Patent Publication Number: US-11398702-B2

Title: Connector with interlock circuit

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Field of the Invention 
     This specification relates to a connector. 
     Related Art 
     Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-18774 discloses a case-side connector provided with an interlock circuit. This case-side connector is connectable to a mating connector, and the interlock circuit is connected by connecting the case-side connector to the mating connector so that the case-side connector is switched to an energizable state. The mating connector is mounted inside a mounting recess in a terminal block. The case-side connector includes two retaining pieces and the terminal block includes two locked portions to which the of retaining pieces are lockable. Each retaining piece is resiliently deflectable and deformable and constitutes a floating mechanism of the case-side connector. If the mating connector is connected in a misaligned state to the case-side connector, each retaining piece is deflected and deformed to accommodate a misalignment. 
     However, the above-described case-side connector needs to be provided separately from the terminal block to enable the floating mechanism. Thus, this known case-side connector is inconsistent with goals of reducing the number of components, reducing assembly man-hours and reducing assembly facilities. 
     SUMMARY 
     A connector disclosed by this specification includes a cover having a cover housing and a cover connector that is integral with the cover housing. The connector also includes a device-side connector having a receptacle, and the cover housing can fit into the receptacle. A mating connector is configured to close an interlock circuit by being connected to the cover connector disposed inside the receptacle. The cover housing includes a preceding guide configured to guide the cover connector into a proper posture for connection to the mating connector by sliding on an opening edge part of the receptacle prior to the connection of the cover connector and the mating connector. 
     In assembling the cover with the device-side connector, the preceding guide slides on the opening edge part of the receptacle to guide the cover connector into the proper posture. In this way, the cover connector is connected to the mating connector while being positioned in the proper posture. Thus, a floating mechanism constituted by a different component as in the prior art can be eliminated and the number of components can be reduced. Further, an assembling operation of the different component is not necessary. Thus, assembly man-hours can be reduced and assembly facilities can be reduced as compared to the case with the floating mechanism. 
     The cover housing may include a cover body configured to close an opening of the receptacle and a peripheral wall projecting from the cover body along an inner peripheral surface of the receptacle while closing the opening. Additionally, the preceding guide may project toward a side opposite to the cover body from a projecting end of the peripheral wall. According to this configuration, the preceding guide can be provided by directly extending a part of the peripheral wall. 
     The cover housing may be laterally long, and two of the preceding guides may be provided on both end parts in a long axis direction on the projecting end of the peripheral wall. According to this configuration, the cover connector can be guided into the proper posture by the two preceding guides. Thus, the cover connector can be guided more precisely than in the case where the cover connector is guided by one preceding guide. Further, the two preceding guides are provided on the both end parts in the long axis direction of the peripheral wall. Therefore, the cover connector can be guided in a more stable posture than in the case where preceding guides are provided on both end parts in a short axis direction. 
     One of the preceding guides may be integral to the cover connector. According to this configuration, since the one preceding guide is integral to the cover connector, the positioning accuracy of the cover connector can be enhanced. 
     According to the connector disclosed by this specification, the number of components, assembly man-hours and assembly facilities can be reduced by eliminating a floating mechanism. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a section showing a state before a cover housing is fit into a receptacle. 
         FIG. 2  is a section showing a state where a cover connector is guided into a proper posture by preceding guide portions sliding on an opening edge part of the receptacle. 
         FIG. 3  is a section showing a state where the cover housing is fit in the receptacle and the cover connector is connected to a mating connector. 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of a cover. 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view of the cover. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the cover. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An embodiment is described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 6 . A connector  10  of this embodiment includes a service cover  20  and a device-side connector  50  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The device-side connector  50  is to be mounted on a device and specifically is mounted on a case C of the device. A mounting hole H is open in the case C of the device, and the device-side connector  50  is mounted on the case C of the device while being fit in this mounting hole H. 
     A mating connector  60  is provided inside the case C of the device. The mating connector  60  constitutes an interlock circuit together with a cover connector  40  to be described later. With the connectors  40 ,  60  connected, the interlock circuit is closed and a main circuit enters an energizable state. Further, when the connectors  40 ,  60  are separated, the interlock circuit is opened and the main circuit is switched to a non-energized state. 
     The device-side connector  50  includes a device-side housing  51  made of synthetic resin, and the device-side housing  51  is provided with a receptacle  52  open upward. A flange  53  is provided circumferentially on the outer peripheral surface of the receptacle  52  and outside the case C of the device. Further, a rubber ring accommodating portion  54  is provided circumferentially below the flange  53  in the outer peripheral surface of the receptacle  52 . A rubber ring  55  is fit in the rubber ring accommodating portion  54 . When the device-side housing  51  is fit into the mounting hole H of the case C of the device, the rubber ring  55  is sandwiched between the rubber ring accommodating portion  54  and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole H, thereby sealing the inside of the case C of the device. 
     The service cover  20  is laterally long in a front view and includes a cover housing  21  made of synthetic resin and a shield shell  30  made of metal. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the cover housing  21  is laterally long. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the cover housing  21  includes a cover body  22  for closing an opening of the receptacle  52  and a peripheral wall  23  projecting down from the cover body  22  along the inner peripheral surface of the receptacle  52  while closing the opening. A cover seal accommodating portion  24  is provided circumferentially in the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall  23  and an annular cover seal  25  is fit inside the cover seal accommodating portion  24 . When the cover housing  21  is fit into the receptacle  52 , the cover seal  25  is sandwiched between the cover seal accommodating portion  24  and the receptacle  52 , thereby sealing the inside of the receptacle  52 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4 to 6 , an upwardly open boss  26  is provided in a central part of the cover body  22  and a washer-equipped bolt  31  is fastened thereto. The washer-equipped bolt  31  is a tapping screw. When the washer-equipped bolt  31  is fastened to the boss  26  from above, as shown in  FIG. 3 , a washer  32  of the washer-equipped bolt  31  contacts the upper end of the boss  26 , thereby stopping any further fastening, and the washer-equipped bolt  31  is fixed to the boss  26 . 
     With the washer  32  held in contact with the upper end of the boss  26 , a predetermined clearance is ensured between the washer  32  and the upper surface of the cover body  22 . This clearance is about two to three times as large as a plate thickness of the shield shell  30 . On the other hand, the shield shell  30  is provided with an insertion hole  33  into which the boss  26  is inserted. A hole diameter of the insertion hole  33  is smaller than a diameter of the washer  32  and larger than a diameter of the boss  26 . In this way, the shield shell  30  is loosely movable on the cover housing  21 . 
     The cover connector  40  is provided on the lower surface of the cover housing  21 . The cover connector  40  includes a tubular portion  41  open downward and a male terminal  42  projecting downward from a back wall (upper wall) of the tubular portion  41 . The lower end of the male terminal  42  is located higher than the lower end of the tubular portion  41 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , a part of the tubular portion  41  is integral with the peripheral wall  23 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , preceding guides  27  project down (toward a side opposite to the cover body  22 ) on a lower projecting end  23 L of the peripheral wall  23 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , two of the preceding guides  27  are provided on both end parts in a long axis direction on the lower end  23 L of the peripheral wall  23 . The right preceding guide  27  in  FIG. 4  is integral with the cover connector  40 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , a guide rib  28  having an inverted T shape is provided on an outer surface of the one preceding guide  27 . The guide rib  28  is composed of a vertical rib  28 A extending in a vertical direction and a horizontal rib  28 B extending in a lateral direction. The horizontal rib  28 B is disposed on the lower end of the preceding guide  27  and is coupled to the lower end of the vertical rib  28 A. The lower end of the horizontal rib  28 B is provided with a tapered portion  29  for guiding. A guide rib  28  and a tapered portion  29  similar to those of the one preceding guide  27  also are provided on an outer surface of the other preceding guide  27 . 
     When the service cover  20  is assembled with the device-side connector  50  from a state shown in  FIG. 1 , the tapered portions  29  of the preceding guides  27  are guided into the inside of the receptacle  52  while sliding on an opening edge  56  of the receptacle  52 . Then, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the guide ribs  28  of the preceding guides  27  are disposed along the inner peripheral surface of the receptacle  52  and the cover connector  40  is guided into a proper posture. Thereafter, the guide ribs  28  slide on the inner peripheral surface of the receptacle  52  so that connection to the mating connector  60  progresses with the cover connector  40  kept in the proper posture. 
     When the cover body  22  of the cover housing  21  comes into contact with the opening edge  56  of the receptacle  52 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , the fitting of the cover housing  21  and the receptacle  52  is completed and the connection of the cover connector  40  and the mating connector  60  is completed. When the connection of the cover connector  40  and the mating connector  60  is completed, the interlock circuit is closed and the main circuit enters an energizable state. As just described, in this embodiment, the cover connector  40  is positioned in the proper posture by the preceding guides  27  before the connection of the cover connector  40  and the mating connector  60  is started. Thus, the cover connector  40  and the mating connector  60  can be connected reliably even if a floating mechanism is eliminated. 
     As described above, the connector  10  disclosed by this embodiment includes the service cover  20  having the cover housing  21  and the cover connector  40 , with the cover connector  40  being integral to the cover housing  21 , and the device-side connector  50  having the receptacle  52 . The cover housing  21  is fittable into the receptacle  52 . The mating connector  60  is configured to close the interlock circuit by being connected to the cover connector  40  that is disposed inside the receptacle  52 , and the cover housing  21  includes the preceding guides  27  configured to guide the cover connector  40  into the proper posture to be connectable to the mating connector  60  by sliding on the opening edge  56  of the receptacle  52  prior to the connection of the cover connector  40  and the mating connector  60 . 
     In assembling the cover with the device-side connector  50 , the preceding guides  27  slide on the opening edge  56  of the receptacle  52  to guide the cover connector  40  into the proper posture. In this way, the cover connector  40  is connected to the mating connector  60  while being positioned in the proper posture. Thus, the floating mechanism constituted by a different component as before can be eliminated and the number of components can be reduced. Further, since an assembling operation of the different component is not necessary, assembly man-hours can be reduced and assembly facilities can be reduced as compared to the case with the floating mechanism. 
     The cover housing  21  may include the cover body  22  configured to close the opening of the receptacle  52  and the peripheral wall  23  projecting from the cover body  22  along the inner peripheral surface of the receptacle  52  while closing the opening. The preceding guides  27  may project toward a side opposite to the cover body  22  from the projecting end (lower end  23 L) of the peripheral wall  23 . According to this configuration, the preceding guides  27  can be provided by directly extending parts of the peripheral wall  23 . 
     The cover housing  21  may be laterally long, and the preceding guide portions  27  may be provided on the both end parts in the long axis direction on the projecting end of the peripheral wall  23 . According to this configuration, the cover connector  40  can be guided into the proper posture by the two preceding guides  27 . Thus, the cover connector  40  can be guided more precisely than in the case where the cover connector  40  is guided by one preceding guide  27 . Further, since the preceding guides  27  are provided on the both ends in the long axis direction of the peripheral wall  23 , the cover connector  40  can be guided in a more stable posture than in the case where two preceding guides are provided on both ends in a short axis direction. 
     One of the preceding guides  27  may be integral to the cover connector  40  According to this configuration, since the one preceding guide  27  is integral with the cover connector  40 , the positioning accuracy of the cover connector  40  can be enhanced. 
     The invention is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiment. For example, the following various modes also are included. 
     Although the guide rib  28  is provided on the preceding guide  27  in the above embodiments, the preceding guide may not be provided with the guide rib. 
     Although the preceding guide  27  is provided on the lower end  23 L of the peripheral wall  23  in the above embodiment, a preceding guide may be provided on the lower surface of the cover body  22   
     Although the two preceding guides  27  are provided in the above embodiment, only one, three or more preceding guides  27  may be provided. 
     Although the one preceding guide  27  is integral with the cover connector  40  in the above embodiment, the one preceding guide  27  may be provided separately from the cover connector  40 . 
     LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS 
     
         
           10  . . . connector 
           20  . . . service cover (cover) 
           21  . . . cover housing 
           22  . . . cover body 
           23  . . . peripheral wall 
           23 L . . . lower end (projecting end) 
           27  . . . preceding guide 
           28  . . . guide rib 
           40  . . . cover connector 
           50  . . . device-side connector 
           52  . . . receptacle 
           56  . . . opening edge 
           60  . . . mating connector