Connector having a spacer for preventing an entrance of foreign particles

The connector includes a connector housing having two terminal fittings and terminal receiving chambers for receiving the terminal fittings, and a spacer 4 to be inserted into the connector housing through an opening. A receptacle for inserting an unlocking jig is formed on the spacer. The receptacle is opened at an outer wall of the spacer and a boundary wall to the connector housing 3. The receptacle is disposed in a manner not to spread across two terminal-receiving chambers. The receptacle communicates with one of the terminal-receiving chambers. A block of a main body of the spacer blocks a path between the receptacle and the other terminal-receiving chamber.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-308250, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a connector having a spacer for preventing terminal fittings received in a connector housing from falling out of the connector housing.

2. Description of the Related Art

Various electronic devices are mounted on a vehicle. A wiring harness is arranged in the vehicle for supplying electric power, control signals, and the like to the electronic devices. The wiring harness includes a plurality of electric wires and a connector. The electric wire is a so-called coated wire having a conductive core wire and an insulating cover.

The connector includes a conductive terminal fitting and an insulating connector housing. The terminal fitting is formed by bending a metal plate. The connector housing is made in a box shape and receives the terminal fitting. The connector is connected to the connector of the electronic devices. The wiring harness supplies the electric power and the control signals owing to the connector connected to the connector of the electronic devices.

Japanese published patent application No. H3-29276 discloses a connector having a spacer for preventing the terminal fitting from falling out of the connector housing.

As shown inFIGS. 9 and 10, in such a connector101, an opening105into which a spacer104is inserted into is formed on an outer wall of a connector housing103receiving a plurality of terminal fittings102. Because the spacer104inserted into the opening105presses the terminal fittings102received in the connector housing103, the terminal fittings102are prevented from falling out of the connector housing103.

In the connector101, when the spacer104is inserted into the connector housing103, a locking part106formed on the spacer104is pressed into a mating part107formed inside the connector housing103, so that the spacer104is fixed to the connector housing103. For taking out the spacer104from the connector housing103, a jig200is inserted into a receptacle108mounted on an edge of the spacer104, opened toward the opening105, and twisted.

However, such a connector101is often used in lubricating oil of an automatic transmission. In the lubricating oil of the automatic transmission, foreign particles such as metallic powder generated by a gear abrasion float. The foreign particles easily enter an inside of the connector housing103from the receptacle108. Further, because the receptacle108communicates with the terminal fittings102, there is a fear that the terminal fittings102may be short-circuited by the foreign particles entering the connector housing103from the receptacle108in a direction of an arrow E inFIG. 11and adhered to the terminal fittings102. For preventing an invasion of the foreign particles, a waterproofing connector of which inside and outside thereof are sealed may be used. However, such a waterproofing connector cannot be downsized.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector that prevents terminals from being short-circuited caused by an invasion of foreign particles into a connector housing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to attain the object, according to the present invention, there is provided a connector including:

a connector housing receiving a plurality of terminal fittings;

a spacer to be inserted into an opening through an outer wall of the connector housing and to lock the connector housing for preventing the terminal fittings from falling out of the connector housing; and

a receptacle interposed between the connector housing and the spacer for inserting a jig for unlocking the spacer,

wherein while the spacer locks the connector housing, the receptacle communicates with one terminal-receiving chamber receiving one terminal fitting, and the connector includes a block for blocking a path between the receptacle and the other terminal-receiving chambers receiving the other terminal fittings.

Preferably, the block is projected from one of the connector housing or the spacer to the other, and interposed between the one and the other terminal-receiving chambers.

Preferably, the connector further includes a rib mounted on the other one of the connector housing or the spacer, and is overlapped with the block.

Preferably, the block is extended in a line in a direction of inserting the spacer into the connector housing.

Preferably, the receptacle is mounted on the spacer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

First Embodiment

A first embodiment of a spacer of a connector1according to the present invention will be described with reference toFIGS. 1 to 5.

As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the connector1composes a wiring harness to be arranged in a vehicle, and in particular, in this embodiment, the connector1is used in lubricating oil in an automatic transmission of the vehicle. The connector1includes a terminal fitting2, a connector housing3, a spacer4, and a receptacle14.

Bending a metal plate makes the terminal fitting2. The terminal fitting2is attached to an end of an electric wire5composing the wiring harness. The terminal fitting2is electrically connected to a core wire of the wire5.

The connector housing3is made of synthetic resin in a box shape composed of a plurality of outer walls3a. The connector housing3includes a plurality of terminal-receiving chambers at an inside thereof and a locking arm for locking the mating connector at an outside thereof.

The terminal-receiving chamber6is formed in a tubular shape, and composed of an outer wall3aof the connector housing3and a partition wall3bpartitioning the connector housing3. A plurality of terminal-receiving chambers6is arranged in parallel and receives terminal fittings2. In this embodiment, the connector housing includes two terminal-receiving chambers6.

The locking arm8is formed integrally with the outer wall3a. One end of the locking arm8is continued to the outer wall3a. Namely, the outer wall3asupports only one side of the locking arm8. The locking arm8includes a locking projection8aprojected toward an outside of the connector housing3. When the locking arm8is bent inside the connector housing3, the locking projection8ais engaged with a not-shown mating part of a mating connector housing.

As shown inFIG. 2, an opening9having substantially a rectangular shape in top view is formed on the outer wall3aof the connector housing3. The opening9communicates with inside and outside of the connector housing3. Namely, the opening9communicates with the inside and outside of two of the terminal-receiving chambers6. A later-described spacer4is inserted into the opening9. A part below the opening9, namely, blocked by the spacer4of the partition wall3bis cut off, and the terminal-receiving chambers6communicate with each other. Further, mating parts7for engaged with locking parts12of the spacer4are formed on an inner wall of the connector housing3.

The spacer4is inserted into the connector housing3through the opening9. Then, the spacer4presses the terminal fitting2in a manner to block an inside of the connector housing3, so that the terminal fitting2is prevented from falling out from the connector housing3. The spacer4includes integrally a flat main body11blocking the inside of the connector housing3and a pair of locking parts12extended from both edges of the main body11. The spacer4is formed in a U-shape.

The main body11has a same shape as the opening9in a plan view. When the spacer4locks the connector housing3, an outer surface11aof the main body11is arranged in a same plane with the outer wall3ahaving the opening9.

Both ends12aof the locking parts12are formed in wavy shapes for engaging with the mating parts7. Two slits are formed on each locking part12toward the main body11.

The spacer4is inserted into the connector housing3in a direction orthogonal to a length direction of the terminal fitting2received in the terminal-receiving chamber6. Both ends12aare pressed against the mating parts7and once deformed toward the slits13. Then, the ends12aare engaged with the mating parts7to lock the connector housing3.

A jig200is inserted into the receptacle14for unlocking the spacer4. In this embodiment, the receptacle14is formed on the spacer4. The receptacle14is a hole opened for both the outer wall11aof the spacer4and a boundary wall11bagainst the connector housing3. As shown inFIG. 3, the receptacle14does not spread across two terminal-receiving chambers6. The receptacle14is biased to one of the terminal-receiving chambers6against the partition wall3binterposed between two terminal-receiving chambers6. As shown inFIG. 4, the receptacle14communicates with one of the terminal-receiving chambers6. As shown inFIG. 5, the path between the receptacle14and the other terminal-receiving chamber6is blocked by the main body11of the spacer4. Therefore, even if the foreign particles such as metal powder enter the one of the terminal-receiving chamber6from the receptacle14, the foreign particles cannot adhere to two of the terminal fittings2. Incidentally, a block11cis disposed near the other terminal-receiving chamber6. The block11cis extended along the whole length of the main body11in a length direction of the terminal-receiving chamber6.

When unlocking the connector housing3with the spacer4, as shown inFIG. 1, the tapered bar-shaped jig200is inserted into the receptacle14and the spacer4is pried with the jig200to remove the spacer4from the connector housing3.

According to the first embodiment, because the receptacle14communicates with the one of the terminal-receiving chambers6, and the block11cblocks the path between the receptacle14and the other terminal-receiving chamber6, the foreign particle invading the connector housing3through the receptacle14cannot adhere to both of the terminal fittings2. Thus, the short circuit due to the foreign particles invading the connector housing3is prevented.

Further, according to the first embodiment, because the receptacle14is formed on the spacer4, the connector housing3has no hole as a receptacle. Therefore, variations in a production of the connector housing3are reduced.

Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment of the connector according to the present invention will be explained with reference toFIGS. 6 to 8.

A connector1′ of the second embodiment is also used in the lubricating oil in the automatic transmission of a vehicle. The connector1′ includes a terminal fitting2, a connector housing3′, a spacer4′, and two receptacles14. In the second embodiment, two receptacles14are mounted respectively on one boundary wall11band the other boundary wall11b.

The connector housing3′ includes an extending wall16projected from the partition wall3bto the inserted spacer4′. When the spacer4′ is inserted, the extended wall16extends longer than the receptacle14in the length direction of the connector housing3′ from an edge of the opening9, and extends to the outer wall3ain a direction of inserting the spacer4′. Namely, an edge of the extending wall16near the outer surface11ais arranged in a same plane with the outer wall3a. Further, two extending walls16are mounted sandwiching the spacer4′ and spaced with each other. In the first embodiment, the partition wall3bis cut off below the opening9, however, in the second embodiment, the extending wall16is formed, and a concave17is formed on the spacer4′ for receiving the extending wall16.

The spacer4′ includes a rib15interposed between the concave17and the receptacle14and overlapped with the extending wall16.

As shown inFIG. 8, in the connector1′, the receptacle14also does not spread across two terminal-receiving chambers6. The receptacle14is disposed nearer the one of the terminal-receiving chambers6than the partition wall3b, namely, the extending wall16. Namely, the receptacle14communicates with the one of the terminal-receiving chamber6, and the path between the receptacle14and the other terminal-receiving chamber6is blocked by the block11c, the extending wall16, and the rib15. Therefore, even if the foreign particle invading from the receptacle14reaches the one of the terminal-receiving chambers6, the foreign particle cannot adhere to two terminal fittings. Because a path between the receptacle14and the other terminal-receiving chamber6is complex, the foreign particle seldom reaches the other terminal-receiving chamber6. Incidentally, the claimed block consists of the block11cand the extending wall16.

When unlocking the connector housing3′ with the spacer4′, as shown inFIG. 6, the jig200is inserted into the receptacle14and the spacer4′ is pried with the jig200to remove the spacer4′ from the connector housing3′.

According to the second embodiment, because the receptacle14communicates with the one of the terminal-receiving chambers6, and the path between the receptacle14and the other terminal-receiving chamber6is blocked by the block11c, the extending wall16, and the rib15, the foreign particle invading the connector housing3′ through the receptacle14cannot adhere to two terminal fittings2, and the foreign particle seldom reaches the other terminal-receiving chamber6. Therefore, the short circuit between the terminals due to the foreign particles invading the connector housing3′ is surely prevented.

Further, according to the second embodiment, the extending wall16extends in a direction of inserting the spacer4′ into the connector housing3′. Therefore, when the spacer4′ is inserted into the connector housing3′, the extending wall16works as a guide. Accordingly, the connector1′ is easily assembled.

In the first embodiment, only one receptacle14is used. However, as shown in the second embodiment, a plurality of receptacle14may be used. Further, in the first and second embodiments, the receptacle14is mounted on the spacer4,4′. However, the receptacle14may be mounted on the connector housing3,3′.