A connector

Abstract: A connector which can prevent members provided with a projected portion for operation such as a slidable member and their neighboring parts from being deformed and damaged. Female and male housings (21,22) properly connected with each other are separated as follows. A finger is placed on a pushable portion (53) projecting from the upper surface of a slidable member (50) to push the slidable member (50) backward against a biasing force of a coil spring (51). Next, a displacement operating portion (36) provided at the rear end of a locking piece (31) is raised to disengage a locking claw (35) and an engaging portion (55A). When the female housing (21) is pulled out of the male housing (22) in this state, the housings (21,22) are separated. The pushable portion (53) of the slidable member (50) and the displacement operating operation (36) of the locking piece (31) are so formed as not to project out from the outer surfaces of the housings (21,22). Therefore, a deformation and/or damage of the slidable member (50), the locking piece (31) and their neighboring parts by an external force can be prevented.

Description: The present invention relates to a connector provided with a partial connection preventing function. A connector provided with a partial connection preventing mechanism is known, for example, from Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication NO. 10-134890. This connector 1 is provided with a female housing 2 and a male housing 3 which are connectable with each other as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The female housing 2 is provided on its upper surface with a locking piece 4 which is vertically elastically deformable, and a pushing portion 5 which can push a slidable member 13 to be described later projects from the upper surface of the locking piece 4. Further, a pair of projections 6 each having a slanted guide surface 6A on its front surface are provided on the left and right edges of the locking piece 4 in the form of wings. On the other hand, the male housing 3 is provided at its front surface with a receptacle 8 into which the female housing 2 is fittable, and a pair of left and right guides 9 project from the upper surface of the receptacle 8. The guides 9 are provided with a pair of engaging portions 10 engageable with the corresponding projections 6 of the locking piece 4 and projecting inwardly. Further, slanted guide surfaces 10A, 10B which can guide the projections 6 are formed at the front and rear ends of each engaging portion 10. Further, a slide groove 11 into with the slidable member 13 is mountable is formed in the upper surface of the male housing 3 from its rear end. This slidable member 13 has a substantially H-shaped cross section, and is mounted on the male housing 3 slidably along forward and backward directions by holding the edges of the slide groove 11 in groove portions 14 provided at the left and right sides of the slidable members 13. An upper part of the slidable member 13 projects upward as a pushable portion 15 from the upper surface of the male housing 3, and an operable projection 15A operable by a finger projects at the rear end of the pushable portion 15. A zigzag spring member 16 is mounted behind the slidable member 13, so that the slidable member 13 is constantly biased forward. A cover 17 for locking the slidable member 13 and the spring member 16 so as not to move backward is mounted on the male housing 3. The female and male housings 2, 3 are connected with each other as follows. When the female housing 2 is fitted into the receptacle 8 of the male housing 3, the guide surfaces 6A of the left and right projections 6 of the locking pieces 4 come into contact with the guide surfaces 10A of the engaging portions 10, thereby elastically deforming the locking piece 4 upward to bring the pushing portion 5 into contact with the front end face of the slidable member 13. When the female housing 2 is further pushed, the pushing portion 5 compresses the spring member 16 to push the slidable member 13 backward as shown in FIG. 8. When the projections 6 of the locking piece 4 move over the engaging portions 10, the locking piece 4 is elastically restored to its original position to engage the projections 6 and the engaging portions 10, and the slidable member 13 is returned forward to restrict a deformation of the locking piece 4 in a disengaging direction (upward). As a result, the housings 2, 3 are locked in their properly connected state. If the connecting operation of the housings 2, 3 is interrupted halfway, the pushing portion 5 of the locking piece 4 is biased by the slidable member 13, thereby pushing the female housing 2 out. In this way, a partial connection is prevented. On the other hand, when the housings 2, 3 properly connected are separated, a finger is placed on the pushable portion 15 to push the slidable member 13 against a biasing force of the spring member 16. If the female housing 2 is withdrawn in this way, the projections 6 of the locking piece 4 move up along the guide surfaces 10B of the engaging portions 10, thereby elastically deforming the locking piece 4 upward. The housings 2, 3 are separated upon completely withdrawing the female housing 2. If the separating operation of the housings 2, 3 is interrupted halfway, the slidable member 13 is pushed against the pushing portion 5 of the locking piece 4 by the biasing force of the spring member 16 to push the female housing 2 out. This prevents the housings 2, 3 from being left partly connected. However, an external matter may be struck against the connector 1 to exert an external force on the slidable member 13, portions of the housings 2, 3 near the pushable portion 15, thereby deforming and/or damaging them. In view of the above problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector which can prevent a slidable member and their neighboring members from being deformed and damaged. This object is solved according to the invention by a connector according to claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are subject of the dependent claims. According to the invention, there is provided a connector according to claim 1. Since the pushable portion does not substantially project from the one housing, the likelyness of being struck by an external matter is reduced. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the locking piece is so provided in the other housing so as to be elastically displaceable in a direction at an angle different from 0° or 180°, preferably substantially normal to connecting directions of the housings, pushes the slidable member against the biasing means while moving onto the engaging portion projecting in the one housing while the housings are being connected, and is elastically restored to engage the engaging portion after moving over the engaging portion when the housings are substantially properly connected, thereby holding the housings substantially properly connected. Preferably, the slidable member is moved forward by a biasing force of the biasing means as the locking piece is in its locking position, preferably substantially elastically restored, thereby being positioned with respect to the locking piece, preferably substantially outside thereof, so as to restrict a movement, preferably an elastic deformation, of the locking piece in a disengaging direction from the engaging portion. According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided a connector, comprising: a pair of housings connectable with each other at their front sides, a slidable member which is so provided in one housing as to be slidable in the forward and backward directions of the one housing while being biased forward of the one housing by a spring means, a locking piece which is so provided in the other housing so as to be elastically displaceable in a direction normal to connecting directions of the housings, pushes the slidable member against the spring means while moving onto an engaging portion projecting in the one housing while the housings are being connected, and is elastically restored to engage the engaging portion after moving over the engaging portion when the housings are properly connected, thereby holding the housings properly connected, wherein the slidable member is moved forward by a biasing force of the spring means as the locking piece is elastically restored, thereby being positioned outside the locking piece to restrict an elastic deformation of the locking piece in a disengaging direction from the engaging portion, and a pushable portion projecting from the outer surface of the slidable member and operable to push the slidable member up to a position where an elastic deformation of the locking piece to be disengaged from the engaging portion is permitted, wherein the pushable portion is so formed as not to project out from the outer surface of the one housing. Accordingly, since the pushable portion of the slidable member does not project out from the outer surface of the housing, an external matter is unlikely to come into contact therewith. This can prevent the slidable member and its neighboring parts from being deformed and damaged by an external force. Further preferably, the one housing is formed with a slidable member accommodating portion for at least partly accommodating the slidable member such that the slidable member is movable along the connecting directions of the housings or in the forward and backward directions of or in the one housing, the slidable member accommodating portion preferably having an operation opening for enabling the operation of the pushable portion, and the pushable portion is exposed to the outside without projecting out from an opening edge of the operation opening. Accordingly, the slidable member is so accommodated in the slidable member accommodating portion as to be movable in the forward and backward directions, and the pushable portion does not project out from the opening edge of the operation opening used to enable the operation of the pushable portion. Thus, an external matter is unlikely to come into contact with the slidable member, which can prevent the slidable member and its neighboring parts from being deformed and damaged by an external force. Most preferably, a displacement operating portion projecting from the locking piece for unlocking the locking piece is so formed as not to project out from the outer surface of the other housing. Accordingly, since the displacement operating portion of the locking piece does not project out from the outer surface of the housing, an external matter is unlikely to come into contact with the locking piece. This can prevent the locking piece and its neighboring parts from being deformed and damaged by an external force. Most preferably, the one housing comprises an operation opening through which the pushable portion is accessible to be operated or manipulated. These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector according to one embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2 is a side view in section showing female and male housings before being connected, FIG. 3 is a side view in section showing the female and male housings during a connecting operation, FIG. 4 is a side view in section showing the female and male housings properly connected, FIG. 5 is a side view in section showing the female and male housings during a separating operation, FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a prior art connector, FIG. 7 is a side view in section showing female and male housings of the prior art connector before being connected, FIG. 8 is a side view in section showing the female and male housings of the prior art connector during a connecting operation, FIG. 9 is a side view in section showing the female and male housings of the prior art connector properly connected, and FIG. 10 is a side view in section showing the female and male housings of the prior art connector during a separating operation. Hereinafter, one embodiment of the invention is described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. A connector 20 according to this embodiment is provided with a female housing 21 and a male housing 22 which are at least partly engageable with each other as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It should be noted that sides of the female and male housings 21, 22 to be connected are referred to as front in the following description. The female housing 21 is formed e.g. of a synthetic resin to have a substantially rectangular parallelepipedic shape, and cavities 24 for accommodating female terminal fittings 23 are arranged substantially side by side. A tab insertion opening 25 is open in the front surface of each cavity 24. When the female and male housings 21, 22 are connected, the leading ends of male terminal fittings 39 provided in the male housing 22 are or can be inserted into the cavities 24 through the respective tab insertion openings 25 to be connected with the female terminal fittings 23. A pair of guide walls 28 project at the left and right edges of the upper surface of the female housing 21, and the rear ends of the guide walls 28 are connected by a substantially rectangular frame portion 29. A locking piece 31 is provided between the left and right guide walls 28. The locking piece 31 is coupled to the upper surface of the female housing 21 via a pair of left and right leg portions 32 extending substantially downward or toward the female connector housing 21 from the front end thereof, and substantially horizontally or longitudinally extends substantially backward. The locking piece 31 is vertically elastically displaceable by deforming the leg portions 32. A rear end portion of the locking piece 31 serves as a displacement operating portion 36 under which a finger is or can be placed to raise the locking piece 31. Alternatively or additionally, a jig may be used to manipulate or operate the locking piece 31. The displacement operating portion 36 is so formed as not to project out from the rear surface of the female housing 21 formed by the frame portion 29. A pushing portion 33 which can push a slidable member 50 (described later) provided in the male housing 22 projects in a position of the upper surface of the locking piece 31 near its rear end. Between the left and right leg portions 32 of the locking piece 31 is formed an insertion hole 34 into which an interlocking portion 55 (described later) projecting from the male housing 22 is at least partly insertable. Further, a locking claw 35 engageable with an engaging portion 55A of the interlocking portion 55 projects from the lower surface (surface facing the upper surface of or toward the female housing 21) of the locking piece 31. The lower surface of the locking claw 35 is formed by two surfaces having different inclinations: a front surface thereof serves as a more steeply inclined guide surface 35A and a rear surface thereof serves as a more moderately inclined bottom surface 35B. The rear end surface of the locking claw 35 is a preferably substantially vertical engaging surface 35C, which is to come into contact with the interlocking portion 55 when the locking claw 35 and the engaging portion 55A are engaged with each other. On the other hand, the male housing 22 is formed e.g. of a synthetic resin to have a substantially rectangular parallelepipedic shape and is provided at its front surface with a receptacle 40 into which the female housing 21 is at least partly fittable. Cavities 41 are arranged substantially side by side in a rear part of the receptacle 40. The male terminal fittings 39 are or can be accommodated in the cavities 41 such that the leading ends project into the receptacle 40. The interlocking portion 55 projects forward from the back surface of the receptacle 40 and is insertable through the insertion hole 34 of the locking piece 31. The interlocking portion 55 is formed with a lock hole 56 which is preferably long or oblong in substantially forward and backward directions, and an front end portion thereof serves as the engaging portion 55A engageable with the locking claw 35 of the locking piece 31. A partition wall 42 is provided in an upper portion of the receptacle 40, and a slidable member accommodating portion 43 for accommodating the slidable member 50 to be described later is defined above the partition wall 42. A groove 44 into which the locking piece 31 can at least partly enter is formed in a front part of the partition wall 42, guides 45 extend downward from the left and right edges of the groove 44, and guide grooves 46 along which the left and right guide walls 28 of the female housing 21 are at least partly insertable are defined between the guides 45 and the left and right side walls of the receptacle 40. A hollow substantially rectangular spring mount portion 47 is provided in the middle of the back part of the slidable member accommodating portion 43, and a coil spring or the like biasing means 51 for biasing the slidable member 50 forward is mountable therein. A pair of grooves 48 extending in forward and backward directions are formed at the left and right sides of the ceiling surface of the slidable member accommodating portion 43, and a pair of locking projections 52 provided on the slidable member 50 are at least partly fittable in the grooves 48. The front ends of the grooves 48 do not extend up to the front surface of the male housing 22, thereby forming front stopping portions 48A with which the locking projections 52 of the slidable member 50 come into contact so that the slidable member 50 is limited in its movement, preferably does not substantially come out of the slidable member accommodating portion 43. An operation opening 49 is formed in the upper wall of the slidable member accommodating portion 43 and extends from the front end to a middle position of this upper wall. The slidable member 50 is formed e.g. of a synthetic resin into the shape of a substantially flat plate. The slidable member 50 is or can be locked in the slidable member accommodating portion 43 by fitting the pair of wedge-shaped locking projections 52 provided near the left and right front ends of the upper surface thereof into the grooves 48. The slidable member 50 is slidable in forward and backward directions inside the slidable member accommodating portion 43, and is constantly biased forward by the coil spring 51 provided preferably at the back of the slidable member accommodating portion 43. A preferably transversely long or oblong pushable portion 53 projects in the center of the upper surface of the slidable member 50. This pushable portion 53 at least partly projects into the operation opening 49 of the male housing 22 substantially when and while the housings 21 and 22 are connected. The slidable member 50 can be pushed backward against a biasing force of the coil spring 51 by placing a finger and/or an operating jig on the pushable portion 53. The pushable portion 53 is substantially exposed to the outside preferably without projecting out from an opening edge of the operation opening 49. A front end surface 54 of the slidable member 50 is inclined so that the pushing portion 33 of the locking piece 31 can be easily slid down or toward the female connector housing 21as described later. The action of the embodiment thus construction is described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. The female and male housings 21, 22 are connected as follows. The left and right guide walls 28 are fitted into the respective guide grooves 46 to fit the female housing 21 into the receptacle 40 of the male housing 22. Then, the leading end of the interlocking portion 55 comes into contact with the locking claw 35 through the insertion hole 34 provided substantially near the base end of the locking piece 31. The locking claw 35 moves onto the interlocking portion 55 by being guided by the guide surface 35A, and the locking piece 31 is elastically displaced upward, with the result that the locking claw 35 moves onto the upper surface of the engaging portion 55A of the interlocking portion 55 while the bottom surface 35B of the locking claw 35 is held in contact therewith (see FIG: 3). At this time or in the deflected position, the pushing portion 33 comes into contact with the front end face 54 of the slidable member 50 at the upper surfaces of the housings 21, 22. Accordingly, as the female housing 21 is further fitted, it pushes the slidable member 50 backward against the biasing force of the coil spring 51. When the female housing 21 is pushed substantially to a proper position, the locking claw 35 moves over the engaging portion 55A of the interlocking portion 55, and the locking piece 31 is elastically restored to its natural state where no external force acts thereon and the locking claw 35 enters the lock hole 56 to engage the engaging portion 55A as shown in FIG. 4. At this time, at the upper surfaces of the housings 21, 22, the pushing portion 33 and the front end surface 54 of the slidable member 50 are substantially disengaged from each other as the locking piece 31 is elastically restored, with the result that the slidable member 50 is returned toward or substantially to its front position by the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 51. When the slidable member 50 is returned to its usual position, the locking piece 31 is located in such a position where the upper surface of the pushing portion 33 thereof is in contact with the lower surface of the slidable member 50. Thus, the slidable member 50 restricts an elastic displacement of the locking piece 31 in a disengaging direction (upward) from the interlocking portion 55, and the housings 21, 22 are locked in their properly connected state. In this properly connected state, the pushable portion 53 of the slidable member 50 does not project out from the opening edge of the operation opening 49, and the displacement operating operation 36 of the locking piece 31 does not project out from the rear end edge of the female housing 21. If the housing connecting operation is interrupted halfway while the housings 21, 22 are partly connected as shown in FIG. 3, the pushing portion 33 of the locking piece 31 is pushed to push the female housing 21 out of the receptacle 40 since the slidable member 50 is biased by the coil spring 51. In this way, a partial connection is prevented. The properly connected housings 21, 22 are separated as follows. First, a finger is placed on the pushable portion 53 of the slidable member 50 to push the slidable member 50 backward against the biasing force of the coil spring 51 (see FIG. 5). Another finger is placed below the displacement operating operation 36 of the locking piece 31 while the slidable member 50 is held in the above position, thereby elastically displacing the locking piece 31 upward to disengage the locking claw 35 and the engaging portion 55A of the interlocking portion 55 from each other. Then, the female housing 21 is pulled in this state to cause the locking claw 35 to move onto the upper surface of the engaging portion 55A of the interlocking portion 55. The female housing 21 is separated from the male housing 22 by being further pulled. If the housing separating operation is interrupted halfway while the housings 21, 22 are still partly connected as shown in FIG. 5, the pushing portion 33 of the locking piece 31 is pushed by the slidable member 50 to push the female housing 21 out of the receptacle 40 since the slidable member 50 is biased by the coil spring 51. This prevents the housings 21, 22 from being left partly connected also while they are being separated. According to this embodiment, since the slidable member 50 is so accommodated in the slidable member accommodating portion 43 as to be movable in forward and backward directions and the pushable portion 53 does not project out from the opening edge of the operation opening 49, an external matter is unlikely to come into contact with the slidable member 50. Accordingly, a deformation and/or damage of the slidable member 50 and its neighboring parts by an external force can be prevented. Further, since the displacement operating operation 36 of the locking piece 31 does not project out from the outer surface of the female housing 21, an external matter is unlikely to come into contact therewith, which can prevent the locking piece 31 from being deformed and/or damaged by an external force. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, a following embodiment is also embraced by the technical scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Besides this embodiment, various changes can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the claims. (1) Although the displacement operating operation 36 of the locking piece 31 does not project out from the outer surface of the female housing 21 in the foregoing embodiment, it may not be provided or it may project out from the outer surface of the housing if being provided according to the invention. In the case that the displacement operating portion of the locking piece is not provided, a guide surface is, for example, provided on the rear surface of the locking claw 35 or on the inner surface of the engaging portion 55A of the interlocking portion 55, which guide surface extends in such a direction as to elastically deform the locking piece 31 upward when the housings 21, 22 are pulled in separating directions. In this way, the housings 21, 22 may be made separable even without a locking piece disengaging operation. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 20 connector 21 female housing (other housing) 22 male housing (one housing) 31 locking piece 36 displacement operating portion 43 slidable member accommodating portion 49 operation opening 50 slidable member 51 coil spring (spring means) 53 pushable portion 55A engaging portion

Claims: A connector (20), comprising: a pair of housings (21, 22) connectable with each other at their front sides, a slidable member (50) which is so provided at least partly in one housing (22) as to be slidable in the connecting directions of the housings (21, 22) in the one housing (22) while being biased forward of the one housing (22) by a biasing means (51), a locking piece (31) which is so provided in the other housing (21) so as to engage an engaging portion (55A) of the one housing (22), thereby holding the housings (21, 22) substantially properly connected, wherein the slidable member (50) can interact with the locking piece (31) so as to restrict a movement of the locking piece (31) in a disengaging direction from the engaging portion (55A), and a pushable portion (53) projecting from the slidable member (50) and operable to push the slidable member (50) up to a position where a movement of the locking piece (31) to be disengaged from the engaging portion (55A) is permitted, characterized in that the pushable portion (53) does substantially not project out from the outer surface of the one housing (22), there is provided a lock hole (56) behind the engaging portion (55A) of the one housing (22) in the engaging direction, and the locking piece (31) comprises a locking claw (35), whereby the lock hole (56) is so provided to engage the locking claw (35), thereby holding the housings (21, 22) properly connected. A connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking piece (31) is so provided in the other housing (21) so as to be elastically displaceable in a direction at an angle different from 0° or 180°, preferably substantially normal to connecting directions of the housings (21, 22), pushes the slidable member (50) against the biasing means (51) while moving onto the engaging portion (55A) projecting in the one housing (22) while the housings (21, 22) are being connected, and is elastically restored to engage the engaging portion (55A) after moving over the engaging portion (55A) when the housings (21, 22) are substantially properly connected, thereby holding the housings (21, 22) substantially properly connected. A connector according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the slidable member (50) is moved forward by a biasing force of the biasing means (51) as the locking piece (31) is in its locking position, preferably substantially elastically restored, thereby being positioned with respect to the locking piece (31), preferably substantially outside thereof, so as to restrict a movement, preferably an elastic deformation, of the locking piece (31) in a disengaging direction from the engaging portion (55A). A connector according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the one housing (22) is formed with a slidable member accommodating portion (43) for at least partly accommodating the slidable member (50) such that the slidable member (50) is movable along the connecting direction of the housings (21, 22) in the one housing (22). A connector according to claim 4, wherein the slidable member accommodating portion (43) has an operation opening (49) for enabling the operation of the pushable portion (53), and wherein the pushable portion (53) is exposed to the outside without projecting out from an opening edge of the operation opening (49). A connector according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein a displacement operating portion (36) projecting from the locking piece (31) for unlocking the locking piece (31) is so formed as not to project out from the outer surface of the other housing (21). A connector according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the one housing (22) comprises an operation opening (49) through which the pushable portion (53) is accessible to be operated.

Inventors: KONOYA HISASHI, KONOYA, HISASHI, KONOYA, HISASHI, C/O SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
Applicants: SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: H01R13
IPC codes: H01R13