XIIIB inFig. 13A .
Illustrating mounting of the rear cover to the rear holder,Fig. 14A is a plan view, andFigs. 14B and 14C show stepwise the states in the mounting of the rear cover, being sectional views along line XIVB - XIVB inFig. 14A .
Illustrating the male connector,Fig. 15A is a perspective view of the whole connector, andFig. 15B is an exploded version of the perspective view ofFig. 15A .
Illustrating the two connectors in the state prior to coupling,Fig. 16A is a perspective view of the whole,Fig. 16B is a rear view seen in direction X inFig. 16A, Fig. 16C is a sectional view of the housing side of a line cut along XVIC - XVIC inFig. 16B, and Fig. 16D is a sectional view of the manipulation lever side of a line cut along XVIC - XVIC inFig. 16B .
Illustrating the two connectors in the state after coupling,Fig. 17A is a perspective view of the whole,Fig. 17B is a rear view seen in direction X inFig. 17A, Fig. 17C is a sectional view of the housing side of a line cut along XVIIC - XVIIC inFig. 17B, and Fig. 17D is a sectional view of the manipulation lever side of a line cut along XVIIC - XVIIC inFig. 17B .
Fig. 18 is an exploded perspective view of a related art electric connector.
Fig. 19 is a sectional view of the electric connector ofFig. 18 in the assembled state. - Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First will be described, with reference to
Figs. 1 to 6 , the whole of an electric connector according to a first embodiment, and the individual parts composing such connector.Figs. 1 and2 show the whole connector and its individual parts, whileFigs. 3 to 6 show the individual parts. The arrows between the parts inFigs. 1B and2B indicate the direction of assembly. - As shown in
Figs. 1 and2 , this electric connector ("connector" below) 1 consists of a female connector, and has a plurality offemale pins 2, afemale connector housing 3 in which thepins 2 are housed ("connector housing" below), arear holder 6 that is mounted to the rear of theconnector housing 3, amanipulation lever 30 that is mounted to the outer wall of therear holder 6 and facilitates coupling with the counterpart connector, and arear cover 20 that is mounted to the rear portion of therear holder 6 and covers the rear end portions of thepins 2. The structure is such that a ring-like sealing member 35 is mounted to the outer periphery wall of theconnector housing 3, and a terminal position assurance ("TPA" below) 38 that senses the fitting condition of the pins is mounted to a sidewall of theconnector housing 3. The individual parts composing the connector will now be described in detail. - As shown in
Figs. 1 and2 , thefemale pins 2 are made up of two types of female pin of differing sizes; more precisely, relatively large-sized female pins ("large pins" below) 2A, and female pins of a smaller size ("small pins" below) 2B. The female pins of each type have a contacting portion at the forward end and a lead wire fixing portion at the rear end, the lead wires being connected to the fixing portions. Ring-shapedsealing members 2c are fitted around the outer peripheries of the lead wires of the large pins 2A. Thesmall pins 2B are gathered into a cluster of, for example, 20 pins, and a ring-like sealing member 2D is fitted around the periphery of such pin cluster. - As shown in
Fig. 3 , theconnector housing 3 is enclosed by roughly rectangular front andrear walls bottom walls right sidewalls insertion portion 3A for insertion of the counterpart connector, and a rear portion constituted of a roughly oblong member having acoupling portion 3B that is fitted into therear holder 6. Such member is formed as a molding of insulating synthetic resin. - In the interior of this
connector housing 3 there are formed, from therear wall 32 towards thefront wall 31, through-holes 4A, 4B through which the two types offemale pins Fig. 3B ). Thelarge pins 2A are inserted into the through-holes 4A, and the cluster ofsmall pins 2B is inserted into the through-hole 4B. In thefront wall 31 there are formed insertion holes for insertion of the male pins of the counterpart connector 40 (seeFig. 15 ) that connect with thepins rear wall 32. Further, thefront wall 31 of theconnector housing 3 is divided up by a narrow slot. Division of thefront wall 31 by such slot means that coupling with the counterpart connector will be smooth, since during insertion into such connector the slot's width will contract. - In one of the
sidewalls 34 of theinsertion portion 3A there is formed a mounting hole 5B into which theTPA 38 is mounted. Also, in the top andbottom walls coupling portion 3B there is formed a flat-bottomed latching groove 5A into which a latchingbar 11B of therear holder 6 to be described later (seeFig. 9 ) latches. Between this flat-bottomed latching groove 5A and therear wall 32 is located a sidewall portion 5A' that constitutes the sidewall of the flat-bottomed latching groove 5A. This sidewall portion 5A' is formed as a part of thetop wall 33. A similar latching groove 5A and sidewall portion 5A' are also formed in thebottom wall 33. Further, arib 30 that restricts the motion of the sealingmember 35 is formed on the outer periphery of theconnector housing 3 at the boundary between theinsertion portion 3A and theholder coupling portion 3B. - As shown in
Fig. 4 , therear holder 6 has roughly rectangular front andrear walls bottom walls right sidewalls front wall 61 at the front of therear holder 6 there is formed amating cavity 6c for insertion of thecoupling portion 3B of theconnector housing 3. The interior of thismating cavity 6c is partitioned by apartitioning wall 6D, and in thepartitioning wall 6D there are formed through-holes through which the two types ofpin - The top and
bottom walls rear cover 20 and amanipulation lever 30 respectively, and with a housing latching portion LA that engages with theconnector housing 3. The top and the bottom cover mounting portions RC, lever mounting portions LC and housing latching portions LA are each formed with the same structure, and all are formed by molding of the top andbottom walls bottom wall 63 and thetop wall 63 both have the same structure. To avoid duplication in the description therefore, thetop wall 63 only is described below. - As shown in
Fig. 4 , thetop wall 63 has a particular thickness and acertain gap 6G formed between the inner and outer surfaces, being a double wall, or more precisely being composed of anouter plate 6A and aninner plate 6B with thegap 6G interposed. Thisgap 6G is of a dimension such that theflange 33B of themanipulation lever 30 to be described later can be inserted therein and turned. Theouter plate 6A is foreshortened in the front-rear direction, that is, extends from thefront wall 61 to a point short of therear wall 62. In other words, the width of theouter plate 6A stops short compared to that of the left andright sidewalls outer plate 6A, therear wall 62 is also foreshortened compared to the front wall. It is in between the foreshortenedouter plate 6A andrear wall 62 that the cover and lever mounting portions RC, LB and the housing latching portion LA are formed. - The
outer plate 6A is partitioned by plural slits 80, 80, which extend from the rear edge to shortly before thefront wall 61, into three areas, namely into first tothird areas 6A1 to 6A3, being in this manner partially divided up. The first andthird areas second area 6A2 is formed larger than the first andthird areas second area 6A2 there is provided arectangular recess 9 having a particular width and depth and extending from therear wall 62 toward thefront wall 61. Thesecond area 6A2 is further divided intosubareas recess 9. Thebottom 9A of therecess 9 is formed to be flat. Thanks to therecess bottom 9A being made flat, thecut portion 33B' of theflange 33B of thepivot projection 33 to be described later can be aligned with such flat surface, and hence it will be a simple matter to remove thepivot projection 33 from thegap 6G. - The rear portions of the first and
third areas step difference 60 toward therear wall 62. Such extensions constitute support projections 7A, 7A of a particular thickness and width. The thickness of these support projections 7A, 7A is such as to enable insertion into the flat-bottomedslots 220 of therear cover 20. - The
inner plate 6B is partitioned into five areas, namely into first tofifth areas 6B1 to 6B5, being in this manner partially divided up. The first andfifth areas 6B1 and 6B5 - the side areas - are the same size. Likewise the second andfourth areas fifth areas third area 6B3 has a larger surface area than the other areas, and an edge that is extended to the rear. In thethird area 6B3 there is formed a receiving hole 10A into which thepivot projection 33 of themanipulation lever 30 fits. The receiving hole 10A is formed almost exactly beneath therecess 9 in theouter plate 6A. Also, the receiving hole 10A communicates with thegap 60. At the extended edge portion of thethird area 6B3 there is formed a guide surface 10B which consists of an inclined plane. Further, the bottom of thethird area 6B3 forms a surface of theinner wall 6B' surrounding themating cavity 6c, the thickness thereof being such as to enable insertion into the flat-bottomedslots 220 of therear cover 20. - Thus, the support projections 7A, 7A and the
inner plate 6B are formed to the same thickness, and are inserted into the flat-bottomedslots 220 of therear cover 20 to be described later. At the left andright sidewalls rear wall 62 there are formed mounting portions 12A, 12A into which therear cover 20 will be inserted. - Also, on the
rear wall 62, between the two mounting portions 12A, 12A, there is formed arail projection 62A with top and bottom edges projecting outward at particular heights. Such arail projection 62A is also formed at the bottom of therear wall 62. Thanks to the provision of theserail projections 62A, therear cover 20 will, for example, when inserted into one of the fitting portions 12A, be guided by therail projections 62A and as a result will be held to therear holder 6, and will not separate from therear holder 6. Therail projections 62A are separation prevention projections since they prevent separation of therear cover 20. - Latching
portions connector housing 3 are formed in the second andfourth areas portions subareas outer plate 6A, and have each the same structure. - As shown in
Fig. 9C , these latchingportions 11 have: abase portion 110 that is joined to theinner plate 6B; a latchingarm 11A that extends from the base portion and has a particular length; and, located at the end of the latchingarm 11A, an upper projection that projects upward from the end portion, that is, a projectingblock 11c, and a lower projection that projects downward, that is, a latchingbar 11B. Partially separated from theinner plate 6B by a long incision, the latchingarm 11A is an elastic arm piece possessing resilience. The latchingbar 11B engages into the flat-bottomed latching groove 5A in theconnector housing 3. The projectingblock 11c performs the role of inhibiting mounting of therear cover 20 to therear holder 6 if engagement of the latchingbar 11B with the latching groove 5A is incomplete. Further, when engagement of the latchingbar 11B with the latching groove 5A is completely effected, the top of the projectingblock 11c will contact against thesidewall 22A of therear cover 20, so that motion of the latchingarm 11A will be restricted, rendering firm the engagement of the latchingbar 11B with the latching groove 5A. As a result, theconnector housing 3 andrear holder 6 will be soundly joined. - The cover and lever mounting portions RC, LB and the housing latching portion LA are formed between the outer and
inner plates rear wall 62, as shown inFig. 4 . The cover mounting portion RC is composed principally of the support projections 7A, 7A, theinner plate 6B of thesecond area 6B2 between the support projections 7A, 7A, and therail projection 62A. The lever mounting portion LB is composed principally of thegap 6G between the inner andouter plates inner plate 6B. Further, the housing latching portion LA is made up of the latchingportions fourth areas inner plate 6B, and the latchingportions 11 are composed of abase portion 110 that is joined to theinner plate 6B, a latchingarm 11A that extends from the base portion and has a particular length, and, located at the end of the latchingarm 11A, a projectingblock 11c that projects upward from the end portion and a latchingbar 11B that projects downward (seeFig. 9C ). Thus, according to such structure the housing latching portion LA, cover mounting portion RC and lever mounting portion LB are gathered in therear holder 6; consequently it is a simple matter to form these, and moreover it is possible to link the cover mounting portion RC and lever mounting portion LB with the housing latching portion LA. More precisely, theconnector housing 3 usually houses the pins and their accessories, etc., and therefore has a complex structure, so that providing the above-mentioned latching portion, etc., on theconnector housing 3 would render the structure thereof even more complex, whereas it is a simple matter to form the housing latching portion LA, etc., on therear holder 6 since few other parts are mounted thereon. Also, gathering together the housing latching portion LA, cover mounting portion RC and lever mounting portion LB in the rear holder facilitates linking of these items, so that it is possible, for example, to first link therear holder 6 to theconnector housing 3 via the housing latching portion LA, then mount themanipulation lever 30 via the lever mounting portion LB, and then install therear cover 20 via the cover mounting portion RC, thus effecting assembly of the connector in a successive and simple manner. - As shown in
Fig. 5 , therear cover 20 is a member for leading out in a particular direction the multiple lead wires that are drawn out from therear wall 62 of therear holder 6, and has a pair ofopposed sidewalls space 25 of a particular size therebetween, and atop wall 24 connected to thesidewalls top wall 24 is formed as a curved surface, being joined to thesidewalls opening 26. The inner interior of thisopening 26, that is, at the end portions of thesidewalls wall 24A. In thetop wall 24 there is provided aprojection 24B onto which the latchingportion 32A of themanipulation lever 30 latches. Theopening 26 serves as a lead-out hole that leads the lead wires out to the exterior. - The
gap 25 between the pair ofsidewalls rear wall 62 of therear holder 6. Since bothsidewalls - The
sidewall 21 is formed with a thick edge, and in this thick edge there is formed a flat-bottomedslot 220 enclosed by opposed first andsecond sidewall portions slot 220 has opposed first andsecond sidewall portions first sidewall portion 22A, constitutes part of thesidewall 21, and the other, thesecond sidewall portion 22B, constitutes part of the inner wall. Roughly at the longitudinal center of the outer face of thefirst sidewall portion 22A there is formed a latchingprojection 22c that projects upward. This latchingprojection 22c is formed as a roughly square-shaped low-profile projection. The latchingprojection 22c performs a misinsertion prevention role, preventing therear cover 20 from being mounted in the wrong direction because of themanipulation lever 30 after themanipulation lever 30 has been mounted to therear holder 6. In addition, when fitted into the latchinggroove 36B in themanipulation lever 30, the latchingprojection 22c also performs the role of fixing themanipulation lever 30 in the required position. The space between the first andsecond sidewall portions slot 220, is formed to have a width that is almost the same as or slightly larger than the thickness of the support projections 7A, 7A of therear holder 6. The flat-bottomedslot 220 serves as a guide slot for when therear cover 20 is mounted to therear holder 6, and as an installation slot for therear cover 20. Also, thesecond sidewall portion 22B is provided with aguide rail 23. - As shown in
Fig. 6 , themanipulation lever 30 has a pair ofopposed lever arms piece 32 that connects thelever arms lever arms lever arm 31 has anouter wall 31A and aninner wall 31B, and in eachinner wall 31B there are formed apivot projection 33 that supports the lever, acam hole 34, and a pair of first andsecond cam slots pivot projection 33 is formed to have anaxle 33A whose base rises from theinner wall 31B of thelever arm 31, and aflange 33B integrated with the top of theaxle 33A. Thecam hole 34 runs through both the inner and theouter walls piece 32 is provided with a latchingportion 32A. During coupling with thecounterpart connector 40, this latchingportion 32A is latched onto the projection 29B of therear cover 20, thereby fixing themanipulation lever 30 in the required position. - The
manipulation lever 30 is mounted to therear holder 6 so as to turn freely, but theaxle 33A is provided with aturn restricting portion 33A, that restricts such turning. AsFig. 6C shows, thisturn restricting portion 33A' is of a teardrop shape, such that its cross-section, supposing theaxle 33A to be cut through in a plane orthogonal to the direction in which theaxle 33A rises up from thelever arm 31, hasflat edges 33A1 and acircular edge 33A2. - The
flange 33B is in the shape of a disc with a cut-offportion 33B' at the edge, and is of a size that enables insertion into the receiving hole 10A. The provision of the cut-offportion 33B' facilitates installation to the receiving hole 10A. - The pair of first and
second cam slots pivot projection 33's direction of insertion. Thesecam slots lever arm 31 past thestep difference portion 31c. More precisely, thefirst cam slot 36 has: aguide face 36A over which the latchingprojection 22c of therear cover 20 slides; afirst stopper 361 against which the latchingprojection 22c contacts; and a latchingslot 36B into which the latchingprojection 22c latches, thefirst stopper 361 and latchingslot 36B being formed as a part of thestep difference portion 31c. The guide face 36A is formed to extend from the connectingpiece 32 toward the edge of thelever arm 31, with a particular width and length. Also, thepivot projection 33 is formed in a location near to thefirst stopper 361. - The
second cam slot 37 is provided on the opposite edge to that where the connectingpiece 32 of thelever arm 31 is provided. Thesecond cam slot 37 is formed as a reduced-thickness portion with aguide surface 37A in theinner wall 31B past thestep difference 31C'. Thisguide surface 37A of thesecond cam slot 37 formed past thestep difference 31C' is also a surface over which the latchingprojection 22c slides, but is formed to have a size that is smaller than theguide surface 36A of thefirst cam slot 36. In addition, thestep difference 31C' serves as a second stopper. - The
cam hole 34 runs through both the inner and theouter walls lever arm 31. Thecam hole 34 has aguide hole 34A that guides the engaging projection 42 (seeFig. 15 ) of thecounterpart connector 40 to be described later. Astep difference portion 34B is formed around theguide hole 34A. Theflange 42B of the engagingprojection 42 of thecounterpart connector 40 latches onto thisstep difference portion 34B. - As shown in
Figs. 1 and2 , the sealingmember 35 is constituted of a ring-like member with a hollow interior, and is formed from rubber material possessing resilience. The outer peripheral surface of this ring-like member will preferably be given an indented-and-protruding form. Rendering the outer peripheral surface indented-and-protruding will make for good watertightness with thecounterpart connector 40. - The process of assembling the
connector 1 will now be described with reference toFigs. 1 to 14 .Figs. 7 and8 are explanatory views illustrating the mounting of the manipulation lever to the rear holder. InFigs. 7 and8 , parts of the rear holder and manipulation lever are excised to facilitate understanding of the internal structure.Figs. 8 to 12 are explanatory views illustrating joining of the rear holder to the connector housing, whileFigs. 13 and14 are explanatory views illustrating installation of the rear cover to the rear holder. - This
connector 1 is assembled via the following processes: (I) sealing member mounting process, (II) holder joining process, (III) pin mounting process, (IV) TPA mounting process, (V) lever mounting process, and (VI) rear cover mounting process. - In the (I) sealing member mounting process, the sealing
member 35 is mounted over the outer surface of thecoupling portion 3B of theconnector housing 3 until contact is made with therib 30, these items being among the connector components shown in, for example,Figs. 1 and2 . When the sealingmember 35 is mounted as far as the position where it contacts therib 30, the inner periphery of the sealingmember 35 fits tightly against the outer periphery of theconnector housing 3, enabling mounting of therear holder 6. Mounting of the sealingmember 35 effects a watertight sealing between thehousing connector 3 andrear holder 6 to be described later. In the (II) holder joining process, succeeding the sealingmember 35 thecoupling portion 3B of theconnector housing 3 is inserted into therear holder 6. Via such insertion, the latchingbar 11B of the latchingportion 11 is sunk into the latching groove 5A and engages into the mating cavity 6C. Therear holder 6 is thereby latched and fixed to theconnector housing 3. In the (III) pin mounting process, thelarge pins 2A and the cluster ofsmall pins 2B are inserted from the rear of therear holder 6 through the through-holes 4A and 4B, respectively, in theconnector housing 3, and thereby both sets of pins are housed and fixed inside theconnector housing 3 with therear holder 6 mounted thereto. In the (IV) TPA mounting process, theTPA 38 is inserted into the mounting hole 5B in theconnector housing 3, fixing thefemale pins 2 inside theconnector housing 3. - Subsequently in the (V) lever mounting process, the work of installing the
manipulation lever 30 to the assembly assembled in processes (I) to (IV) is carried out. In this installation work, first of all themanipulation lever 30 is positioned at the rear of therear holder 6 as shown inFig. 7A and pushed in with thepivot projections lever arms flanges pivot projection lever arms Fig. 7B , so that gaps G0, G0 are formed between theinner walls lever arms outer walls lever arms flanges gaps Fig. 8 . Simultaneously with such insertion, thelever arms inner walls 31B, 31B contact against theouter plates manipulation lever 30 is turned in this state, the edges of theflanges gaps outer plates manipulation lever 30 is installed in a freely turnable state relative to therear holder 6. Thus, theflanges manipulation lever 30 was pushed in. This means that after being mounted to therear holder 6, themanipulation lever 30 will not become detached therefrom even if an impact or other strong external force should act on themanipulation lever 30. - When the
manipulation lever 30 is mounted to therear holder 6, a gap G (seeFig. 13B ) into which the first sidewall portion of therear cover 20 will be pushed is formed between thelever arms manipulation lever 30 and theinner plates rear holder 6. This gap G is composed of a first gap G1 that is opposite theguide surface 36A of themanipulation lever 30, and a second gap G2 that is opposite theinner wall 31B, the first gap G1 being wider than the second gap G2. - Finally, the
rear cover 20 is installed to therear holder 6. In the (VI) rear cover mounting process, firstly therear cover 20 is positioned at the part of theconnector housing 3 indicated by arrow A1 inFig. 13A , that is, on the side where themanipulation lever 30's connectingpiece 32 is located, and therear cover 20 is inserted in the direction of the first gap G1 between the rear holder and themanipulation lever 30. Such insertion is effected along the direction of one of the mounting portions 12A, so that one of the support projections 7A will be inserted into the flat-bottomedslots rear cover 20. Therear cover 20's guide rails 23, 23 will be inserted along therail projections rear cover 20, being inserted through one of the mounting portions 12A, will be supported by the support projections 7A, 7a, theinner plate 6B of thethird area 6B3, and therail projections 62A, and therefore will not become detached from therear holder 6. - The foregoing processes (I) to (VI) complete the assembly of the
connector 1. However, there will be cases where therear holder 6 is not joined completely to theconnector housing 3 in the (II) holder joining process. When such a case occurs, not only will therear holder 6 andconnector housing 3 not be completely joined, but also the sealingmember 35 will not be fully mounted and the desired waterproofing effects will not be obtained. Such a state will constitute misassembly of theconnector 1. Accordingly, thisconnector 1 is rendered able to sense such misassembly by utilizing the latchingportions rear holder 6. - This misassembly sensing will now be described with reference to
Figs. 11 and12 .Figs. 11 and12 are explanatory views illustrating the misassembly, and correspond toFigs. 9 and10 respectively. - First of all, the sealing
member 35 is mounted to thecoupling portion 3B at the rear of theconnector housing 3, themating cavity 6c at the front of therear holder 6 is mated onto thecoupling portion 3B, and therear holder 6 is pushed onto thecoupling portion 3B. Such pushing-on of therear holder 6 brings thefront wall 61 surface of therear holder 6 into contact with an edge face of the sealingmember 35. If therear holder 6 is incompletely pushed in at this point, then due to the resilience of the latchingarm 11A, the latchingbar 11B of the latchingportion 11 will climb on top of the sidewall portion 5A' of the latching groove 5A, and the projectingblock 11C will be lifted upward (seeFig. 11C ). If it is attempted to mount therear cover 20 to therear holder 6 in such a state, then as shown inFig. 12C , such attempt to slide therear cover 20 onto therear holder 6 will fail because thefirst sidewall portion 22A of therear cover 20 will collide with the projectingblock 11C. It will thus be possible to sense, from the fact that therear cover 20 cannot be mounted, that the sealingmember 35 has not been properly pressed against theconnector housing 3, and that theconnector housing 3 andrear holder 6 are in a non-joined state. - If on the other hand, as shown in
Figs. 9 and10 , therear holder 6 is fully pushed in, so that the latchingbar 11B of the latchingportion 11 sinks into and engages with the flat-bottomed latching groove 5A, then since the projectingblock 11c will already have retracted downward, the sliding motion of therear cover 20 will not be inhibited. When therear cover 20 is mounted onto therear holder 6, the sealingmember 35 will be mounted in the regular position, so that watertightness between theconnector housing 3 andrear holder 6 is reliably effected, and at the same time, complete joining of theconnector housing 3 andrear holder 6 will be assured. In such state, the top of the projectingblock 11C will contact with therear cover 20'sfirst sidewall portion 22A, restricting the mobility thereof, so that the engagement of theconnector housing 3 andrear holder 6 will be firm. - Also, as
Fig. 5 shows, the pair ofopposed sidewalls rear cover 20 being mounted in the direction of arrow A2 inFig. 14A . If therear cover 20 were mounted in that direction, themanipulation lever 30 could not be manipulated. Accordingly thisconnector 1 is so contrived that it is not possible to mount therear cover 20 in the direction of arrow A2. More precisely, if therear cover 20 is mounted to therear holder 6 in the direction of arrow A2 inFig. 14 , thefirst sidewall portion 22A of therear cover 20 will enter inside the second gap G2, and although the entrance of the second gap G2 is rendered large by the presence of themanipulation lever 30'ssecond cam slot 37 at such opening, thesecond cam slot 37's length is less than the width of thefirst cam slot 36, so that when therear cover 20 is pushed in further, the latchingprojection 22c on thesidewall 22A surface will collide with thestep difference portion 31C' that serves as second stopper, and any further pushing-in of therear cover 20 will be blocked. In this way, mounting of therear cover 20 in the direction of arrow A2 is rendered impossible. - The
connector 1 thus assembled is coupled with acounterpart connector 40. The male connector that is such counterpart connector will now be described.Fig. 15 illustrates the male connector,Fig. 15A being a perspective view of the whole male connector, andFig. 15B being an exploded version of the perspective view inFig. 15A . - The
counterpart connector 40 consists of a male connector, being composed, asFig. 15 shows, of a plurality ofmale pins 43 and amale connector housing 41 in which such pins are housed. - The male pins 43 are composed of relatively large-sized male pins 43A and smaller-sized male pins 43B that are connected to the female
large pins 2A andsmall pins 2B, respectively, of theconnector 1. Themale connector housing 42 has roughly rectangular front andrear walls lower walls right sidewalls front wall 411 there is formed a hollow cavity having an insertion opening into which theconnector 1 is inserted, and the inner wall of this hollow cavity stands close to therear wall 412, the whole being formed as a molding of insulating synthetic resin. - In the
rear wall 412 of themale connector housing 41 there are formedfitting holes bottom walls engaging projections projections pivot 42A that rises from the wall surface, and aflange 42B that is provided on top of thepivot 42A; these are formed to be integrated with themale connector housing 41. Theflange 42B is roughly a disc in shape. The engagingprojections 42 are of a size to engage with the cam holes 34 of themanipulation lever 30 of theconnector 1. To assemble thiscounterpart connector 40, thelarge pins 43A andsmall pins 43B are inserted into the fitting holes 41A and 41B respectively of themale connector housing 41 and fixed therein. - Coupling of the
connector 1 and thecounterpart connector 40 will now be described.Figs. 16 and17 are explanatory views illustrating coupling of the two connectors,Fig. 16 illustrating the uncoupled andFig. 17 the coupled state. InFigs. 16B, 16C ,17B and 17C , thecounterpart connector 40 is omitted. - To couple the
connector 1 and thecounterpart connector 40, theconnector 1 is brought near to thecounterpart connector 40, and theinsertion portion 3A of theconnector housing 3 located at the front of theconnector 1 is inserted into thefitting hole 41A in the front face of theconnector housing 41 of the counterpart connector 40 (seeFig. 16A ). Before the twoconnectors manipulation lever 30 are, as shown inFigs, 16A to 16C , held in positions parallel to therear holder 6 without being engaged onto the engagingprojections counterpart connector 40. These positions are held via contacting of the outer surfaces of the latchingprojection 22c of therear cover 20 with thefirst stopper 361 inside thefirst cam slot 36 and thecircular edge 33A2 of theturn restricting portion 33A', as shown inFig. 16D . Thanks to such holding, themanipulation lever 30 will not rock in the arrow B directions (seeFigs. 16A and 16C ). - Next, the
counterpart connector 40'slatching projections manipulation lever 30's cam holes 34, 34 as shown inFig. 17 , after which themanipulation lever 30 is rotated to the rear of therear cover 20, by grasping themanipulation lever 30's connectingpiece 32 between finger and thumb. As a result of such rotation of themanipulation lever 30, thecounterpart connector 40'slatching projections connectors manipulation lever 30 is rotated further, the connectingpiece 32 moves to the rear of therear cover 20, whereupon coupling of the twoconnectors pins connectors connectors manipulation lever 30 is fixed in the position at the rear of therear cover 20 to which the connectingpiece 32 thereof moved. The fixing of themanipulation lever 30 in this position is effected as follows. The latchingprojection 22c of therear cover 20 enters inside the latchinggroove 36B, and aflat edge 33A1 of theturn restricting portion 33A contacts against an outer face of the latchingprojection 22c in such entered state, so that turning of the pivot projection 33 - that is, turning of the manipulation lever 30 - is restricted, as shown inFig, 17D . As a result of such holding and fixing, themanipulation lever 30 will not rock in the arrow C directions. Also, latching of themanipulation lever 30 is rendered even more reliable by the fact that the latchingportion 32A provided on the connectingpiece 32 latches onto theprojection 24B on thetop wall 24 of therear cover 20. - In addition, when the two
connectors member 35 contacts liquid-tightly against the inner wall of thefitting hole 41A in the counterpart connector, thereby rendering sound the watertightness between the twoconnectors
Various further aspects and features of the present invention are defined in the appended claims. Various combinations of features may be made other than the specific combination of features identified by the dependency of the appended claims.
Claims (5)
- An electric connector comprising:a connector housing inside which pins are housed, and which has at the front an insertion portion into which a counterpart connector is inserted, and at the rear a holder mounting portion;a sealing member that is mounted onto the outer periphery of the holder mounting portion;a rear holder the front end portion of which serves as a contacting surface for contacting with the sealing member; which has at the front a mating cavity that is fixed onto the holder mounting portion, and at the rear a cover installation portion; and which is fixed to the connector housing with the sealing member interposed; anda rear cover which is mounted to the cover installation portion via sliding motion;a latching portion being provided in location adjacent to the cover installation portion at the rear of the rear holder, an engaging portion into which the latching portion engage being provided in the holder mounting portion of the connector housing, and the sliding motion of the rear cover being blocked if the latching portion is in a state of non-engagement with the engaging portion when the rear holder is mounted to the connector housing.
- The electric connector according to claim 1, wherein the latching portion and engaging portion are provided in locations on the rear holder and the holder mounting portion, respectively, that are opposite each other.
- The electric connector according to claim 1, wherein the latching portion is constituted of a latching member possessing resilience and formed on part of the outer wall of the rear holder, the latching member has a latching bar and projecting block, and the engaging portion has a latching slot that is formed in the wall of the connector housing, so that if the connector housing and rear holder are not completely fixed together and the latching portion do not engage onto the engaging portion, then, just before latching into the latching slot, the latching bar will run up the connector housing's wall, with the result that the latching member will be pushed upward, and consequently the projecting block will block the rear cover from being mounted via sliding motion onto the cover installation portion.
- The electric connector according to claim 3, wherein part of the outer wall of the rear holder is formed as a double wall constituted of an inner plate and an outer plate with a gap therebetween, and the latching portion is provided on the inner plate.
- The electric connector according to claim 1, wherein a manipulation lever one portion of which latches into the counterpart connector to effect coupling of the two connectors is mounted to the wall of the rear holder.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
SG200701941-7A SG146465A1 (en) | 2007-03-15 | 2007-03-15 | Electric connector |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1970998A2 true EP1970998A2 (en) | 2008-09-17 |
EP1970998A3 EP1970998A3 (en) | 2011-11-23 |
EP1970998B1 EP1970998B1 (en) | 2013-08-14 |
Family
ID=39535531
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP08250784.9A Not-in-force EP1970998B1 (en) | 2007-03-15 | 2008-03-07 | Electric connector |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1970998B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP5059642B2 (en) |
KR (1) | KR100992309B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN101267076B (en) |
SG (1) | SG146465A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP2192657A1 (en) * | 2008-11-28 | 2010-06-02 | Tyco Electronics AMP GmbH | Sectioning connector |
WO2011096590A1 (en) * | 2010-02-04 | 2011-08-11 | Yazaki Corporation | Waterproof connector |
CN104868282A (en) * | 2015-05-07 | 2015-08-26 | 连展科技(深圳)有限公司 | Socket electric connector |
Families Citing this family (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
KR101103948B1 (en) | 2010-08-17 | 2012-01-12 | 현대자동차주식회사 | Rear cover of charge plug for electric vehicle |
JP6036661B2 (en) * | 2013-11-19 | 2016-11-30 | 住友電装株式会社 | Waterproof connector |
JP6354992B2 (en) * | 2015-04-02 | 2018-07-11 | 住友電装株式会社 | connector |
JP6500761B2 (en) * | 2015-12-03 | 2019-04-17 | 株式会社オートネットワーク技術研究所 | Electrical connection device |
JP2018067466A (en) * | 2016-10-20 | 2018-04-26 | 住友電装株式会社 | Waterproof connector |
Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2005123102A (en) | 2003-10-20 | 2005-05-12 | Yazaki Corp | Connector |
Family Cites Families (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN2364561Y (en) * | 1998-12-29 | 2000-02-16 | 富士康(昆山)电脑接插件有限公司 | Cable connector socket |
JP3541929B2 (en) * | 1999-01-05 | 2004-07-14 | 住友電装株式会社 | connector |
US6361356B1 (en) * | 2000-10-03 | 2002-03-26 | Delphi Technologies, Inc. | Electrical connector position assurance device |
JP2003173840A (en) * | 2001-12-05 | 2003-06-20 | Jst Mfg Co Ltd | Waterproof connector |
JP3747035B2 (en) | 2003-03-24 | 2006-02-22 | 矢崎総業株式会社 | connector |
JP2005209471A (en) * | 2004-01-22 | 2005-08-04 | Sumitomo Wiring Syst Ltd | Connector |
US7052293B2 (en) * | 2004-08-20 | 2006-05-30 | Molex Incorporated | Lever type electrical connector |
CN2750516Y (en) * | 2004-10-27 | 2006-01-04 | 连展科技(深圳)有限公司 | Socket connector |
US7150640B2 (en) * | 2005-04-08 | 2006-12-19 | Yazaki Corporation | Lever type connector |
JP4678227B2 (en) * | 2005-04-22 | 2011-04-27 | 住友電装株式会社 | connector |
-
2007
- 2007-03-15 SG SG200701941-7A patent/SG146465A1/en unknown
-
2008
- 2008-02-01 JP JP2008022464A patent/JP5059642B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2008-03-07 EP EP08250784.9A patent/EP1970998B1/en not_active Not-in-force
- 2008-03-14 KR KR1020080023912A patent/KR100992309B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2008-03-14 CN CN2008100860568A patent/CN101267076B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2005123102A (en) | 2003-10-20 | 2005-05-12 | Yazaki Corp | Connector |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP2192657A1 (en) * | 2008-11-28 | 2010-06-02 | Tyco Electronics AMP GmbH | Sectioning connector |
WO2010060828A1 (en) * | 2008-11-28 | 2010-06-03 | Tyco Electronics Amp Gmbh | Sectioning connector |
WO2011096590A1 (en) * | 2010-02-04 | 2011-08-11 | Yazaki Corporation | Waterproof connector |
CN104868282A (en) * | 2015-05-07 | 2015-08-26 | 连展科技(深圳)有限公司 | Socket electric connector |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN101267076B (en) | 2011-03-30 |
JP2008226826A (en) | 2008-09-25 |
SG146465A1 (en) | 2008-10-30 |
EP1970998A3 (en) | 2011-11-23 |
EP1970998B1 (en) | 2013-08-14 |
KR20080084732A (en) | 2008-09-19 |
CN101267076A (en) | 2008-09-17 |
JP5059642B2 (en) | 2012-10-24 |
KR100992309B1 (en) | 2010-11-05 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
EP1971000A2 (en) | Electric connector | |
EP1970998B1 (en) | Electric connector | |
US7223124B2 (en) | Connector and a method of assembling it | |
US7867042B2 (en) | Connector assembly with a low profile terminal position assurance member | |
JP3987737B2 (en) | Lever type connector | |
KR20090013735A (en) | Connector, connector assembly and connection method | |
JP4985206B2 (en) | Connector and short terminal | |
KR100709086B1 (en) | A divided connector and method of assembling it | |
US20110230071A1 (en) | Connector | |
KR20160016621A (en) | Waterproof connector | |
US8998626B2 (en) | Connector and connector assembly | |
EP1418649B1 (en) | A connector | |
JP2002305052A (en) | Connector | |
US6129574A (en) | Connector having a construction for preventing an erroneous assembling of a connector housing and a cover | |
EP1801925A1 (en) | A connector | |
JP4931100B2 (en) | Electrical connector | |
US5921807A (en) | Crimping connector | |
CN100580999C (en) | A connector and a connector assembly | |
JP4475185B2 (en) | connector | |
EP1801926A1 (en) | A connetor and connector assembly | |
JPH1055853A (en) | Lever type connector | |
JPH10289747A (en) | Female connector | |
JP3666087B2 (en) | Connector with half-mating detection function | |
TWI600229B (en) | Socket connector | |
JP2001196129A (en) | Water-proof connector |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A2 Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MT NL NO PL PT RO SE SI SK TR |
|
AX | Request for extension of the european patent |
Extension state: AL BA MK RS |
|
PUAL | Search report despatched |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009013 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A3 Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MT NL NO PL PT RO SE SI SK TR |
|
AX | Request for extension of the european patent |
Extension state: AL BA MK RS |
|
RIC1 | Information provided on ipc code assigned before grant |
Ipc: H01R 13/506 20060101AFI20111015BHEP Ipc: H01R 13/629 20060101ALI20111015BHEP Ipc: H01R 13/52 20060101ALI20111015BHEP |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 20120517 |
|
GRAP | Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR1 |
|
AKX | Designation fees paid |
Designated state(s): CZ DE FR IT PL |
|
GRAS | Grant fee paid |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR3 |
|
RBV | Designated contracting states (corrected) |
Designated state(s): CZ DE FR IT PL |
|
GRAA | (expected) grant |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009210 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: B1 Designated state(s): CZ DE FR IT PL |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R096 Ref document number: 602008026724 Country of ref document: DE Effective date: 20131010 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: PL Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130814 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: CZ Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130814 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: IT Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO SUBMIT A TRANSLATION OF THE DESCRIPTION OR TO PAY THE FEE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME-LIMIT Effective date: 20130814 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: FR Payment date: 20140311 Year of fee payment: 7 |
|
PLBE | No opposition filed within time limit |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009261 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMIT |
|
26N | No opposition filed |
Effective date: 20140515 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R097 Ref document number: 602008026724 Country of ref document: DE Effective date: 20140515 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DE Payment date: 20140417 Year of fee payment: 7 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R119 Ref document number: 602008026724 Country of ref document: DE |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: FR Ref legal event code: ST Effective date: 20151130 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20151001 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: FR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20150331 |