A connector in accordance with the invention is described with reference to
The female housing 10 has a main body 11 in the form of a vertically long block with cavities 12 for receiving female terminals 13 that are connected with wires 14. The wires 14 are drawn from rear end of the main body 11.
A lock arm 15 is formed unitarily on the upper surface of the main body 11 of the female housing 10. The lock arm 15 has a beam 16 and a leg 17. The leg 17 extends up from the upper surface of the main body 11 at a position near the front end of the female housing 10. The beam 16 is cantilevered backward from the upper part of the leg 17 and extends substantially parallel with the connecting direction CD of the two housings 10, 30. The beam 16 of the lock arm 15 is resiliently deformable up and down towards and away from the upper surface of the main body 11 and in directions substantially normal to the connecting direction CD of the two connector housings 10, 30. The leg 17 is the support for the resilient deformation of the beam 16. In a free state where the lock arm 15 is not deformed, the beam 16 is substantially parallel to the connecting direction CD of the two housings 10, 30 and to the upper surface of the main body 11.
A front groove 18 is formed substantially at a widthwise middle of the upper surface of the beam 16 and extends from the front end of the beam 16 to a longitudinal middle position. The front groove 18 has a substantially rectangular cross section. A rear groove 19 is formed substantially at the widthwise middle of the upper surface of the beam 16 and extends from a position slightly behind the front groove 18 to the rear end of the beam 16. The rear groove 19 also has a substantially rectangular cross section. A lock 20 is formed on the upper surface of the beam 16 between the front and rear grooves 18 and 19. A middle groove 21 is formed in a widthwise middle part of the lock 20. The middle groove 21 is open in the upper and rear surfaces of the lock portion 20 and communicates with the rear groove 19. The upper surface of the lock 20 is slightly higher than the upper surface of the beam 16.
An operable portion 22 extends back from the rear end of the beam 16 and at the free end of the lock arm 15. The operable portion 22 is substantially transversely symmetrical similar to the beam 16. Two supports 23 project up and away from the housing main body 11 at opposite left and right sides of the beam 16 and project farther back from the rear end of the beam 16. A finger placing plate 24 couples the upper end ends of the supports 23 and is substantially parallel to the beam 16.
Two substantially transversely symmetrical hitting portions 25 are defined on parts of the side walls of the lock arm 15 on opposite sides of the rear groove 19 and are substantially continuous with the front ends of the supports 23 of the operable portion 22. The hitting portions 25 are behind the lock 20 with respect to the longitudinal direction of the lock arm 15 and are at an end of the lock arm 15 opposite the leg 17. Additionally, the hitting portions 25 are displaced out relative to the lock 20 in a width direction WD that is substantially normal to the connecting direction CD. Hitting surfaces 25S are defined on the tops of the hitting portions 25. The hitting surfaces 25S are substantially flat and substantially parallel to the connecting direction CD of the two housings 10, 30. Additionally, the hitting surfaces 25S are slightly higher than the upper surface of the lock 20. The beam 16 has a substantially constant width from the leg 17 to a longitudinal middle position of the lock 20. However, the operable portion 22 is wider than the beam 16. The width of the beam 16 gradually increases from the longitudinal middle position of the lock 20 to the front end of the operable portion 22, and the hitting portions 25 are arranged in this gradually widened area. Accordingly, the hitting surfaces 25S of the hitting portions 25 are widened gradually from the front ends toward the rear ends. More particularly, the hitting surfaces 25S have substantially trapezoidal shapes with oblique sides having different lengths since the inner surfaces of the supports 23 are substantially continuous extensions of the inner surfaces of the hitting portions 25 and are aligned substantially parallel to the connecting direction of the two housings 10, 30.
The male housing 30 has a receptacle 31 with an open front end for receiving the female housing 10. Long narrow male terminals 32 are accommodated in the receptacle 31. An engaging portion 34 projects down and in from an upper wall 33 of the receptacle 31 at a position near the opening edge of the receptacle 31. Receiving portions 35 are defined on parts of the upper wall 33 at opposite left and right sides of the engaging portion 34. Substantially flat receiving surfaces 35S are defined in the receptacle 31 on lower parts of the receiving portions 35 and are aligned substantially parallel to the connecting direction CD of the housings 10, 30.
The lock 20 and the engaging portion 34 interfere with each other as the female housing 10 is fit into the receptacle 31. As a result, the lock arm 15 deforms down towards the housing 11, as shown in
The lock arm 15 is cantilevered along the connecting direction CD of the two housings 10, 30, and the lock 20 is at a position closer to the leg 17 that supports the resilient deformation than to the free end of the lock arm 15. The hitting portions 25, however, are closer to the free end than the lock 20. Thus, a distance from the support of the resilient deformation of the lock arm 15 to the hitting portions 25 is longer as compared to the case where the lock arm 15 is seesaw-shaped. Accordingly, large moment forces of the hitting portions 25 with a center on the support of the resilient deformation of the lock arm 15 (leg 17) can be ensured when the lock arm 15 is deformed. Therefore, a large hitting sound can be produced when the two housings 10, 30 are connected properly.
The hitting portions 25 are offset from the lock 20 in the width direction WD. Thus, a degree of freedom is higher upon setting the positions of the hitting portions 25 in the longitudinal direction of the lock arm 15.
The lock arm 15 could incline in the width direction WD. In this case, a transversely offset hitting portion 25 might not contact the receiving portion 35. However, the hitting portions 25 preferably are arranged at opposite sides of the lock 20 in the width direction WD. Thus, at least one of the hitting portions 25 is certain to contact the receiving portion 35 even if the lock arm 15 is inclined, and a hitting sound is produced reliably.
The operable portion 22 for deforming the lock arm 15 in a direction to separate the lock 20 from the engaging portion 34 is at the free end of the lock arm 15. The operable portion 22 is wider than the area where the lock 20 is formed. Accordingly, an unlocking operation can be performed easily.
The hitting portions 25 that hit the receiving portions 35 gradually widen towards the operable portion 22 to increase the areas of the hitting surfaces 25S and efficiently utilize dead spaces resulting from a width difference between the formation area of the lock 20 and the operable portion 22. In this way, the sound volume of the hitting sound is increased.
The invention is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiment. For example, the following embodiments are also embraced by the technical scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.
One, three or more hitting portions may be provided.
The hitting portions may be asymmetric with respect to the width direction WD.
The shape of the hitting surfaces of the hitting portions is not limited to the trapezoidal shape with oblique sides having different lengths, but may substantially be the shape of an isosceles trapezoid, a rectangle other than trapezoids, a triangle or the like.
Although the engaging portion, the receiving portions and the hitting portions are arranged at the same position with respect to the longitudinal direction of the lock arm in the foregoing embodiment, the engaging portion may be arranged at a position displaced from the receiving portions and the hitting portions in the longitudinal direction according to the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2006-184704 | Jul 2006 | JP | national |