Patent Publication Number: US-8992240-B2

Title: Connector

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 U.S.C. §119(a)-(d) of Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-154226 filed Jul. 10, 2012. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to an electrical connector having cam pins that are inserted into cam grooves formed in a slide. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Sliding connectors offer the advantage of allowing multipole connectors to be engageable by a small force. In a sliding connector, a slide is provided on a housing of one connector to be engaged, and cam pins, which are inserted into cam grooves in the slide, are formed on a housing of a second connector. When the slide is inserted from a starting point and urged to an ending point, both of the connectors engage with each other in a camming motion by the interaction of the cam grooves with the cam pins. 
     For a general connector, if one connector is inserted at oblique angle relative to an axial mating direction (M), the housing of the one connector can stub the contacts of the second, and may bend the contacts upon mating. To prevent damage to the contacts, guide ribs extending along the mating direction on the housings of both the connectors have been used to guide the mating of the connectors. 
     For the guide ribs to be effective, the corresponding guide ribs must be formed on both connectors to be mated. Therefore, while the guide ribs can effectively prevent contact damage, this approach is not universal and is limited to connectors already having the guide ribs. 
     Additionally, the distance between the guide ribs can be relatively large, even if the connector somewhat tilts during initial engagement of one of the guide ribs prior to engaging a second guide rib, the guide ribs work in a concerted effort with each other to start guiding and correcting the connector posture during the time when the end portion of the housing arrives at the ends of contacts, preventing damage to the contacts. However, if the first guide rib extending to the front beyond the ends of contacts is too short in length, the inserted connector can damage the contacts before additional guide ribs are engaged and proper alignment is achieved. On the other hand, if the length of guide rib is too long in length, the connector becomes undesirably large in size. 
     Additionally, a pair of guiding protrusions have been used to prevent contact damage. These guiding protrusions project from a front surface beyond a lock part of a lock arm that locks two corresponding connectors to each other in an engaged state (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-305607). If an attempt is made to engage one of the corresponding connectors in a tilted posture, an end portion of the guiding protrusion interferes with a lock receiving portion of the corresponding second connector, preventing the engagement of the two corresponding connectors. The lock receiving portion must be guided between the pair of protrusions at the correct angle, thereby preventing damage to the contacts. 
     The disadvantage of the guiding protrusions disclosed by Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-305607 is the same as described for the guiding portions, namely that the effectiveness is not universal, and is limited to designs whereby both corresponding connectors already incorporate the guiding protrusions. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a sliding connector capable of preventing contact damage without forming a guide rib. 
     SUMMARY 
     A connector having a housing with mating face. A slide assembly has a cam pin receiving opening on the mating face with a width W 1  measured along the mating face. A slide has cam grooves in communication with the cam pin receiving opening. A cam pin on a mating housing is engageable with the cam pin receiving opening, having a width W 2  measured along the mating face being less than the width W 1 , and a width W 3  measured at an angle to the mating face being greater than the width W 1 . 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures of which: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a sliding connector showing a state in which a male connector and a female connector are separated from each other; 
         FIG. 2A  is a side view of a sliding connector; 
         FIG. 2B  is a plan view of the sliding connector, showing a state in which a slide is pulled out; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a female connector to which a slide is engageable; 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  are vertical sectional views of a slide connector in a state in which a cam pin is introduced into an cam pin insertion passageway of a cam groove in the axial mating direction;  FIG. 4A  is a sectional view taken along the line IVa-IVa of  FIG. 2B , and  FIG. 4B  is a sectional view taken along the line IVb-IVb of  FIG. 2B ; 
         FIG. 5A  is an enlarged view showing the side surface of a male housing on which cam pins are formed, showing the transverse cross sections of the cam pins; 
         FIG. 5B  is a schematic view showing a cam groove and the cam pin; 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  are vertical sectional views showing a state in which engagement has been completed in the axial mating direction,  FIG. 6A  is a sectional view taken along the line IVa-IVa of  FIG. 2B , and  FIG. 6B  is a sectional view taken along the line IVb-IVb of  FIG. 2B ; 
         FIGS. 7A and 7B  are vertical sectional views showing a state in which a mating connector tilts along the direction in which a cam groove extends,  FIG. 7A  is a sectional view taken along the line IVa-IVa of  FIG. 2B , and  FIG. 7B  is a sectional view taken along the line IVb-IVb of  FIG. 2B ; 
         FIGS. 8A and 8B  are vertical sectional views showing a state in which a mating connector tilts to the side opposite to the direction shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B ; 
         FIGS. 9A and 9B  are vertical sectional views showing an example in which contact damage occurs where conventional cam pins having a circular cross section are used; and 
         FIGS. 10A ,  10 B and  10 C are vertical sectional views showing an example in which contact damage occurs where conventional cam pins each having a circular cross section are used. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The invention will now be described in detail based on an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , a male connector  1  having a male contact  1 A is mated with a female connector  2 . The female connector  2  has a slide  3  and female contacts  2 A. 
     The male connector  1  has a first mating face that corresponds to a second mating face on the female connector  2 , and a first terminal face, opposite the first mating face. The female connector  2  and the male connector  1  are matable with each other along a mating direction M. 
     The female connector  2  includes a plurality of female contacts  2 A ( FIG. 4B ) to which electric wires, not shown, are connected, a female housing  20  and a wire cover  26 . The female housing  20  holds the female contacts  2 A and the slide  3  is assembled to the female housing  20 . The wire cover  26  is disposed on a second terminal face of the female housing  20 , opposite the second mating face. 
     The female housing  20  can be manufactured by injection molding an insulating resin, although one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that other insulating materials could also be used. The female housing  20  includes a holding block  21  for holding the female contacts  2 A and the electric wires, a pair of slide assemblies  22  provided on both sides of the holding block  21 , cover locking protrusions  23  for locking the wire cover  26 , and a wire guide  24  for arranging the electric wires extending out of the wire cover  26 . 
     The holding block  21  has a female mating projection  211  engageable with a corresponding male housing  10  of the male connector  1 , and a seal ring  212  disposed on an outer peripheral portion of the female mating projection  211  adjacent to the second mating face. The seal ring  212  is disposed between the female housing  20  and the male housing  10  when the female housing  20  and the male housing  10  are engaged. 
     The slide  3  is assembled inside a pair of slide assemblies  22 , each slide assembly  22  having a rectangular outer surface wall  22 A that covers the slide  3 , and rails  22 B that are formed along the second mating face and a terminal face of the outer surface wall  22 A to guide the slide  3 . 
     The outer surface wall  22 A has a locking mechanism  22 C that engages a corresponding locking mechanism of the slide  3  when the slide  3  is at a start position ( FIGS. 4A ,  4 B) and when it is at an end position ( FIGS. 6A ,  6 B). 
     The rails  22 B project inward at a right angle from the outer surface wall  22 A, each rail  22 B having a first rail  221  extending along a terminal side of the outer surface wall  22 A and a second rail  222  extending along the mating face edge of the outer surface wall  22 A. ( FIG. 4A ) The rails  22 B may be shifted from the direction intersecting at right angles with the mating direction M. 
     The second rail  222  is cut in intermediate portions in the longitudinal direction, where cam pin receiving openings  25  that communicate with cam grooves  31  ( FIG. 4A ) in the slide  3  when the slide  3  is at the start position are formed. The cam pin receiving openings  25  are disposed along the second rail  222 , and have an opening width W 1 . Through the cam pin receiving openings  25 , a cam pin  50 , described later, of the male connector  1  is introduced into the cam groove  31 . 
     The slide  3  has a pair of side walls  30  extending from a connecting handle  32  to form a U-shaped design. The connecting handle  32  is located on a terminal end  31 B ( FIGS. 4A ,  4 B) side of the cam groove  31 . Each of the side walls  30  incorporates the cam grooves  31 , which are disposed on the side walls  30  and extend in a direction from the mating face towards the terminal face of the female connector  2 . The slide  3  is operated so as to move orthogonal to the mating direction M when the male connector  1  and the female connector  2  are engaged with each other or disengaged from each other. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4A ,  4 B, the side wall  30  is accommodated between the first rail  221  and the second rail  222 . 
     The cam groove  31  is angularly relative to the operation direction of the slide  3 . When the slide  3  is operated along the operation direction thereof, the cam pin  50 , described later, of the male connector  1  moves in the cam groove  31  along a direction having components of the mating direction M and the operation direction. As a result, the female connector  2  engages the male connector  1  along the mating direction M. In an embodiment, two complementary cam grooves  31  are formed in each side wall  30  of the female connector  2  and correspond to an equal number of complementary cam pins  50  disposed on the male connector  1 . In another embodiment, three complementary cam grooves  31  are formed in each side wall  30  of the female connector  2  and correspond to an equal number of complementary cam pins  50  disposed on the male connector  1 . As shown in FIGS.  1  and  4 A, 4 B, the male connector  1  comprises the male contacts  1 A, and the male housing  10  for housing the male contacts  1 A. 
     In an embodiment, the male contact  1 A is formed as a pin and a tab. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that other equivalent contact shapes could also be used. A plurality of male contacts  1 A are provided on the inside of the male housing  10 , and are received by the female contacts  2 A. The terminal end of the male contact  1 A projects from the terminal end of the male connector  1  ( FIGS. 4A ,  4 B), and is connected to a printed circuit board (not shown). 
     In an embodiment, the male housing  10  is manufactured using an insulating resin injection-molded product, however, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that other equivalent insulating materials can also be used. 
     The male housing  10  includes a contact holder  11  for holding the male contacts  1 A, a male mating projection  12  which rises from the mating face of the male connector around a peripheral edge of the contact holder  11  and in which the female mating projection  211  is inserted, and a base  13  fastenable to the printed circuit board (not shown). 
     The male mating projection  12  has a substantially rectangular opening, and a pair of side walls  121  and  122  extending lengthwise across the mating face of the male connector  1 , that is, in the operation direction of the slide  3 . In one embodiment, on each of the side walls  121  and  122 , a pair of coplanar cam pins  50  are disposed, and project away from an outer surface of the side walls  121  and  122  at an interval corresponding to the cam pin receiving openings  25  of the second rail  222 . The cam pins  50 , together with the cam grooves  31 , form an actuating mechanism for both of the connectors  1  and  2 . The paired cam pins  50  consist of a first cam pin  50 F and a second cam pin  50 B. In an embodiment, the paired first cam pin  50 F and second cam pin  50 B are formed so as to have the same shape and size. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5A , each of the first cam pin  50 F and second cam pin  50 B have a cylindrical pin body  51 , and a cam projection  52  formed integrally with the pin body  51 . As explained below, the cam pin  50  is configured so as to be introduced into the cam pin receiving openings  25  if the male connector  1  and the female connector  2  are aligned in the axial mating direction, and to be not introduced into the cam pin receiving openings  25  if the connector tilts from the axial mating direction. 
     It would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that all of the cam pins  50  ( 50 F,  50 B) formed on the side walls  121  and  122  be provided with the cam projection  52 , or only one of the pairs of cam pins  50 F or  50 B may be provided with the cam projection  52 . Only one pair of camp pins  50 F,  50 B are provided with the cam projection  52  when the tilted female connector  2  will not result in damage to the contacts  1 A of the male connector  1 . 
     The pin body  51  is formed such that the diameter D is smaller than the width W 1  of the cam pin receiving openings  25 . In an embodiment, the shape of the pin body  51  is generally cylindrical. However, in other embodiments the shape of the pin body  51  is an ellipse, or may be formed with vertical grooves on the outer periphery thereof. 
     The cam projection  52  projects from an outer periphery of the pin body  51  to the side in which the cam pin  50  advances in the cam groove  31  when the male connector  1  and the female connector  2  are engaged (the arrow-marked direction in  FIG. 5B ). Since the cam pin  50  advances toward the terminal end  31 B of the cam groove  31  during mating, the mating end  31 A of the cam groove  31  is located at the cam pin receiving openings  25 . 
     This cam projection  52  takes a substantially trapezoidal shape. In plan view, it has a first edge  521  that extends parallel with the mating direction M. A second edge  522  extends perpendicular to the mating direction M and intersects at a right angle with the first terminal face the first edge  521 . A third edge  523  extends obliquely to the mating direction M from an outward facing first mating end of the first edge  521 . The intersection of the first edge  521  and the second edge  522  is referred to as a first corner part  521 A, and the intersection of the first edge  521  and the third edge  523  is referred to as a second corner  521 B. The first corner  521 A is more distant from the axis of the pin body  51  than the second corner  521 B. The width W 2  is defined as a distance from the first edge  521  to a point on the circumference on the opposite side of the pin body  51  with the shaft center being held therebetween (refer to the left-hand side of  FIG. 5A ). The width W 3 A is defined as a distance from the first corner  521 A to a point on the circumference on the opposite side of the pin body  51 . 
     The width W 3 B is defined as a distance from the second corner  521 B to a point on the circumference on the opposite side of the pin body  51 . 
     Hereunder, the widths W 3 A and W 3 B are sometimes referred to as widths of the tilting cam pin  50 . These widths W 3 A and W 3 B representatively show, using the corners  521 A and  521 B as references, locations in which the width of the cam pin  50  is expanded so as to be larger than the diameter D of the pin body  51 . The form of the cam projection  52 , expands the width of the cam pin  50  whereby width W 3  is defined to include the widths W 3 A and W 3 B. 
     For the cam pin  50 , the width W 1  of the cam pin receiving openings  25 , the width W 2  of the cam pin  50  in the axial mating direction, and the widths W 3 A and W 3 B of the tilting cam pin  50  satisfy the following Formula (1): W 3 A&gt;W 3 B&gt;W 1 &gt;W 2 . Therefore, when the male connector  1  and female connector  2  are urged along the axial mating direction, the cam pin can be introduced into the cam pin receiving openings  25 ; however, when the female connector  2  tilts away from the axial mating direction, the cam pin  50  cannot be introduced into the cam pin receiving openings  25 . 
     The cam projection  52  is formed so as to be accommodated in the advance/retreat region of the cam pin  50 . The “advance/retreat region” described herein is a gap held between a first cam groove wall  311  and a second cam groove wall  312  along the longitudinal direction of the cam groove  31 . The first and second cam groove walls  311 ,  312  define the cam groove  31 . When the male connector  1  and the female connector  2  are mated or disengaged from each other, the cam pin  50  advances or retreats in this advance/retreat region. Since the cam projection  52  is formed as described above, when the male connector  1  and the female connector  2  are mated or disengaged from each other, the cam pin  50  can slide smoothly without interference from the first and second cam groove walls  311 ,  312  of the cam groove  31 . 
     In the following, the procedure for mating the male connector  1  and female connector  2 , explained above, is explained with reference to  FIGS. 4A ,  4 B and  6 . 
     The engagement mechanism for mating the male connector  1  and the female connector  2  is as follows. ( FIGS. 4A ,  4 B, and  6 ) First, as shown in  FIG. 4A , the slide  3  is partially removed from between the slide assemblies  22  of the female connector  2 . When the female mating projection  211  is inserted into the inside of the male mating projection  12  in the axial mating direction, the cam pins  50  of the male connector  1  are introduced along the mating direction M into the corresponding cam pin receiving openings  25  of the female connector  2  ( FIG. 4A ). 
     The diameter D of the cam pin  50  is smaller than the width W 1  of the cam pin receiving openings  25 , as expressed in Formula (1), the pin body  51  is introduced into the cam pin receiving openings  25  before the cam projection  52 , such that the cam pin  50  is guided into the cam pin receiving openings  25  without interference. By the relationship of width W 1 &gt;width W 2  in Formula (1), the cam pin  50  is introduced into the cam pin receiving openings  25  without difficulty, and without interfering with an end edge  27  located at the com pin receiving opening  25 . At this time, the first edge  521  is in sliding contact with the end edge  27 , so that the cam pin  50  is guided to the inside of the cam pin receiving openings  25 . The cam pin  50  having passed through the cam pin receiving openings  25  is arranged at the start end  31 A in the cam groove  31 . 
     When an attempt is made to engage the male connector  1  and the female connector  2  with each other in the axial mating direction as described above, in the state in which the cam pin  50  has been inserted into the cam groove  31 , the female mating projection  211  is prevented from contacting the male contacts  1 A, so that the male contacts  1 A are not damaged. 
     Next, when the slide  3  is inserted into the female connector  2  (the arrow-marked direction in  FIG. 4A ), the cam pin  50  advances toward the terminal end  31 B of the cam groove  31 , the female connector  2  engages the male connector  1  along the mating direction M. 
     Since the cam projection  52  is formed so as to be accommodated in the advance/retreat region as described above, the cam pin  50  slides smoothly in the cam groove  31  without the interference of the cam projection  52  with the cam groove walls  311 ,  312  of the cam groove  31 . When the cam pin  50  arrives at the terminal end  31 B of the cam groove  31  as shown in  FIG. 6A , mating of the female connector  2  with the male connector  1  is completed. 
     In order to disengage the female connector  2  from the male connector  1 , the slide  3  is operated in the direction reverse to the direction of the above-described mating operation. As the cam pin  50  is guided from the terminal end  31 B to the start end  31 A of the cam groove  31 , the female connector  2  is released from the male connector  1 . The sliding operation can be performed smoothly without the interference of the cam projection  52  with the inner walls of the cam groove  31 . When the cam pin  50  arrives at the start end  31 A of the cam groove  31  as shown in  FIG. 4A , the female connector  2  is released from the male connector  1 . 
     At this time, since the difference between the width W 1  of the cam pin receiving openings  25  and the width W 2  at the time of axial mating direction is slight, when the first edge  521  of the cam pin  50  is in contact with the end edge  27  of the cam pin receiving openings  25 , the female connector  2  is held by the male connector  1 . Thereby, the male connector  1  and the female connector  2  are not instantly separated from each other, and are kept in a temporarily locked state. The force necessary for temporary locking can be adjusted by varying the width W 1  and/or width W 2  and the lengths of the first edge  521  and the end edge  27 . Conversely, by adjusting these factors, the temporary locking can also be minimized. 
     When the female connector  2  is separated from the male connector  1  along the mating direction M, the temporary locking is released. At this time, the cam pin  50  is removed from of the cam pin receiving openings  25  by the first edge  521 . 
     Since the cam pins  50 F and  50 B are offset along the pair of side walls  121  and  122  extending lengthwise across the mating face of the male connector  1 , damage to the male contacts  1 A can more easily occur if the female connector  2  tilts counterclockwise as shown in  FIGS. 7A ,  7 B than when the female connector  2  tilts clockwise as shown in  FIGS. 8A ,  8 B. 
     Since the width W 3 A of the tilting first cam pin  50 F is larger than the width W 1  of the cam pin receiving openings  25 , the first cam pin  50 F interferes with the end edge  27  of the cam pin receiving openings  25 , such that the first cam pin  50 F is prevented from entering the cam pin receiving openings  25 . As a result, the female connector  2  is prevented from engaging with the male connector  1 , and the contact of the female mating projection  211  with the male contact  1 A is prevented. 
     When a female connector  2  tilts clockwise with respect to the male connector  1 , as shown in  FIGS. 8A ,  8 B, as shown on the right-hand side of  FIG. 5A , the width W 3 B of the first cam pin  50 F is larger than the width W 1  of the cam pin receiving openings  25 . The second corner  521 B of the second cam pin  50 B interferes with the end edge  27  of the cam pin receiving openings  25 , and prevents the second cam pin  50 B from entering the cam pin receiving opening  25 . Therefore, when female connector  2  tilts clockwise, the male contacts  1 A cannot engage the female connector  2  and damage to the contacts  1 A is prevented. 
     Additionally, the cam projection  52  has only to be added to the pin body  51  of the male connector  1  without a change of the female connector  2 . Therefore, the female connector  2  having been used so far can be used continuously as it is. 
     Furthermore, the need for guide ribs is eliminated, since it is unnecessary to increase the size of the male connector  1  and the female connector  2 . 
     One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that cam projection  52  of the cam pin  50  can be other shapes, as long as the cam projection  52  can accomplish the above-described function. For example, the shape of the cam projection  52  may be a triangular shape whose vertex is the first corner  521 A, or may be a rectangular shape whose long side is the first edge  521 . 
     In another embodiment, the length of the first edge  521  engaging with the end edge  27  of the cam pin receiving openings  25  is increased or decreased to control the amount of interaction the first edge  521  engages with the cam groove walls  311 ,  312  of the cam groove  31 , such that the cam pin  50  can be introduced into the cam pin receiving openings  25  with more resistance when the length of the first edge  521  is increased, or less resistance when the length of the first edge  521  is decreased. 
     In another embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 5B , a second cam projection  72  projecting to the opposite side of the cam projection  52  may be formed. The second cam projection  72  is formed on the terminal end  31 B facing side of the cam groove  31  so as to be symmetrical with the axis of the pin body  51  being held between the second cam projection  72  and the above-described cam projection  52 . 
     In this embodiment, the second cam projection  72  permits the same operation and effect as the embodiment were only the cam projection  52  is formed can be achieved. The use of both the cam projection  52  and the second cam projection  72  permits additional control of the alignment of the male connector  1  and the female connector  2  during mating. In this embodiment, an enlarged cavity (not shown) is present for accommodating the second cam projection  72  at the terminal end  31 B of the cam groove  31 . 
     Although several embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes or modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.