Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6190194
-
Patent Number
6,190,194
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, May 19, 199826 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, February 20, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Bradley; Paula
- Davis; Katrina
Agents
- Armstrong, Westerman, Hattori, McLeland & Naughton
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 439 378
- 439 680
- 439 929
- 439 374
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
An attachment and connection structure of an electrical equipment unit is provided. The electrical equipment unit is provided with a connector. When the electrical equipment unit is inserted into a unit receiving portion, the connector 21 can be connected to a mating connector of a unit receiving portion at the same time. A guide wall is formed unitarily on the connector, and a guide receiving portion for receiving the guide wall is provided to the unit receiving portion. The mating connector is disposed in the vicinity of the guide receiving portion. The guide wall also serves as part of the outer walls of the connector. The guide wall protrudes from the both sides and the front edge of the connector. After the guide wall is engaged with the guide receiving portion, engagement of both connectors starts.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an attachment and connection structure for attaching an electrical equipment such as a meter unit to the instrument panel of a vehicle, and securely connecting the electrical equipment unit to a connector provided to the instrument panel.
2. Related Art
FIG. 5
shows an attachment and connection structure of an electrical equipment disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 7-124859 filed by the present applicant.
In this structure, an electronic unit
52
is attached unitarily on the rear surface of a meter unit
51
by connector connection. The meter unit
51
is attached to a finish panel
53
, thereby forming a cluster module
60
. The finish panel
53
, i.e., the cluster module
60
, is then mounted to an instrumental panel
54
, and a connector
55
of the electronic unit
52
is then engaged with a receiving connector
57
of a car wire harness
56
.
The finish panel
53
is provided with lights and a switch unit
58
such as a hazard and a door mirror control. The electronic unit
52
includes the power sources and functions to integrate or distribute input and output signals. The switch unit
58
is connected to the meter unit
51
by a connector
59
. The meter unit
51
is mounted to the finish panel provided with the switch unit, thereby forming the cluster module
60
.
The finish panel
53
has a guide protrusion
61
, and a receiving portion
63
for receiving the guide protrusion
61
is provided to the inner wall of a receiving chamber
62
on the side of the instrument panel
54
. The receiving connector
57
is attached to a back wall
64
of the receiving chamber
62
in vertically and transversely movable condition. As the guide protrusion
61
slides along the receiving portion
63
, the finish panel
53
is guided into the receiving chamber
62
and then connected to the electronic unit
52
, with the receiving connector
57
correcting the displacement with the mating connector
55
. An automatic temperature control unit
65
is included in a receiving chamber
66
, and connected to the receiving connector
67
of the car wire harness
56
.
With the above conventional structure, however, there has been a problem that when the finish panel
53
is attached to the instrument panel
54
, pressing load is exerted on the front surface of the finish panel
53
away from the receiving connector
57
. This causes a problem that the parts other than the connector attachment portions need to have rigidity, thereby making the construction more complicated and increasing the weight. Furthermore, if the distance from the connectors
55
and
57
to the guide protrusion
61
and the receiving portion
63
is long, the dimensional tolerance becomes greater, making it necessary to widen the movable range of the connector
57
. What is worse, since the connectors
55
and
57
become hidden when the finish panel
53
is attached to the instrument panel
54
, it is difficult to determine whether the connectors
55
and
57
are securely connected or not, thus reducing reliability in connection.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The principal object of the present invention is to provide an attachment and connection structure which securely connects an electrical equipment unit such as a meter unit, a switch unit, an electronic unit, or a temperature control unit, to an instrument panel or the like. With this attachment and connection structure, the construction of the connection portion can be made simpler and smaller. The movable range of the connector can also be restricted to a smaller range.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an attachment and connection structure of an electrical equipment unit which is characterized as follows. The electrical equipment unit is provided with a connector, and attached to the unit receiving portion. At the same time, the connector is connected to a mating connector provided to the unit receiving portion. A guide wall is unitarily formed on the connector, and the unit receiving portion is provided with a guide receiving portion for receiving the guide wall. The mating connector is disposed in the vicinity of the guide receiving portion.
The guide wall may also serve as part of the outer wall of the connector. This guide wall protrudes from both sides and the front of the connector. After the guide wall is engaged with the guide receiving portion, the above connectors are engaged.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, as the guide wall is formed unitarily on the connector of the electrical equipment unit, the distance between the guide portion and the connector is eliminated, so that the guide wall can be engaged with the guide receiving portion while the connectors are smoothly and securely engaged to each other, even if the mating connector is movably supported. Since no movable mechanism is required for the connectors, the construction can be simpler, and the connecting portion can be made lighter and smaller. Reliability in connection can also be increased. In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, as the guide wall also serves as part of the outer wall of the connector, the construction can be made even simpler, lighter, and smaller. In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, the guide wall is securely engaged with the guide receiving portion, and the connector is guided in the engagement direction. In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, the positions of the connectors are adjusted to each other by virtue of the engagement of the guide wall with the guide receiving portion, so that the connectors can surely be engaged to each other.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of one example of an electrical equipment unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2
is a vertical sectional view of a first embodiment of the attachment and connection structure of the electrical equipment unit.
FIG. 3
is a vertical sectional view illustrating how the guide wall is engaged with the guide receiving portion.
FIG. 4
is a vertical sectional view of a second embodiment of the attachment and connection structure of the electrical equipment unit in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 5
is an exploded perspective view illustrating the prior art.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIGS. 1
to
3
show one embodiment of an attachment and connection structure of an electrical equipment unit in accordance with the present invention.
The electrical equipment unit
1
shown in
FIG. 1
comprises a unit casing
2
made of a synthetic resin, a box-like connector housing
3
formed unitarily on the unit casing
2
, and a thick horizontal guide wall
4
formed unitarily on the connector housing
3
. The guide wall
4
also serves as the upper wall of the connector housing
3
.
A step portion
5
is provided to the unit casing
2
, and the connector housing
3
is formed on the step portion
5
. The lower wall
6
of the connector housing
3
also serves as the upper wall
6
of the unit casing
2
. The rear edge of the connector housing
3
also serves as the stand wall
7
of the unit casing
2
. A flange portion
8
is formed at the front edge of the unit casing
2
. At least a pair of flexible stop clamps
11
each having a stop protrusion
10
for an instrument panel
9
is provided to the rear surface of the flange portion
8
.
The guide wall
4
united with the connector housing
3
is thicker than the outer walls
6
and
12
of the connector housing
3
, and horizontally wider than the connector housing
3
. The guide wall
4
also protrudes from the engagement edge (opening)
13
of the connector housing
3
in the connector engagement direction (i.e., toward the instrument panel). The base portion of the guide wall
4
continues to the stand wall
7
. The flange portions
14
of the guide wall
4
extend horizontally, and the protruding portion
15
at the front edge has four tapered guide surfaces
16
which are the upper and bottom surfaces, and the two side surfaces of the protruding portion
15
.
A printed circuit board (PCB)
17
is provided inside the connector housing
3
having a plurality of terminals
19
which are formed in parallel with each other and face to the engagement opening
13
of the connector housing
3
. The printed circuit board
17
constitutes a card edge connector
20
, and the printed circuit board
17
and the connector housing (hood)
3
constitute a female connector
21
. The printed circuit board
17
is forced into the connector housing
3
or formed unitarily with the connector housing
3
.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, the printed circuit board
17
extends horizontally, penetrating a partition wall
22
inside the connector housing
3
. The printed circuit board
17
is connected to a vertical circuit board
23
disposed inside the unit casing
2
by a connecting means
24
such as a wire or a terminal. An electric unit (not shown) for controlling the functions of the unit
1
is mounted to the printed circuit board
17
. If an electric control circuit capable enough to satisfy the functions of the unit
1
cannot be formed on the printed circuit board
17
, the electric unit will be mounted to the circuit board
23
. Various kinds of switches
25
are disposed on the front side of the unit
1
, and they are connected to the circuit board
23
.
A connector engagement chamber
26
is situated below the guide wall
4
, and the terminal portion (card edge connector)
20
of the printed circuit board
17
is disposed inside the connector engagement chamber
26
. The printed circuit board
17
and the guide wall
4
face to each other and are arranged in parallel with each other. The base edge
16
a of the tapered guide surfaces
16
of the guide wall
4
is situated between the opening
13
of the connector housing
3
and the partition wall
22
.
A unit receiving portion
27
for receiving the electrical equipment unit
1
is provided to the instrument panel
9
. Above the unit receiving portion
27
, a guide receiving portion
28
for receiving the guide wall
4
is formed. As shown in
FIG. 3
, the guide receiving portion
28
has a pair of L-shaped rails
30
hanging down from the horizontal wall
29
of the instrument panel
9
. The flange portions
14
of the guide wall
4
of the unit
1
slide along the inner grooves
13
of the rails
30
.
In
FIG. 2
, the opening edge
33
of the instrument panel is situated at the front edge of the horizontal wall
29
of the unit receiving portion
27
via a step portion
32
. The stand wall
7
of the unit
1
is inserted into the step portion
32
, and the flange portion
8
of the unit
1
is brought into contact with the opening edge
33
.
A male connector
34
is disposed in the vicinity of the guide receiving portion
28
. The male connector
34
is secured to the upper portion of the back wall of the unit receiving unit
27
. The upper wall surface
37
of a male connector housing
36
is situated at the same height as the inner horizontal surfaces
30
a
of the rails
30
, and brought into contact with the lower surface
4
a
of the guide wall
4
. The male connector housing
36
is inserted into the connector engagement chamber
26
of the female connector housing
3
.
The front edge
38
of the male connector housing
34
is situated at the mid-point on the guide receiving portion
28
in the horizontal direction (in the longitudinal direction). Distance L
1
from the front edge
39
of the guide receiving portion
28
to the front edge
38
of the male connector housing
36
is longer than the distance from the front edge
18
of the guide wall
4
to the base edge
16
a of the tapered guide surfaces
16
, or at least than distance L
2
from the front edge
13
of the female connector housing
3
to the base edge
16
a
of the tapered guide surfaces
16
of the guide wall
4
. Because of this, after the guide wall
4
is engaged with the guide receiving portion
28
, the female connector
21
is engaged with the male connector
34
.
A female terminal
41
having an elastic contact member
40
for receiving the card edge connector
20
is disposed inside the male connector housing
36
. The female terminal
41
is connected to a wire harness (not shown) of the instrument panel
9
. The male connector housing
36
and the female terminal
41
constitute the male connector
34
.
As described above, the guide wall
4
is formed unitarily with the female connector
21
, and the male connector
34
is disposed right below the guide receiving portion
28
. As a result, the accuracy in assembling is increased, and disalignment of the connectors
21
and
34
caused by inserting the guide wall
4
into the guide receiving portion
28
can be minimized. Accordingly, the male connector
34
needs not to be movable as in the prior art. By allowing the female connector
21
and the male connector
34
small spaces in both vertical and horizontal directions, smooth and secure connector connection can be conducted.
By virtue of the above construction, reliability of the unit connecting portion is increased, and the connectors
21
and
34
can be simplified and made more compact. Thus, the number of components required can be reduced. Also, assembling the unit
1
can be simplified. In particular, compared with a guide pin (not shown) often used in positioning connectors in the prior art, the guide wall
4
of the present invention enables further simplification of connectors and reduction in the number of components.
Due to the relationship in size, when the unit
1
is assembled and connected, the guide wall
4
of the unit
1
is adjusted to the guide receiving portion
28
of the instrument panel
9
. The unit
1
is then pushed into the guide receiving portion
28
. After the secure engagement of the guide wall
4
with the guide receiving portion
28
, the engagement of the connectors
21
and
34
is started. When the unit
1
is fully inserted into the unit receiving portion
27
, the engagement of the connectors
21
and
34
is also completed. Accordingly, assembling the unit
1
and connecting the connectors
21
and
34
can be conducted smoothly and securely.
Since there is no wire harness used in the unit
1
, dragging a wire harness can be avoided in connecting operations.
In the above embodiment, it should be noted that the guide wall
4
is not limited to the upper wall of the connector housing
3
, but one of the output walls of the connector housing (hood)
3
may serve as the guide wall
4
. Any of the side walls
12
and the lower wall
6
of the connector housing
3
may also serve as the guide wall
4
.
FIG. 4
shows another embodiment of a connector of an electrical equipment unit.
This connector
42
is provided with a pin terminal
43
instead of the card edge connector
20
. The pin terminal
43
is connected to a vertical circuit board
45
of a unit
44
by a solder. The pin terminal
43
is connected to an elastic contact member
40
(shown in
FIG. 2
) as in the first embodiment.
The electrical equipment unit
1
is mounted to a finish panel (see
FIG. 5
) and thereby constitutes a cluster module (now shown). When the cluster module is mounted to the instrument panel
9
, the guide wall
4
of the electrical equipment unit
1
is engaged with the guide receiving portion
28
so as to adjust the positions of both connectors. Thus, smooth and secure connector connection can be conducted, and the cluster module can be smoothly mounted to the instrument panel
9
by virtue of the guide wall
4
. The electrical equipment unit
1
may also be mounted and connected to the instrument panel
9
, and after that, the finish panel is mounted to the instrument panel
9
, thereby making sure of secure mounting and connection of the electrical equipment unit
1
.
Although the present invention has been fully described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, unless otherwise such changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present invention, they should be construed as being included therein.
Claims
- 1. An attachment and connection structure of an electrical equipment unit, comprising:a connector attached to the electrical equipment unit: a mating connector having a unit receiving portion for the mating connector to be connected to the connector; a guide wall formed unitarily on the connector, the guide wall having flange portion protruding from both sides of the connector and protruding from a front edge of the connector; and a guide receiving portion for receiving the guide wall provided to the unit receiving portion, wherein the mating connector is disposed adjacent the guide receiving portion, and when the electrical equipment unit is attached to the unit receiving portion by insertion of the guide wall into the guide receiving portion, the connector is connected to the mating connector.
- 2. The attachment and connection structure according to claim 1, whereintop and bottom surfaces and both side surfaces of a protruding portion at the edge of the guide wall are tapered.
- 3. The attachment and connection structure according to claim 1, whereinthe guide receiving portion includes a horizontal wall and a pair of rails hanging down from the horizontal wall, each with an L-shaped rail and a reversed-L-shaped cross section.
- 4. The attachment and connection structure according to claim 1, whereinthe connector includes the guide wall that serves as a part of the outer walls thereof, and a connector engagement chamber.
- 5. The attachment and connection structure according to any of claims 1 or 4, whereinafter the guide wall is engaged with the guide receiving portion, engaging the connector with the mating connector is started.
- 6. The attachment and connection structure according to claim 4, whereinthe edge portion of a circuit board of the electrical equipment unit is situated inside the connector engagement chamber.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
9-130900 |
May 1997 |
JP |
|
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
8-318761 |
Dec 1996 |
JP |