A connector and a method for detaching housings thereof

Abstract: [Object] To smoothly detach a second housing by a jig. [Solution] A male housing 10 is formed such that a receptacle 12 surrounds a tower portion 11 provided with cavities 13, and a front type retainer 20 is mounted on the front end of the tower portion 11. A jig 45 having a hook 47 at the leading end of its handle 46 is provided to detach the retainer 20. The rear edge of a longitudinal groove 41 formed in the bottom surface of the retainer 20 acts as a catchable surface 42, and a jig insertion groove 40 is formed in a bulging portion 22 at the bottom end of the rear surface of the retainer 20. An upwardly sloped guide surface 51 is formed in such a position of the bottom surface of the receptacle 12 as to correspond to the back side of the jig insertion groove 40. When the hook 47 of the jig 45 is inserted through the jig insertion groove 40, it moves up along the guide surface 51 to enter the longitudinal groove 41 and face the catchable surface 42 in a position slightly before it. If the jig 45 is then pulled backward by gripping the base end of the handle 46, the retainer 20 is detached.

Description: The present invention relates to a connector of the type in which two housings are connected or connectable by at least partly inserting one housing into a mounting recess of the other housing and to a method for detaching or separating such two housings. As an example of the connector of this type, a watertight connector of the front retainer type is known. This connector is comprised of a connector housing in which a receptacle is provided around cavities formed with resin locking portions, and a front retainer to be mounted on the front surfaces of the cavities. Terminal fittings are inserted into the cavities from behind while elastically deforming the resin locking portions, and are primarily locked by the restored resin locking portions upon reaching their proper insertion positions. Subsequently, when the retainer is inserted into the receptacle through a front opening to be mounted on the front surfaces of the cavities, it projects into deformation permitting spaces of the resin locking portions to restrict inadvertent deformations of the resin locking portions, with the result that the terminal fittings are doubly locked. The connector of this type is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 64-60980. In the case of detaching the front retainer in such a connector for, e.g. maintenance, a special jig is used since the retainer is mounted to the back of the receptacle. Specifically, a narrow jig having a hook at its leading end is prepared, and a catchable portion is formed in the retainer. The jig is inserted through the opening of the receptacle along an insertion path formed between the outer circumferential surface of the retainer and the inner circumferential surface of the receptacle, and is pulled backward after engaging the hook at its leading end with the catchable portion, thereby detaching the retainer. Since the engagement of the jig with the catchable portion cannot be seen from the outside, the jig is engaged with the catchable portion almost by intuition by, e.g. moving the jig many times. This may cause a poor operability and may damage and/or deform the inner circumferential surface of the receptacle and the retainer while the jig is being moved. Such damage and/or deformation may impair sealability or the like with a mating connector depending on its position. For example, EP-A-0 877 447, which is considered to represent the closest prior art, relates to a connector in which a front holder is engaged with a housing so that a terminal is prevented from coming out from an inner portion of a terminal receiving chamber, wherein the holder is movable backward away from an opposing surface by a jig operated from above the opposing surface. It is an object of the present invention to enable a second housing to be smoothly and reliably detached by a jig. This object is solved by a connector according to claim 1 and by a method according to claim 9. Preferred embodiments of the invention are subject of the dependent subclaims. According to the invention, there is provided a connector, comprising: a first housing formed with a mounting recess, at least one second housing at least partly insertable or mountable into the mounting recess, and a locking mechanism for locking the second housing in the mounting recess, the second housing being detached or detachable or separable from the mounting recess by inserting a (external) jig into the mounting recess and pulling it after engaging it with a catchable portion provided in the second housing, wherein a guiding portion for guiding the inserted jig to a position where it is engaged or engageable with the catchable portion of the second housing is provided on an insertion path of the jig in the mounting recess, and wherein the guiding portion is sloped such as to laterally move the jig to substantially oppose it to the catchable portion. Since the jig is automatically guided by the guiding portion to the position where it is engaged with the catchable portion of the second housing when being inserted along the insertion path, the second housing can be detached by subsequently pulling the jig. By providing the guiding portion, a jig engaging operation and a second housing detaching operation can be smoothly performed and, members around the insertion path are prevented from being scratched and deformed. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first housing is such a connector housing that a receptacle is provided substantially around one or more cavities accommodating corresponding terminal fittings while locking them by locking portions, preferably resin locking portions, and the second housing preferably is a retainer, preferably front retainer for doubly locking the terminal fittings by being mounted on or in the cavities, preferably on the front surfaces of the cavities through an opening of the receptacle to enter deformation permitting spaces of the locking portions. The front retainer can be smoothly detached by the jig, and there is no possibility of scratching the receptacle and the retainer. Preferably, a temporarily holding means for holding the retainer, preferably the front retainer in a position retracted from the deformation permitting spaces of the locking portions is provided between the retainer, preferably the front retainer and the connector housing. The (front) retainer can be held in the retracted position by the temporarily holding means where insertion and withdrawal of the terminal fittings are permitted. For example, the retainer can be partly mounted in the connector housing before the terminal fittings are inserted, which is convenient in handling the connector. According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the second housing comprises a jig insertion groove for inserting the jig so that it may interact with the catchable portion. Preferably, the insertion path for the jig in the first housing is also a second housing guide portion for guiding the second housing during its insertion into the first housing, wherein the guiding portion is substantially continuous with the second housing guiding portion. Most preferably, the catchable portion of the second housing interacts with the jig, preferably with a hook portion thereof, in a direction substantially opposed to an insertion direction of the jig into the connector. Most preferably, the locking mechanism can be released or unlocked by the interaction or engagement and pulling of the jig with the catchable portion of the second housing thereby allowing the second housing to be detached from the first housing. According to the invention, there is further provided a method for detaching or separating or dismounting at least two at least partly interlocked or engaged or mated housings of a connector, in particular according to the invention or an embodiment thereof, wherein a first housing is formed with a mounting recess, and at least one second housing is at least partly insertable or mountable or engageable into the mounting recess, comprising the following steps of: inserting a jig into the mounting recess for detaching the second housing, engaging the jig with a catchable portion provided in the second housing and pulling the jig thereafter, wherein the inserted jig is guided by means of a guiding portion to a position where it is engageable with the catchable portion of the second housing, the guiding portion being provided on an insertion path of the jig in the mounting recess, wherein the guiding portion is sloped such as to laterally move the jig to substantially oppose it to the catchable portion. According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention a locking mechanism for locking or latching the second housing with the first housing can be released or unlocked by the interaction or engagement and pulling of the jig with the catchable portion of the second housing. 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 preferred embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded section of the connector, FIG. 3 is a front view of a male housing as a preferred first housing, FIG. 4 is a rear view of the male housing, FIG. 5 is a front view of a retainer as a preferred second housing, FIG. 6 is a rear view of the retainer, FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the retainer, FIG. 8 is a longitudinal section cut along a cavity when the retainer is in its partial locking position, FIG. 9 is a longitudinal section cut along the cavity when the retainer is in its full locking position, FIG. 10 is a longitudinal section before the retainer is detached, FIG. 11 is a longitudinal section showing an inserted state of a jig, and FIG. 12 is a longitudinal section showing a guided state of the jig. Hereinafter, one preferred embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. In this embodiment is shown a male watertight connector preferably of the front retainer type. The connector according to this preferred embodiment is roughly comprised of a male connector housing 10 (hereinafter, "male housing"), male terminal fittings 1 to be accommodated in the male housing 10, and a front type retainer 20 for doubly locking the male terminal fittings 1. The male housing 10 is integrally or unitarily formed e.g. of a synthetic resin material, and is comprised of a substantially flat tower or projecting portion 11 and a receptacle 12 which is so formed as to substantially surround a front half of the tower portion 11. The tower portion 11 has its front half laterally separated into two sections as shown in FIG. 3, and cavities 13 into which the male terminal fittings 1 are at least partly insertable are formed substantially side by side in the tower portion 12 while conforming to the two separated sections. A locking portion 15 engageable with a jaw portion 4 of the corresponding male terminal fitting 1 is so formed in the bottom wall of each cavity 13 as to be elastically deformable toward a deformation permitting space 16 defined therebelow or on a side thereof, and an opening is formed in the bottom wall of each cavity 13 before the locking portion 15. In a portion of, preferably in the front half of each cavity 13, guide grooves 17 extending in forward and backward directions are so formed in the left and right side walls as to communicate the inside and the outside of the cavity 13 with each other as shown in FIG. 4. The guide grooves 17 are formed to enable stabilizers 5 projecting from the left and right side surfaces of a main portion of the corresponding male terminal fitting 1 to freely slide therealong. The rear ends of the guide grooves 17 are substantially open to communicate with a widened rear half of the cavity 13 and the front ends thereof are substantially closed. The male terminal fitting 1 connected or connectable with an end of a wire 7 e.g. by crimping is inserted into the corresponding cavity 13 preferably from behind (from the left side in FIG. 2) while inserting the stabilizers 5 along the guide grooves 17 and elastically deforming the locking portion 15 at an intermediate stage of the insertion. When the male terminal fitting 1 is pushed to its proper insertion position, the locking portion 15 is restored substantially to its original position to engage the jaw portion 4, thereby primarily locking the male terminal fitting 1 so as not to come out of the cavity 13. At this time, a rubber plug 8 fitted preferably behind the male terminal fitting 1 closes the entrance of the cavity 13, and a tab 3 at the leading end of the male terminal fitting 1 at least partly projects into the receptacle 12 through an insertion hole 18 at the leading end of the cavity 13 (see FIG. 8). The retainer 20 for doubly locking the male terminal fittings 1 is inserted through the opening of the receptacle 12 to be mounted preferably on the front surface of the aforementioned tower portion 11. The retainer 20 is also e.g. made of a synthetic resin material and is, as a whole, formed such that a bulging portion 22 is provided on the lower or lateral surface of the rear end of a tubular main body 21 with respect to the insertion direction of the retainer 20. The retainer 20 is fittable into the receptacle 12 and mountable on the front end of the tower portion 11. A pair of left and right ribs 23 for preventing a forcible insertion are so formed on the lower surface of the main body 21 as to project forward from the bulging portion 22 to a position near the front edge of the retainer 20, and a guiding table or portion 19 having a width holdable between the ribs 23 is formed at the back side of the lower surface of the receptacle 12. The lower surface of the main body 21 of the retainer 20 is slidably placeable substantially on the upper surface of the guiding table 19. Inside the retainer 20, two engaging holes 25 to be fitted around the respective separated sections of the tower portion 11 are formed at the opposite sides of a partition wall 26. A projecting wall 27 which forms a portion of the bottom wall of the cavity 13 extending from the front end to the insertion hole 18 is formed at a rear or back (right in FIG. 2) part of the bottom wall of each engaging hole 25 with respect to the insertion direction A of the retainer 20. Further, the bottom wall of the retainer 20 at its front end with respect to the insertion direction of the retainer 20 acts as a thrusting portion 28 insertable into the deformation permitting spaces 16 of the respective locking portions 15. On the side surfaces of the respective engaging holes 25 distant from each other, full locking projections 30 are formed in positions preferably slightly behind the center positions with respect to the insertion direction of the retainer 20. The front edges of the guide grooves 17 of the cavities 13 distant from each other act as locking edges 31 with which the full locking projections 30 are engageable. In a widthwise center position of the ceiling surface of each engaging hole 25, a rib 32 extending from the rear end to a position slightly before the front end in the insertion direction of the retainer 20 is formed, and a partial locking projection 34 projects downward from the leading end of the rib 32. On the other hand, a groove 35 is so formed in the upper surface of each cavity 13 as to extend in forward and backward directions from the front end of the cavity 13, and the corresponding partial locking projection 34 is slidably fittable therein. An engaging portion 36 with which the partial locking portion 34 is engageable is formed at the front edge of the groove 35. When the retainer 20 is inserted into the receptacle 12 preferably from front, the partial locking projections 34 are engaged with the engaging portions 36 of the grooves 35 and the full locking projections 30 come into contact with the front surface of the tower portion 11 as shown in FIG. 8, with the result that the retainer 20 is temporarily held in its partial locking position. In this partial locking position, the thrusting portion 28 of the retainer 20 is located before the deformation permitting spaces 16 of the locking portions 15 to permit the locking portions 15 to undergo an elastic deformation. When the retainer 20 is further pushed, the full locking projections 30 are fitted into the guide grooves 17 after moving over the outer side surfaces of the tower portion 11, thereby being engaged with the locking edges 31 as shown in FIG. 9. This is a full locking position, where the thrusting portion 28 is located in the deformation permitting spaces 16 of the locking portions 15 to restrict the elastic deformations of the locking portions 15. Next, a mechanism for detaching the retainer 20 is described. A jig insertion groove 40 having a specified (predetermined or predeterminable) width is formed preferably substantially in the widthwise center of the bottom end of the bulging portion 22 of the retainer 20. Further, a longitudinal groove 41 having substantially the same width as the jig insertion groove 40 is so formed in a corresponding portion of, preferably substantially in the widthwise center of the bottom surface of the main body 21 of the retainer 20 as to extend from the front end to a position before the bulging portion 22 as shown in FIG. 10. The rear edge (right end in FIG. 10) of this longitudinal groove 41 acts as a catchable surface 42. On the other hand, a jig 45 used to detach the retainer 20 is shaped such that a hook 47 is provided at the leading end of a narrow handle 46 having such a width as to be at least partly insertable into the jig insertion groove 40. The rear surface of the hook 47 is formed into a vertical surface 48 (i.e. a surface being substantially normal to the longitudinal direction of the narrow handle 46) engageable with the catchable surface 42, and the lower surface of its leading end is formed into a slanted surface 49. A guide surface 51 which has substantially the same width as the jig insertion groove 40 and the longitudinal groove 41 and is upwardly sloped to reach the upper surface of the guiding table 19 projects preferably substantially in the middle of the front surface of the guiding table 19 provided at the back side of the lower surface of the receptacle 12. Next, the action of this embodiment is described. In order to assemble this connector, the retainer 20 is first inserted into the receptacle 12 of the male housing 10 preferably from front as shown by an arrow A of FIG. 2 to be held in its partial locking position shown in FIG. 8. In this state, the locking portions 15 are elastically deformable toward the deformation permitting spaces 16. Next, as shown by an arrow B of FIG. 2, the male terminal fitting 1 is inserted into the corresponding cavity 13 preferably from behind or in a direction other than, preferably substantially opposed to the insertion direction A of the retainer 20 and is pushed while elastically deforming the locking portion 15 toward the deformation permitting space 16. When the male terminal fitting 1 is pushed to its proper insertion position, the locking portion 15 is elastically restored substantially to its original position to engage the jaw portion 4 as shown in FIG. 8, with the result that the male terminal fitting 1 is primarily locked so as not to come out of the cavity 13. Subsequently, when the retainer 20 is pushed toward the full locking position shown in FIG. 9, the full locking projections 30 come into engagement with the locking edges 31 of the guide grooves 17 to lock the retainer 20 there. As the retainer 20 is pushed, the thrusting portion 28 of the retainer 20 enters the deformation permitting spaces 16, thereby preventing the locking portions 15 from being inadvertently elastically deformed. In this way, the male terminal fittings 1 are doubly locked so as not to come out of the cavities 13. With the retainer 20 locked in the full locking position, the catchable surface 42 formed on the retainer 20 is located slightly before the guide surface 51 as shown in FIG. 10. When the retainer 20 is fully locked, a mating female connector housing (not shown) accommodating male terminal fittings is airtightly fitted into the receptacle of the male housing 10 via a seal ring to connect the corresponding female and male terminal fittings. The male terminal fittings 1 are or can be withdrawn from the male housing 10 in the following procedure if such a necessity arises e.g. for maintenance or other reason. First, the mating female housing is pulled out of the receptacle 12 of the male housing 10. Then, the jig 45 for detaching the retainer 20 is prepared and inserted along the center portion of the inner surface of the bottom wall of the receptacle as shown by an arrow C of FIG. 10 to insert the hook 47 into the jig insertion groove 40 of the retainer 20. At a timing when the hook 47 passes the jig insertion groove 40, the slanted surface 49 of the book 47 comes into contact with the guide surface 51 as shown in FIG. 11. When the jig 45 is subsequently pushed, the hook 47 moves up along the guide surface 51 to substantially enter the longitudinal groove 41 and its upward or lateral movement stops when the leading end of the handle 46 comes into contact with the ceiling surface of the jig insertion groove 40, whereby the vertical surface 48 of the hook 47 is substantially opposed or corresponds to the catchable surface 42 in a position slightly before the catchable surface 42. Subsequently, when the jig 45 is pulled backward as shown by an arrow D by gripping the base end of the handle 46, the vertical surface 48 of the hook 47 comes into contact with the catchable surface 42 to exert a backward acting pulling force on the retainer 20, thereby disengaging the full locking projections from the locking edges 31 and further disengaging the partial locking projections 34 from the engaging portions 36. Consequently, the retainer 12 is or can be pulled out of the receptacle 12. After the retainer 12 is detached, the locking portions 15 of the respective cavities 13 are exposed to the front. Thus, an unillustrated jig for unlocking the locking portion 15 is or can be inserted into the receptacle 12 preferably from front to elastically deform the locking portion 15 toward the deformation permitting space 16. Since being unlocked in this state, the male terminal fitting 1 can be withdrawn backward from the cavity 13 by holding and pulling the wire 7. If the retainer 20 is mounted again in its partial locking position after the male terminal fittings 1 are withdrawn, there is no likelihood of losing it. In the case that the male terminal fittings 1 are mounted again, it may be done so in the aforementioned procedure. As described above, according to this embodiment, the hook 47 is automatically guided by the guide surface 51 to a position where it is engageable with the catchable surface 42 of the retainer 20 when the jig 45 for detaching the retainer 20 is pushed through the jig insertion groove 40 of the retainer 40, and the retainer 20 can be detached by pulling the jig 45. An operation of engaging the jig 45 with the catchable surface 42 and an operation of detaching the retainer 20 can be smoothly performed. Further, since it is not necessary to move the jig 45 to obtain a good catching timing, the inner surface of the receptacle 12 and the retainer 20 will be neither scratched nor deformed. The present invention is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiments. For example, the following embodiments are also embraced by the technical scope of the present invention. Beside the following embodiments, various changes can be made. (1) The mechanism for locking the retainer in its partial locking position and full locking position may be elastically unlocked, e.g. by providing at least one elastic locking or latching arm on one of the retainer and the housing and by providing e.g. at least one corresponding projection on the other of the retainer and the housing, the locking arm and the corresponding projection being engageable with each other for locking or positioning the retainer in the partial and/or full locking position. (2) The present invention is widely applicable to connectors of the type assembled by connecting two separate housings and split connectors in which auxiliary housings are fitted into a frame, i.e. connectors in general in which one housing is connected with an other housing by inserting the one housing into a mounting recess of the other housing. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 1 male male terminal fitting 3 tab 4 jaw portion 5 stabilizer 7 wire 8 rubber plug 10 male housing (first housing) 11 tower portion 12 receptacle (mounting recess) 13 cavity 15 locking portion 16 deformation permitting space 17 guide grooves 18 insertion hole 19 guiding table 20 retainer (second housing) 21 tubular main body 22 bulging portion 23 ribs 25 engaging holes 26 partition wall 27 projecting wall 28 thrusting portion 30 full locking projection 31 locking edge 32 rib 34 partial locking projection 35 groove 36 engaging portion 40 jig insertion groove 41 longitudinal groove 42 catchable surface (catchable portion) 45 jig 46 handle 47 hook 48 vertical surface 49 slanted surface 51 guide surface (guiding portion) A insertion direction B insertion direction C insertion direction D pulling direction

Claims: A connector, comprising: a first housing (10) formed with a mounting recess (12), at least one second housing (20) at least partly insertable into the mounting recess (12), and a locking mechanism (30, 31; 34, 35) for locking the second housing (20) in the mounting recess (12), the second housing (20) being detachable from the mounting recess (12) by inserting a jig (45) into the mounting recess (12) and pulling it after engaging it with a catchable portion (42) provided in the second housing (20), wherein a guiding portion (51) for guiding the inserted jig (45) to a position where it is engageable with the catchable portion (42) of the second housing (20) is provided on an insertion path (19) of the jig (45) in the mounting recess (12) characterized in that the guiding portion (51) is sloped such as to laterally move the jig (45) to substantially oppose it to the catchable portion (42). A connector according to claim 1, wherein the first housing ( 10 ) is such a connector housing ( 10 ) that a receptacle (12) is provided substantially around one or more cavities (13) at least partly accommodating corresponding terminal fittings (1) while locking them by locking portions (15), preferably resin locking portions (15). A connector according to claim 2, wherein the second housing (20) is a retainer (20) for doubly locking the terminal fittings (1) by being mounted on or in the cavities (13) through an opening of the receptacle (12) to enter deformation permitting spaces (16) of the locking portions (15). A connector according to claim 3, wherein a temporarily holding means (34, 36; 30) for holding the retainer (20) in a position (FIG. 8) retracted from the deformation permitting spaces (16) of the locking portions (15) is provided between the retainer (20) and the connector housing (10). A connector according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the second housing (20) comprises a jig insertion groove (40) for inserting the jig (45) so that it may interact with the catchable portion (42). A connector according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the insertion path for the jig (45) in the first housing (10) is also a second housing guiding portion (19) for guiding the second housing (20) during its insertion into the first housing (10), wherein the guiding portion (51) is substantially continuous with the second housing guiding portion (19). A connector according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the catchable portion (42) of the second housing (20) interacts with the jig (45), preferably with a hook portion (47) thereof, in a direction (D) substantially opposed to an insertion direction (C) of the jig (45) into the connector. A connector according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the interaction of the jig (45) with the catchable portion (42) of the second housing (20) releases the locking mechanism (30, 31; 34, 35) whereby the second housing (20) is detachable from the first housing (10). A method for detaching at least two interlocked housings (10, 20) of a connector, wherein the first housing (10) is formed with a mounting recess (12), and the at least one second housing (20) is at least partly insertable into the mounting recess (12), comprising the following steps of: inserting a jig (45) into the mounting recess (12) for detaching the second housing (20), engaging the jig (45) with a catchable portion (42) provided in the second housing (20) and pulling the jig (45) thereafter, wherein the inserted jig (45) is guided by means of a guiding portion (51) to a position where it is engageable with the catchable portion (42) of the second housing (20), the guiding portion (51) being provided on an insertion path (19) of the jig (45) in the mounting recess (12), characterized in that the guiding portion (51) is sloped such as to laterally move the jig (45) to substantially oppose it to the catchable portion (42). A method according to claim 9, wherein a locking mechanism (30, 31; 34, 35) for locking the second housing (20) with the first housing (10) can be released by the interaction of the jig (45) with the catchable portion (42) of the second housing (20).

Inventors: ICHIDA KIYOFUMI, MAKITA YASUMITSU, OKAYASU YASUSHI, ICHIDA, KIYOFUMI, MAKITA, YASUMITSU, OKAYASU, YASUSHI, Ichida, Kiyofumi, Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd., Makita, Yasumitsu, Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd., Okayasu, Yasushi, Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.
Applicants: SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
Application year: 2001
Main classification: H01R43
IPC codes: H01R13, H01R43