Patent Publication Number: US-6908332-B2

Title: Connector

Description:
This is a Division of application Ser. No. 09/924,190, filed Aug. 6, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,499. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a connector having a terminal holding member that is made of an insulating material and holds terminals and a cable that is electrically connected to the terminals and extends out from the terminal holding member. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   To remove a connector, comprising a terminal holding member that is made of an insulating material and holds terminals and a cable that is electrically connected to the terminals and extends out from the terminal holding member, from a counterpart connector into which the connector has been fitted, the terminal holding member of the connector is grasped with one&#39;s hand and pulled. 
   However, in general, in the case that the cable electrically connected to the terminals is very thin (for example of diameter about 0.3 mm), the terminal holding member will also be small. To remove such a connector having a small terminal holding member from the counterpart connector, it is necessary to insert one&#39;s hand into a narrow space, grasp the terminal holding member and pull. There is thus a problem that the connector removing operation is difficult. Moreover, if, during the connector removing operation, one mistakenly grasps and pulls the cable connected to the terminals instead of the terminal holding member, a force is applied to the connecting parts between the terminals and the electrical wires, and thus a problem arises in that an electrical wire may be separated away from the connecting part thereof and disconnected. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An object of the present invention is to provide a connector for which the connector removing operation is easy and there is no risk of breaking the connections between the cable and the terminals during the connector removing operation. 
   A connector according to the present invention (for example, the left connector  10  or the right connector  20  in the embodiments) comprises terminals (for example, the terminals  17  or  27  in the embodiments), a terminal holding member that is made of an insulating material and holds the terminals, and a cable that is electrically connected to the terminals and extends out from the terminal holding member; the connector also has a pull tab that has a tip end part thereof bonded onto the terminal holding member and extends outwards, and the connector is removed from a counterpart connector into which the connector has been fitted by pulling the pull tab. 
   According to the connector having this constitution, a pull tab is bonded onto the terminal holding member, and hence the connector can easily be removed from the counterpart connector into which the connector has been fitted by grasping and pulling the pull tab. Moreover, there is no risk of mistakenly pulling the cable connected to the connector instead of the pull tab during the connector removing operation, and hence wire breakage is prevented. 
   Moreover, another connector according to the present invention comprises terminals, a terminal holding member that is made of an insulating material and holds the terminals, a cable that is electrically connected to the terminals and extends out from the terminal holding member, and a protective cover that is made of a conductive material and covers the terminal holding member; the connector also has a pull tab that has a tip end part thereof bonded onto the protective cover and extends outwards, and the connector is removed from a counterpart connector into which the connector has been fitted by pulling the pull tab. 
   According to the connector having this constitution, the connector can easily be removed from the counterpart connector into which the connector has been fitted by grasping and pulling the pull tab that has a tip end part thereof bonded onto the protective cover and extends outwards. Moreover, there is no risk of mistakenly grasping and pulling the cable instead of the pull tab during the connector removing operation, and hence wire breakage is prevented. 
   In the connectors having the above-mentioned constitutions, the pull tab may be formed from a conductive material. If the pull tab is formed from a conductive material and is bonded onto the terminal holding member made of an insulating material or the protective cover made of a conductive material, then the pull tab acts as a shield, and hence external magnetic fields can be prevented from entering into the connector, and thus the effects of noise or the like generated in the terminals can be suppressed. 
   Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention and wherein: 
     FIGS.  1 ( a ) to  1 ( d ) show left and right connectors according to an embodiment of the present invention, with FIG.  1 ( a ) being a rear view of the two connectors, FIG.  1 ( b ) being a left side view showing the left connector, FIG.  1 ( c ) being a right side view showing the right connector, and FIG.  1 ( d ) being a front view of the two connectors; 
     FIGS.  2 ( a ) and  2 ( b ) show the above-mentioned connectors, with FIG.  2 ( a ) being a rear view of the right connector  20 , and FIG.  2 ( b ) being a left side view of the left connector  10 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a view showing a method of connecting a pull tab of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 4  shows a front view of the above-mentioned pull tab. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Following is a description of preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to  FIGS. 1  to  4 . As shown in FIG.  1 ( a ), a connector structure  1  comprises a cable  3  that extends in the left/right direction, and a straight type left connector  10  and a right-angled type right connector  20  connected respectively to left and right ends of the cable  3 . The cable  3  is coated with a coating film made of an insulating material, and has provided therein a plurality of very thin electrical wires D (diameter about 0.3 mm) that are lined up in the up/down direction and each extend in the left/right direction. 
   As shown in FIGS.  1 ( a ),  1 ( b ) and  1 ( d ), the left connector  10  is formed in a box-like shape, and comprises a terminal holding member  11 , a protective cover  13  and a pull tab  15 . The terminal holding member  11  is made of an insulating material, and, as shown in FIG.  2 ( b ), comprises a flat plate part  11   a , and a pair of side plate parts  11   b , which contact with and hold the flat plate part  11   a  on a base end side thereof, and, outside the flat plate part  11   a  in the width direction thereof each project out toward a tip end side with there being a prescribed space between the flat plate part  11   a  and the side plate part  11   b  in question. A plurality of terminals  17  are attached to a lower face of the flat plate part  11   a , being lined up with a prescribed spacing therebetween in the width direction of the flat plate part  11   a , and each extending in the front/back direction of the left connector  10 . The protective cover  13  has a box-like shape and is attached to the outside of the terminal holding member  11  so as to surround the terminal holding member  11 . The protective cover  13  is made of a conductive material, namely a metallic material such as SUS or Fe. The tip of the protective cover  13  is positioned so as to be approximately coplanar with the tip of the flat plate part  11   a  and the tips of the side plate parts  11   b.    
   As shown in FIGS.  1 ( a ) and  1 ( d ), a pull tab  15  made of an insulating material is bonded onto a lower face of the protective cover  13 . To remove the left connector  10  from a counterpart connector  5  into which the left connector  10  has been fitted as shown in  FIG. 1 , it would be possible to grasp each side of the protective cover  13  and pull, but the left connector  10  is small and hence it would be troublesome to try to insert one&#39;s hand into such a narrow space, and moreover there would be a risk of mistakenly pulling the cable  3 . The pull tab  15  is thus provided on the left connector  10  to make the operation of removing the left connector  10  easier and to prevent the cable  3  from being pulled. Moreover, the right connector  20  is similar to the left connector  10  in this respect. 
   The pull tab  15  has a flat plate-like shape and is flexible. A tip end part of the pull tab  15  is bonded onto the lower face of the protective cover  13  using a strong adhesive. A rear end part of the pull tab  15  is bent downwards from a rear end face of the protective cover  13  and extends diagonally downwards. The pull tab  15  is formed from a material such as nylon, PET or a polyester. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , the right connector  20  has a box-like shape, comprises a main body part  20   a  that extends in a horizontal direction and a projecting part  20   b  that projects downwards from a right side lower part of the main body part  20   a , and has a terminal holding member  21 , a protective cover  23  and a pull tab  25 . As shown in FIG.  2 ( a ), the terminal holding member  21  comprises a flat plate part  21   a , and a side plate part  21   b , which contacts with and holds the flat plate part  211   a  on a base end side thereof, and curves toward the cable side, surrounding the flat plate part  21   a  with there being a prescribed space between the side plate part  21   b  and the outside of the flat plate part  21   a . A plurality of terminals  27  are attached to a side face of the flat plate part  21   a  (the upper side face in FIG.  2 ( a )), being lined up with a prescribed spacing therebetween in the width direction of the flat plate part  21   a . Each terminal  27  has a connecting part (not shown) that connects to an electrical wire D of the cable  3 , with each electrical wire D being electrically connected by soldering. 
   The protective cover  23  is made of a conductive material and is attached to the outside of the terminal holding member  21 . The protective cover  23  has a function of intercepting external magnetic fields, thus preventing magnetic fields from outside the connector acting on the terminals  27  provided in the connector and noise or the like being generated in the electrical signals that flow through the terminals  27 . As shown in FIGS.  1 ( c ) and  1 ( d ), a pull tab  25  is bonded onto a tip end face of the protective cover  23 . The pull tab  25  has a flat plate-like shape and is flexible. A rear end part of the pull tab  25  is bent toward the side of the cable  3  at a top face of the protective cover  23  and extends diagonally upwards. The pull tab  25  is made of the same material as the pull tab  15  bonded onto the left connector  10 . 
   A description will now be given of the operation of the present invention when the left connector  10  and the right connector  20  are removed from the counterpart connectors into which the left connector  10  and the right connector  20  have been fitted. Firstly, a description will be given of the case of removing the left connector  10 . Starting with a state in which the left connector  10  is fitted into the counterpart connector  5  as shown in FIG.  1 ( d ), a worker first grasps the pull tab  15  of the left connector  10 . While grasping the pull tab  15 , the worker then pulls in a direction such that the left connector  10  separates away from the counterpart connector  5  (the direction of the arrow A in FIG.  1 ( d )). The left connector  10  thus moves through the action of the pull tab  15  in the direction of the arrow A away from the counterpart connector  5 , and hence is removed. 
   A description will now be given of the case of removing the right connector  20 . Starting with a state in which the right connector  20  is fitted into the counterpart connector  7  as shown in FIG.  1 ( d ), a worker first grasps the pull tab  25  of the right connector  20 . While grasping the pull tab  25 , the worker then pulls in a direction such that the right connector  20  separates away from the counterpart connector  7  (the direction of the arrow B in FIG.  1 ( d )). The right connector  20  thus moves through the action of the pull tab  25  in the direction of the arrow B, and hence is removed. 
   By providing the pull tabs  15  and  25  on the left connector  10  and the right connector  20  respectively in this way, the operations of removing the left connector  10  and the right connector  20  can thus be carried out easily even if the left connector  10  and the right connector  20  are placed in narrow spaces, and moreover an incorrect operation of mistakenly pulling the cable  3  can be prevented. 
   It should be noted that, although in the embodiment described above an example was given in which protective covers  13  and  23  made of a conductive material are attached to the outside of the terminal holding members  11  and  21  (which are made of an insulating material) respectively and the pull tabs  15  and  25  are bonded onto the protective covers  13  and  23  respectively, there is no such limitation; rather, it is also possible to leave out the protective covers  13  and  23  and bond the pull tabs  15  and  25  onto the terminal holding members  11  and  21  respectively. In this case, referring to FIG.  2 ( b ), the side plate parts  11   b  of the left connector  10  are given a shape so as to surround the flat plate part  11   a , and the pull tab  15  is bonded to lower faces of the side plate parts  11   b . Moreover, referring to FIG.  2 ( a ), the protective cover  23  of the right connector  20  is eliminated, thus exposing the side plate part  21   b , and the pull tab  25  is bonded onto a tip end part of the exposed side plate part  21   b . By bonding the pull tabs  15  and  25  onto the terminal holding members  11  and  21  respectively in this way, as in the case described above in which the pull tabs  15  and  25  were bonded onto the protective covers  13  and  23  respectively, the operations of removing the left connector  10  and the right connector  20  can be carried out easily, and moreover an incorrect operation of mistakenly pulling the cable  3  can be prevented. 
   Moreover, although in the above-mentioned embodiment the pull tabs  15  and  25  were made of an insulating material, there is no such limitation; rather, the pull tabs  15  and  25  can also be made of a conductive material. If pull tabs  15  and  25  made of a conductive material are bonded onto the protective covers  13  and  23  respectively, then interception of external magnetic fields becomes more effective; if pull tabs  15  and  25  made of a conductive material are bonded onto the terminal holding members  11  and  21  respectively, then the pull tabs  15  and  25  again intercept external magnetic fields, suppressing the effects of noise or the like generated in the electrical wires D. 
   An example was given in which the pull tabs  15  and  25  are bonded onto the protective covers  13  and  23  respectively using an adhesive, but there is no such limitation. Rather, as shown in  FIG. 4 , it is also possible to prepare a pull tab  15  or  25  in which adhesive glue  31  is applied over the whole of the lower face of the pull tab  15  or  25  and then a peelable protective film  33  that protects the adhesive glue  31  and can be peeled away from the lower face of the adhesive glue  31  is stuck onto the adhesive glue  31 . When the pull tab  15  or  25  having this adhesive glue  31  is to be bonded onto the protective cover  13  or  23 , the peelable protective film  33  is peeled off to expose the adhesive glue  31  and then the pull tab  15  or  25  is bonded onto the protective cover  13  or  23  through the adhesive glue  31 . The peelable protective film  33  is divided into two sections  33   a  so as to be easily peelable, with each section  33   a  being stuck onto the adhesive glue  31 . Because the peelable protective film  33  is composed of two sections  33   a , when the peelable protective film  33  is to be peeled off, one can bend the pull tab  15  or  25  so that inside end parts of the sections  33   a  peel away at the place where the sections  33   a  meet and these end parts project outwards, and then grasp the sections  33   a  and pull. If such a pull tab  15  or  25  is used, then the pull tab  15  or  25  can either be bonded on during the connector manufacturing process or can be subsequently bonded onto an existing connector. 
   Moreover, it is also possible to bond a tip end part of the pull tab  25  onto a tip end part of the protective cover  23  and bond a rear end part of the pull tab  25  onto an upper face of the protective cover  23 , and moreover bond inside faces of the tip end part and the rear end part of the pull tab  25  together, as shown in FIG.  3 . By using this bonding method and bonding the pull tab  25  onto two adjacent faces of the protective cover  23 , the pull tab  25  can be bonded onto the protective cover  23  more strongly. 
   As described above, according to the connector of the present invention, a pull tab may be bonded onto a terminal holding member, thus allowing the connector to be easily removed from a counterpart connector into which the connector has been fitted by grasping and pulling the pull tab, and ensuring that a cable connected to the connector is not mistakenly pulled instead of the pull tab during the connector removing operation, thus preventing wire breakage. 
   Moreover, the pull tab may be bonded onto a protective cover, again allowing the connector to be easily removed from a counterpart connector into which the connector has been fitted by pulling the pull tab, and ensuring that the cable connected to the connector is not mistakenly pulled instead of the pull tab during the connector removing operation, thus preventing wire breakage. 
   The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims. 
   RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-277004 filed on Sep. 12, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference.