Patent Publication Number: US-6659785-B2

Title: Connector

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a connector with a shorting terminal. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-129191 and FIG. 7 herein both show a connector with a shorting terminal that was developed by the inventor of the subject invention. This connector includes a male housing  100  that is connectable with a female housing  110 . A plurality of male terminal fittings  101  and a shorting terminal  102  are provided in the male housing  100 . The shorting terminal  102  has terminal contacts  102 A that contact and short the male terminal fittings  101  when the male and female housings  100  and  110  are not connected. Receiving pieces  102 B are formed at the front end of the shorting terminal  102  and extend obliquely toward a side wall  103  of the male housing  100 . The female housing  110  has a pushing portion  111  that contacts the receiving pieces  102 B during connection to displace the receiving pieces  102 B down in FIG.  7  and toward the side wall  103 , thereby resiliently deforming the shorting terminal  102  and disengaging the terminal contacts  102 A from the male terminal fittings  101 . As a result, the shorted state of the female terminal fittings  101  is canceled. 
     Consideration has been given to elongating the receiving pieces  102 B for more securely bringing the pushing portion  111  into contact with the receiving pieces  102 B. Such a design ensures a wide permissible contact range of the pushing portion  111  with the receiving pieces  102 B even if the female housing  110  shakes vertically or if a tolerance of dimensional precision or assembling precision is large. Therefore, the pushing portion  111  can be brought securely into contact with the receiving pieces  102 B. 
     However, elongation of the receiving pieces  102 B shortens the space between the side wall  103  of the male housing  100  and the leading ends of the receiving pieces  102 B. Thus, a displacement stroke of the receiving pieces  102 B becomes smaller, which leads to a smaller displacement stroke of the terminal contacts  102 A of the shorting terminal  102 . A small displacement stroke of the terminal contacts  102 A prevents having a large space between the terminal fittings  101  and the shorting terminal  102  even after the shorted state of the terminal fittings  101  is canceled. This presents a problem in reliability of a shorted state canceling function. 
     In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to improve reliability of a shorted state canceling function. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is directed to a connector with at least first and second housings that are connectable with each other. Terminal fittings and a shorting terminal are provided in the first housing. The shorting terminal normally contacts and shorts the terminal fittings. However, a shorted state of the terminal fittings can be cancelled by resiliently or elastically deforming the shorting terminal out of engagement with the terminal fittings. Receiving pieces are formed at the leading end of the shorting terminal and extend oblique to a connecting direction of the housings and toward a side wall of the first housing. A pushing portion is provided in the second housing and is adapted to contact the receiving pieces and to displace them toward the side wall portion during connection of the housings. An escaping portion is provided at the side wall of the first housing for avoiding interference with the receiving pieces when the receiving pieces are displaced toward the side wall by the pushing portion. 
     The displaced receiving pieces enter the escaping portion. Thus, the receiving pieces are displaced to a larger degree and the shorting terminal also is deformed to a larger degree as compared to a case where no escaping portion is provided. Accordingly, a large space is provided between the shorting terminal and the terminal fittings when the shorted state is canceled, and the reliability of a shorted state canceling function is improved. 
     The escaping portion preferably penetrates through the side wall first connector housing. Therefore, the receiving pieces can deflect a larger distance as compared to a case where a recess or bottomed hole is formed in the side wall. 
     The pushing portion preferably has a slanted surface oblique to the connecting direction of the housings. Additionally, the receiving pieces preferably have substantially the same inclination as the slanted surface before the shorting terminal contacts the pushing portion. 
     The second housing preferably has a recess that is continuous with the pushing portion and substantially parallel with the connecting direction of the housings. The shorting terminal is held in contact with the recess when the housings are connected with each other, thereby restricting displacement of the shorting terminal toward the terminal fittings. 
     The shorting terminal preferably comprises a plurality of resilient contact pieces folded back from a main section to extend towards the terminal fittings. The resilient contact pieces each comprise an angled terminal contact portion and an extending portion that extends forward from the front end of the terminal contact portion. The receiving piece extends oblique to the connecting direction of the housings from the front end of the extending portion. 
     The first connector housing preferably comprises a receptacle in which the second connector housing is insertable. A portion of the receptacle and the pushing portion define a space into which the shorting terminal is insertable when the connector housings are connected with each other. 
     These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. It should be understood that even though embodiments are described separately, single features thereof may be combined to additional embodiments. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a section showing a state at the start of connection of male and female housings according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a section showing a state where a pushing portion of the female housing comes into contact with a shorting terminal during connection of the two housings. 
     FIG. 3 is a section showing a state where the two housings are properly connected with each other to cancel a shorted state of male terminal fittings. 
     FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged section showing a state where the pushing portion is in contact with receiving pieces. 
     FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged section showing a state of the receiving pieces having entered an escaping portion. 
     FIG. 6 is a front view of the male housing. 
     FIG. 7 is a section of a prior art connector. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A connector according to the invention is comprised of a male housing  10  and a female housing  30  that are connectable with each other. Ends of the housings  10 ,  30  to be connected with each other are referred to as front in the following description. 
     The male housing  10  is formed e.g. of a synthetic resin and is comprised of a housing main body  11  and a rectangular tubular receptacle  12  that projects forward from the housing main body  11 . Male terminal fittings  13  are provided substantially side by side at the same height in the housing main body  11 , and leading ends of the terminal fittings  13  project into the receptacle  12 . The female housing  30  is fittable into the receptacle  12 . 
     The housing main body  11  is formed with an accommodation space  14  that is open in the back end wall  12   a  of the receptacle  12 , and a shorting terminal  15  is fixed in the accommodation space  14 . The shorting terminal  15  has a substantially plate-shaped main section  16 . Four resilient contact pieces  17  are folded back at the rear end of the main section  16  and extend forward. The shorting terminal  15  is fixed by holding the main section  16  in close contact with the bottom surface of the accommodation space  14 . Each resilient contact piece  17  is comprised of an angled terminal contact  18 , an extension  19  that extends substantially horizontally forward from the front end of the terminal contact  18 , and a receiving piece  20  that extends obliquely forward to the bottom from the front end of the extension  19 . 
     The housing main body  11  has exposure spaces  21  for exposing the bottom surfaces of the male terminal fittings  13  to the accommodation space  14 . The terminal contacts  18  of the shorting terminal  15  are positioned to correspond to the exposure spaces  21 . When the female housing  30  is not connected, the terminal contacts  18  of the shorting terminal  15  contact the bottom surfaces of the male terminal fittings  13  in the exposure spaces  21  with a specified contact pressure ensured by the resilient or elastic restoring force of the shorting terminal  15 . Thus, the shorting terminal  15  shorts the male terminal fittings  13 . When the female housing  30  is fitted to the male housing  10 , the shorting terminal  15  is deformed resiliently or elastically to move the terminal contacts  18  away from the male terminal fittings  13 , as described later, thereby canceling the shorted state of the male terminal fittings  13 . 
     The receiving pieces  20  at the leading end of the shorting terminal  15  are at positions in the receptacle  12  distanced from the back end surface  12   a  of the receptacle  12  and extend from the extensions  19  obliquely to a connecting direction CD of the housings  10 ,  30  toward a bottom wall  12 W of the receptacle  12 . An escaping hole  22  penetrates through the bottom wall  12 W to the outer surface of the receptacle  12 . The escaping hole  22  is spaced from the back end surface  12   a  of the receptacle  12  by a distance substantially equal to the distance of the receiving portions  20  from the back end surface  12   a . Additionally, the escaping hole  22  has a cross-sectional area corresponding to the area of the receiving pieces  20 . 
     The female housing  30  is formed e.g. of a synthetic resin into a substantially block shape, and has e.g. four side-by-side cavities  31 . Female terminal fittings  33  connected with ends of wires  32  are inserted into the respective cavities  31  from behind, and are locked by a retainer  34  so as not to come out. The respective female terminal fittings  33  are connected with the male terminal fittings  13  by connecting the two housings  10 ,  30  with each other. 
     A recess  35  is open at the front end of the bottom surface of the female housing  30  and extends substantially parallel to the connecting direction CD of the housings  10 ,  30 . A space S is defined between a ceiling surface of the recess  35  and the bottom wall  12 W of the receptacle  12  for receiving the extensions  19  of the shorting terminal  15  and rear ends of the receiving pieces  20  when the female housing  30  is fit into the receptacle  12 . The front end of the ceiling surface of the recess  35  serves as a pushing portion  36  for the receiving pieces  20  of the shorting terminal  15 . The pushing portion  36  is at substantially the same height along a direction normal to the connecting direction CD of the two housings  10 ,  30  as the receiving pieces  20  that are held in contact with the male terminal fittings  13 . The pushing portion  36  comprises a slanted surface  37  that is oblique to the connection direction CD of the connector housings  10 ,  30  and preferably at the same angle of inclination as the receiving pieces  20 . The slanted surface  37  contacts the respective receiving piece  20  when the connector housings  10 ,  30  are connected, and deflects the shorting terminal  15  smoothly away from the terminal fittings  13 . 
     With the two housings  10 ,  30  separated from each other, the terminal contacts  18  of the shorting terminal  15  contact and short the male terminal fittings  13 . Accordingly, there is no potential difference between the male terminal fittings  13 . Further, the receiving pieces  20  of the shorting terminal  15  are in the receptacle  12  and are oblique to the connecting direction CD of the two housings  10 ,  30 , as shown in FIG.  1 . 
     The female housing  30  can be inserted into the receptacle  12  in this state so that the pushing portion  36  of the female housing  30  contacts the receiving pieces  20 , as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The inclination of the receiving pieces  20  and/or the slanted surface  37  causes the pushing portion  36  to displace the receiving pieces  20  smoothly down and away from the male terminal fittings  13  as the connection of the housings  10 ,  30  proceeds. The displacement of the receiving pieces  20  is transmitted to the terminal contacts  18  via the extensions  19 . As a result, the shorting terminal  15  is deformed resiliently or elastically to displace the terminal contacts  18  downward and away from the male tab terminals  13 . When the two housings  10 ,  30  are connected properly, the terminal contacts  18  are disengaged from the male terminal fittings  13 , as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, thereby canceling the shorted state of the male terminal fittings  13 . 
     The leading ends of the receiving pieces  20  that have been pushed toward the bottom wall  12 W by the pushing portion  36  enter the escaping hole  22  when connection of the housings  10 ,  30  proceeds to a certain degree. As connection of the two housings  10 ,  30  proceeds, the receiving pieces  20  enter deeper into the escaping hole  22 , and achieve a maximum insertion as the receiving pieces  20  disengage from the bottom edge of the pushing portion  36 . The receiving pieces  20  enter the recess  35  in the bottom surface of the female housing  30  after disengaging from the pushing portion  36 , and are substantially parallel to the connecting direction CD of the connector housings  10 ,  30 . Thereafter, the receiving pieces  20  are pressed by the ceiling surface of the recess  35  and remain at a specified height until the housings  10 ,  30  are connected completed. 
     The pushing portion disengages from the receiving pieces  20  during the withdrawal of the female housing  30  from the receptacle  12 . Thus, the shorting terminal  15  is restored resiliently upward to bring the terminal contacts  18  into contact with the male terminal fittings  13 . 
     As described above, the receiving pieces  20  are displaced toward the bottom wall  12 W by the pushing portion  36  and enter the escaping hole  22  without interference with the bottom wall  12 W. Consequently, the receiving pieces  20  are displaced to a larger degree as compared to a case where no escaping hole  22  is provided. The shorting terminal  15  also is displaced resiliently to a large degree and a large space is provided between the terminal contact portions  18  of the shorting terminal  15  and the bottom surfaces of the male terminal fittings  13  when the shorted state is canceled. Therefore, reliability of a shorted state canceling function can be improved. 
     The receiving pieces  20  penetrate the escaping portion  22  through the bottom wall  12 W, and thus deflect a larger distance as compared to a case where a recess is formed in the bottom wall  12 W instead of a through hole. 
     The present invention is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiment. For example, following embodiments are also embraced by the technical scope of the present invention as defined in the claims. Beside the following embodiments, various changes can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined in the claims. 
     The terminal fittings  13  and the shorting terminal  15  are provided in the male housing  10  and the pushing portion  36  is provided in the female housing  30  in the foregoing embodiment. However, the terminal fittings and the shorting terminal may be provided in the female housing and the pushing portion may be provided in the male housing. 
     Although the escaping portion  22  is a hole penetrating through the side wall portion in the foregoing embodiment, it may be a bottomed recess. 
     Although the slanted surface  37  is formed on the pushing portion  36  in the foregoing embodiment, it may be an angled or rounded edge.