Connector and a method of assembling it

A female housing (20) includes a terminal-accommodating portion (21) adapted to accommodate female terminal fittings (29) and having different vertical and horizontal dimensions. A lock (31) is provided on a shorter outer surface (21D) of the terminal-accommodating portion (21). Connection guides (50) are formed in inner surfaces of a receptacle (12) of a male housing (10) and extend in an inserting direction of the terminal-accommodating portion (21). Guidable portions (70) are formed on outer surfaces of the terminal-accommodating portion (21) of the female housing (20) for sliding contact with the connection guides (50) when the terminal-accommodating portion (21) is fit into the receptacle (12).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a connector with an inertial locking mechanism and to a method of assembling it.

2. Description of the Related Art

Connectors with an inertial locking mechanism are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-25696 and inFIG. 9herein. With reference toFIG. 9, the connector has a waiting-side male housing2to be mounted on a panel1and an assembling-side female housing3to be connected with the male housing2. The female housing3has a terminal-accommodating portion4with a substantially rectangular cross section and the male housing2has a receptacle5for receiving the terminal-accommodating portion4. Female terminal fittings (not shown) are accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion4and male terminal fittings6project into the receptacle5. The male terminal fittings6and the female terminal fittings are connected electrically with each other by fitting the terminal-accommodating portion4into the receptacle5. The terminal-accommodating portion4has shorter sides7and lock arms8project forward at the outer surfaces of the shorter sides7. Each lock arm8has a substantially rectangular projection9that contacts the front-end surface of the receptacle5during connection of the housings2,3, thereby restricting the connecting operation. The two housings2,3are connected properly in a single stroke due to the action of inertia by exerting a connecting force larger than a frictional resistance between the mating terminal fittings in the process of properly connecting the two housings2,3. This can prevent the two housings2,3from being left partly connected.

The projection9of the lock arm8contacts the front-end surface of the receptacle5, and a shorter side7of the terminal-accommodating portion4where the lock arm9is provided is temporarily prevented from entering the receptacle5. Thus, the female housing3may incline, as shown inFIG. 9, and there is a possibility that the successive connecting operation will not proceed smoothly.

The present invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to provide smooth a connecting operation of a connector that has an inertial locking mechanism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates a connector with a first housing that has a terminal-accommodating portion for accommodating terminal fittings. The terminal-accommodating portion has different length and width dimensions. At least one lock is provided on a shorter outer surface of the terminal-accommodating portion. The connector also has a second housing with a receptacle into which the terminal-accommodating portion can fit. Mating terminal fittings in the second housing are connectable with the terminal fittings in the first housing. The second housing has an engaging portion engageable with the lock when the terminal-accommodating portion is fit into the receptacle. At least one connection guide is formed on an inner surface of the receptacle of the second housing and extends in a mating direction of the terminal-accommodating portion. At least one guidable portion is formed on an outer surface of the terminal-accommodating portion of the first housing and is brought into sliding contact with the connection guide when the terminal-accommodating portion is fit into the receptacle.

The mating terminal fittings preferably are arranged so that leading ends thereof project into the receptacle.

The first housing preferably can be pushed into the second housing while the lock cooperates with the engaging portion. The first housing reaches a connection position by an inertial force when the terminal-accommodating portion is pushed a specified distance.

The first housing preferably is locked with the second housing by the engagement of the lock with the rear surface of the engaging portion.

The lock is on the shorter side of the outer surfaces of the terminal-accommodating portion, and the first and second housings reach the connection position due to the inertial locking of the lock. Thus, the first housing may incline in the connecting process. However, the guidable portion and the connection guide engage and are held in sliding contact. Thus, the inclination of the first connector housing resulting from the inertial locking can be corrected immediately. As a result, the first housing smoothly reaches the connection position while keeping its proper posture.

At least one rib preferably projects on a shorter side of the outer surfaces of the terminal-accommodating portion opposite from the shorter side that has the lock. The rib is designed to avoid the contact of the front end of the terminal-accommodating portion with the leading ends of the mating terminal fittings in the receptacle due to an interference of the front end of the rib with an opening edge of the receptacle. Thus, the front end of the terminal-accommodating portion will not deform the leading ends of the mating terminal fittings, and the contact reliability is assured.

The at least one guidable portion preferably is formed on at least one of the longer sides of the terminal-accommodating portion.

The leading end of the at least one rib and/or the at least one guidable portion may be at a front end of the receptacle. Thus, the ribs and/or the guidable portions are engageable with corresponding engaging grooves and/or corresponding connection guiding portions before the lock contacts the engaging portion in the connecting process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A connector according to the invention is described with reference to,FIGS. 1to8. This connector has a waiting-side male housing10to be mounted on a panel P, such as a door of an automotive vehicle. The connector also has an assembling-side female housing20connectable along a connecting direction CD with the male housing10. In the following description, sides of the male and female housings10,20to be connected are referred to as the front.

The male housing10has a tall main body11and a tall receptacle12projects forward from the main body11. Cavities13are formed inside the main body and, as shown inFIG. 5, accommodate male terminal fittings14so that the leading ends of the male terminal fittings14project into the receptacle12.

The male housing10is fit to a mount opening in a panel P from behind the panel P and is secured to the panel P by upper and lower locking claws15. As shown inFIG. 1, each locking claw15has a claw for tightly holding the panel P in a thickness direction TD. The locking claws15are formed at the leading ends of resilient pieces16substantially at widthwise-middle positions of upper and lower walls12A,12B of the receptacle12. An engaging portion40is forming at the opening edge of the receptacle12at a position on the upper wall12A of the receptacle12substantially facing the locking claw15in the deforming direction of the locking claw15. A long locking hole41is formed in the upper wall12A of the receptacle12behind the engaging portion40as seen along a connecting direction CD, and one end thereof is open in the rear surface of the receptacle12(see FIGS.2and6).

The receptacle12has left and right vertically tall side walls12C,12D, as shown in FIG.1. Two plate-shaped shelves17project in substantially along the widthwise direction WD from the side wall12C to partly cross the receptacle12. The shelves17are substantially parallel and are at vertically spaced positions on the side wall12C of the receptacle12. Additionally, the shelves17extend from the front end of the receptacle12to the rear end thereof.

Connection guides50are formed on inner surfaces of the receptacle12for guiding the female housing20to a proper connection position. The connection guides50are grooves in the inner surfaces of the opposite side walls12C,12D of the receptacle12and extend along a projecting direction PD of the receptacle12between the opening edge of the receptacle12and the back end surface thereof. The connection guides50are formed in the inner surfaces of the side walls12C,12D at a position near the upper wall12A and at a position near the bottom wall12B so as to substantially face each other between the side walls12C,12D. Further, engaging grooves51are formed at two widthwise end positions of the inner surface of the bottom wall12B of the receptacle12to be substantially parallel with the connection guides50.

The female housing20, as shown inFIG. 5, has a terminal-accommodating portion21with cavities21A that receive female terminal fittings29. A jaw22bulges out from outer periphery of the terminal-accommodating portion21near the rear end.

A grommet23is mounted on the female housing20by being attached to the jaw22from behind. A wire draw-out portion23A is formed at the rear end of the grommet23substantially surrounding the terminal accommodating portion21for receiving wires29A drawn out from the terminal accommodating portion21. The grommet23also has a sealing portion23B that diverges toward the front. The sealing portion23B can be held in close contact with the panel P, as shown inFIG. 7, when the female housing20is connected with the male housing10to secure watertightness of the connector.

The terminal-accommodating portion21, as shown inFIG. 3, has different external height and width dimensions. More particularly, the terminal-accommodating portion21has left and right long sides21B,21C and upper and lower short sides21D,21E. Thus, the terminal-accommodating portion21has a vertically long substantially rectangular cross section. The jaw22has a vertically long substantially elliptical outer shape that substantially conforms to the shape of the terminal accommodating portion21. Substantially parallel cuts24are made in the terminal-accommodating portion21at vertically spaced positions of the left long side21C shown in FIG.3. The shelves17in the receptacle12of the male housing10align with and fit in the cuts24when the male and female housings10and20are connected. As a result, upside-down connection of the housings10,20is prevented due to the asymmetric arrangement of the shelves17and cuts24.

A lock arm30is cantilevered from a widthwise-middle of the upper short side21D of the terminal-accommodating portion21. The lock arm30projects up from the front end of the terminal-accommodating portion21and then extends back along the connecting direction CD through an introducing hole22C in the jaw22, as shown in FIG.6. The extending end of the lock arm30reaches a position near the rear surface of the terminal-accommodating portion21. A portion of the lock arm30exposed backward through the introducing hole22C serves as an operable portion32for operating the lock arm30. A lock31projects substantially at the middle of the lock arm30with respect to its extending direction and has a front surface aligned substantially normal to the connecting direction CD. The lock arm31contacts the front surface of the engaging portion40in the male housing10in the process of connecting the housings10,20, and the two housings10,20are connected with a single stroke by a force created when the contact state is canceled. The two housings10,20reach a proper connection position by this inertial force. The lock31engages the rear surface51of the engaging portion40at the connection position and the female housing20is locked into the male housing10. Restricting walls33project from the upper short side21D at opposite sides of the lock arm30, as shown in FIG.3. The restricting walls33prevent a wire or the like from entering a clearance between the lock arm30and the shorter side21D and restrict inadvertent disengagement of the lock arm30

Guidable portions70are formed on the longer sides21B,21C of the terminal accommodating portion21and can slide in contact with the connection guides50in the inner surfaces of the receptacle12when the two housings10,20are connected. The guidable portions70are elongated projections that extend from the front end to the rear end of the terminal-accommodating portion21substantially in a connecting direction CD along which the terminal-accommodating portion21fits into the receptacle12. The guidable portions70are provided on the longer sides21B,21C at a position near the upper shorter side21D and at a position near the lower shorter side21E and substantially face each other between the longer sides21B,21C.

Ribs60are formed at two positions near the opposite widthwise ends of the lower shorter side21E of the terminal accommodating portion21. The ribs60extend substantially parallel to the guidable portions70between the front and rear ends of the terminal-accommodating portion21. Thus, the ribs60can slide in contact with the engaging grooves51in the inner surface of the receptacle12when the housings10,20are connected.

The ribs60and the guidable portions70have slanted guiding surfaces at the front end of the receptacle12for smooth insertion into the engaging grooves51and the connection guides50at the start of the connection. The slanted guiding surfaces at the leading ends of the ribs60and the guidable portions70are disposed to engage the engaging grooves51and the connection guides50before the lock31contacts the engaging portion40in the connecting process. Engagement of the guidable portions70and the connection guides50ensures correct posture of the female housing20despite forces created when the lock31moves over the engaging portion40.

The projecting distance of the ribs60is set so that the ribs60interfere with the opening edge of the receptacle12. Thus, the front end of the terminal-accommodating portion21cannot contact the leading ends of the male terminal fittings14in the receptacle12regardless of the posture of the female housing20at the start of connection.

The connector is assembled by mounting the male terminal fittings14in the cavities13of the male housing10, and mounting the female terminal fittings29in the cavities21A of the female housing20. Additionally, the grommet23is mounted on the female housing20. The male housing10then is mounted on the inner surface of the panel P.

The two housings10,20are arranged so that their engaging surfaces are opposed to each other, as shown inFIG. 6, and the terminal accommodating portion21of the female housing20is fit into the receptacle12of the male housing10. The ribs60on the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion21enter the engaging grooves51in the inner surface of the receptacle12at the start of the connection process. Thus, an inserting posture of the female housing20is corrected to a proper posture. The female housing10then is pushed by hand or by a jig or other pushing means so that the ribs60slide in close contact along the engaging grooves51and so that the guidable portions70slide in close contact along the connection guiding portions50. When the terminal accommodating portion21reaches an intermediate position in the receptacle12, the front surface of the lock31projecting from the lock arm30contacts the front surface of the engaging portion40, thereby temporarily restricting the connection. The female housing20then is pushed with an operation force exceeding the connection resistance so that the contact state is canceled. Thus, as shown inFIG. 7, the housings10,20are connected with a single stroke by an inertial force created upon canceling the contact state. As a result, the housings10,20reach the proper connection position. Simultaneously, the lock31fits into the locking hole41and engages the rear surface of the engaging portion40, and the front surface of the terminal accommodating portion21is held in contact with the back surface of the receptacle12. Therefore, the female housing20is locked in the male housing10, and the terminal fittings14,29are connected electrically.

The lock31is on the shorter side21D/21E on the outer peripheral surfaces of the terminal accommodating portion21, and the two housings10,20reach the connection position by the inertial locking of the lock31. Forces created during the inertial locking tend to cause the female housing20to incline. However, the guidable portions70on the outer surfaces of the terminal accommodating portion21slide in contact with the connection guides50on the inner surfaces of the receptacle12. Thus, the inertial locking will not cause the female housing20to incline, and the female housing20is guided smoothly to the connection position while in its proper posture.

The ribs60project from the shorter side21E on the outer surface of the terminal accommodating portion21opposite the lock portion31, and interfere with the opening edge of the receptacle12to avoid contact of the front end of the terminal accommodating portion21with the leading ends of the male terminal fittings14. Thus, the front end of the terminal accommodating portion21cannot deform the leading ends of the male terminal fittings14. As a result, contact reliability of the female and male terminal fittings29,14is assured.

The invention is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiment. For example, the following embodiments are also embraced by the technical scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. Beside the following embodiments, various changes can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the claims.

The guidable portions may be on either one or both of the shorter sides of the outer surfaces of the terminal accommodating portion. Further, the corresponding connection guides may be formed in either one or both of the upper and lower inner surfaces of the receptacle.

The guidable portions may be grooves in the outer surfaces of the terminal accommodating portion and the connection guides may be elongated projections on the inner surfaces of the receptacle.

The invention has been described with reference to a connector where an inertial connecting system uses cooperation between the lock31and the engaging portion40. However, the invention is applicable to connectors where an inertial connecting system uses grommet(s) or sealing member(s) having ribs with a specific frictional resistance curve allowing an inertial connection of the two housings or comprising biased moving members increasing the connection resistance over a specified connection stroke or the two connector housings.