Pressure contact connector

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6176745
  • Patent Number
    6,176,745
  • Date Filed
    Monday, March 29, 1999
    26 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, January 23, 2001
    24 years ago
Abstract
A pressure contact connector has inner members which cannot be inserted upside-down, and which has good operability. An inner member includes an upper and lower inner member. A tubular shaped inner housing chamber is provided at the posterior of an outer member, this inner housing chamber being capable of housing the inner member. Position-fixing grooves are formed in a concave manner at the posterior end of the inner housing chamber. When the inner member and outer member are to be attached, position fixing protrusions fit with the position-fixing grooves only when the inner member is in the correct orientation.
Description




TECHNICAL FIELD




The present invention relates to a pressure contact electrical connector.




BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION





FIG. 14

of this specification shows an electrical connector as shown in JP-2-148583. This connector comprises an outer member


101


, and two inner members


102


which are housed within the outer member


101


. The anterior portion


104


of the outer member


101


is tubular, and terminal housing chambers


103


are formed on the upper posterior side of portion


104


in order to house pressure contact terminal fittings (not shown). The two inner members


102


can be housed within the portion


104


, and fitting holes


106


are formed on side walls in order to support and maintain the inner members


102


, by engagement with protrusions


107


.




Terminal housing chambers


103


, capable of housing terminal fittings, are formed also on the inner members


102


. Locking protrusions


108


protrude from the posterior ends of the two side walls of the inner members


102


.




In addition to the members


101


and


102


, the connector is provided with a locking member


105


which fits with the locking protrusions


108


and supports the connection of the members


101


and


102


. Locking holes


109


are formed on this locking member


105


, these fitting together with the locking protrusions


108


of the two inner members


102


and the outer member


101


.




When the connector, configured as described above, is assembled, the terminal fittings are first housed within each terminal housing chamber


103


. Next, the inner members


102


are inserted into the attachment member


104


. This causes the fitting holes


106


to fit together with the fitting protrusions


107


, which fixes the position of the anterior ends of the inner members


102


in an up-own and anterior-posterior direction. Next, the locking member


105


is attached from above the outer member


101


, this causing the locking holes


109


and the locking protrusions


108


to fit together. This strengthens the connecting force between the two members


101


and


102


, and fixes the position of the posterior ends of the inner members


102


in an up-down and anterior-posterior direction. Two sets of fitting holes


106


are provided to give temporary and final fitting positions of the inner members


102


.




It is possible for the inner members


102


to be inserted in an inverted state. In such a situation, the opening of the terminal housing chambers


103


faces the wrong direction, and the pressure connection of wires to the terminals cannot be performed. Consequently, the connector which has already been assembled must be separated, and the inner members


102


re-inserted correctly. This is a troublesome operation.




The present invention has been developed after taking the above problem into consideration, and aims to present a pressure contact connector in which the inner members cannot be inserted upside-down, and in which operability is improved.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




According to the invention there is provided a pressure contact electrical connector comprising a tubular outer housing, and an inner housing insertable therein, said inner housing comprising an inner body adapted to contain pressure contact terminal fittings and a cover latchable to the inner body, wherein the inner housing has protrusions on opposite sides thereof, and the outer housing has opposite recesses adapted to receive said protrusions in one respective orientation of said outer housing and inner housing only. Such a connector avoids the prior art problems, and ensures that the terminals face in the correct direction for pressure crimping.




Preferably the protrusions protrude to the exterior and are adapted to be gripped or pinched to permit removal of the inner housing.




Most preferably the protrusions also act as a resilient latch for the cover of the inner housing. Separate means of fixing the cover is thus not required, and the moulding can be simplified.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS




Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawings in which:





FIG. 1

is a diagonal view of a connector showing an inner member in a joined state prior to being housed within an outer member.





FIG. 2

is a diagonal view showing an upper and a lower inner member in a separated state.





FIG. 3

is a diagonal view showing the upper inner member from the rear side.





FIG. 4

is a diagonal view showing a terminal fitting about to be attached to the upper inner member.





FIG. 5

is a diagonal view showing the lower inner member from the rear side.





FIG. 6

is a diagonal view showing a terminal fitting about to be attached to the lower inner member.





FIG. 7

is a diagonal view showing the inner member with terminal fittings attached and prior to being joined together.





FIG. 8

is a rear side view of the inner member in a joined state.





FIG. 9

is a rear side view of the outer member.





FIG. 10

is a side cross-sectional view of the outer member.





FIG. 11

is a side cross-sectional view of the inner member and the outer member in a joined state (without terminal fittings).





FIG. 12

is a side cross-sectional view of the inner member and the outer member in a joined state.





FIG. 13

is a diagonal view of the connector in which the attachment has been completed.





FIG. 14

is a diagonal view of a prior art connector in a separated state.











As

FIG. 1

shows, a pressure contact connector


1


according to the invention comprises an inner member


3


for housing terminal fittings


2


, and an outer member


4


which houses the inner member


3


. As will be explained later, the inner member


3


comprises connected upper and lower inner members


7


and


8


. In the present embodiment, in order to simplify the explanation, the ‘inner member


3


’ will refer to both the upper and lower inner members


7


and


8


when these are in a connected state. In the following explanation, as shown in

FIG. 1

, the direction in which stopping protrusions


5


of the inner member


3


protrude will be considered to be the upper side, while the direction in which tabs


6


of the terminal fittings


2


protrude from the inner member


3


will be considered to be the anterior side.




As shown in

FIG. 3

, the terminal fittings


2


are provided on the male side and comprise an electrically conductive metal sheet which has been bent, these joining with corresponding female terminal fittings (not shown). These terminal fittings


2


will be termed pressure contact terminal fittings since they are connected to insulated electric wires W by these being pushed on from above. Tabs


6


protrude from the anterior of the terminal fittings


2


, these tabs


6


connecting with the corresponding female terminal fittings. A bendable lance


10


is formed by cutting-away at the posterior of each tab


6


. The right edge portion of each lance


10


is folded upwards to form a stopping edge


10


A. Furthermore, the left and right side edges of the terminal fitting


2


are folded over to form a pair of side walls


38


. A wire insertion groove


37


is formed in the space between the pair of side walls


38


, the insulated wire W being inserted into this groove


37


on the side from which the lance


10


was cut away. A pair of left and right barrels


12


protrude at the posterior of the side walls


38


, these crimping the wire W. This pair of barrels


12


protrudes from asymmetrical positions relative to one another along the anterior-posterior direction of the terminal fitting


2


. A pair of pressure contact blades


11


are cut anteriorly and posteriorly into the sides of the groove


37


, these blades


11


being located in the centre of the two side walls


38


. These blades


11


are symmetrical on each side. The groove between the tips of the pressure contact blades


11


is slightly smaller in width than the insulation of the wire W. The wire W is pushed in from the open side of the blades


11


, which cut into the insulation. The core of the wire W makes contact with the pressure contact blade


11


, and the wire W and the terminal fitting


2


come into electrical contact.




As shown in

FIG. 2

, the inner member


3


comprises connected upper and lower inner members


7


and


8


. The upper and lower inner members


7


and


8


are both of moulded plastic, and the interiors thereof house the terminal fittings


2


.




As shown in

FIG. 2

, a pair of left and right stopping protrusions


5


protrude from the anterior central portion of the upper face of the inner member


7


. A jig insertion groove


18


, into which a jig (not shown) can be inserted, runs down the centre of these two stopping protrusions


5


. This jig insertion groove


18


is provided from the anterior edge of the inner member


7


, and passes through the stopping protrusions


5


to a location slightly to the posterior thereof. A jig is inserted into the groove


18


in order to separate the inner member


3


and the outer member


4


after the pressure contact connector


1


has been assembled. Guiding faces


5


A are formed on the anterior faces of the stopping protrusions


5


, and stopping faces


5


B are formed on the posterior faces, these stopping faces


5


B being perpendicular with respect to the upper face of the inner member


7


.




Terminal housing chambers


9


for housing the terminal fittings


2


are formed on the lower face of the inner member


7


(see FIG.


3


). Side walls


40


are formed on the left and right of the inner member


7


, and dividing walls


9


A are provided at identical distances from one another between these side walls


40


. The terminal housing chambers


9


are formed in the divisions between these dividing walls


9


A. The anterior end of each terminal housing chamber


9


is provided with a cover


39


which covers the lower face thereof and which, from the centre to the posterior, leaves the pushed-in portion of the wire W open. The cover


39


connects with the two side walls


40


. A lance stopping groove


41


is formed in an anterior-posterior direction on the cover


39


at a location corresponding to the right side edge portion of the terminal housing chamber


9


, the stopping edge


10


A of the terminal fitting


2


fitting into this lance stopping groove


41


. Furthermore, as shown in

FIG. 3

, only the left halves of protruding edges of the dividing walls


9


A protrude, these forming step-shaped fitting edges


9


B. Dovetailed tenons


14


and


42


protrude from the cover


39


, these serving as stopping members which hold the inner members


7


and


8


together. The tenons


42


are a left and right pair located towards the central portion of the cover


39


. Seen from the left and right sides of the inner member


7


these tenons are fan-shaped, while seen cross-sectionally from the front they have a trapezoid shape. The tenons


14


are located at the left and right sides of the cover


39


. Seen from the anterior and posterior sides of the inner member


7


these tenons are fan-shaped, while seen cross-sectionally from the side they have a trapezoid shape. The engagement of the tenons


14


and


42


is thereby strengthened in either the anterior-posterior direction or the left-right direction, and the inner members


7


and


8


are connected in a balanced manner. The tenons


14


and


42


are engaged respectively by dovetailed grooves


16


and


43


located on the lower inner members


8


. Furthermore, stopping claws


15


are formed on the posterior end portion of the left and right side walls


40


by a cut-away portion thereof, the anterior end of each claw


15


being connected with the side wall


40


. The claws


15


fit with position-fixing protrusions


17


located on the lower side of the inner member


8


.




As shown in

FIG. 2

, the upper face of the lower inner member


8


is configured such that it will fit with each terminal housing chamber


9


of the upper inner member


7


, and will maintain the terminal fittings


2


in a stable manner. The posterior end of the inner member


8


is higher than the central or anterior portions thereof, and dividing-wall housing grooves


22


are formed therein in order to house the fitting edge


9


B of the dividing walls


9


A. Electric wire supporting members


23


protrude at an anterior location from the grooves


22


, these members


23


being provided with pushing faces


23


A which correspond to the external diameter of the wires W. The supporting members


23


push down on the wire W behind the posterior edge of the two side walls


38


of the terminal fittings


2


. The anterior ends of the supporting members


23


form lower, dividing walls


24


which correspond to the location of the dividing walls


9


A. Only half of the edges of the dividing walls


24


protrude, these being on the left in

FIG. 2

, and forming step-shaped fitting edges


24


A. In this manner, the step-shaped fitting edges


9


B and


24


A are formed in a complementary manner, and fit together with virtually no space between the two when the two dividing walls


9


A and


24


are fitted together. An electric wire pressing member


25


protrudes in an anterior-posterior direction from the centre of each dividing wall


24


. These pressing members


25


protrude higher than the dividing walls


24


, and the posterior portion thereof is wider, forming a wide member


25


A. Each pressing member


25


is positioned at the interior of the insertion groove


37


, and presses down on the wire W. The wide members


25


A are located behind the pressure contact blade


11


located at the posterior of the terminal fitting


2


.




The dovetailed grooves


16


and


43


are located at the anterior side of the inner member


8


, these fitting with the dovetailed tenons


14


and


42


. Jig grooves


26


are formed at a location to the posterior of the dovetailed grooves


16


located on the side edges and allow a jig to be inserted to release the fitting of the inner members


7


and


8


. A pair of position-fixing protrusions


17


protrude from both posterior side edges of the upper face of the inner member


8


. These protrusions


17


, which are at the posterior ends of the inner member


8


, can be bent slightly outwards. Connecting grooves


17


A are formed on their inner sides, and fit with the claws


15


. The width of the protrusions


17


is either the same or slightly less than the outer member


4


(to be described later).




As shown in

FIGS. 5 and 6

, the lower face of the inner member


8


is provided with terminal housing chambers


27


for housing the terminal fittings


2


. These terminal housing chambers


27


have approximately the same configuration as the terminal housing chambers


9


of the upper inner member


7


, and have a dividing wall


27


A, and a fitting edge


27


B. A cover


44


is provided on the anterior side of the chambers


27


, this cover


44


joining left and right side walls


47


and resulting in the interior of the terminal housing chambers


27


having an angular tubular shape. A lance stopping groove is formed on the cover


44


at a location corresponding to the right side edge portion of each terminal housing chamber


27


, these lance stopping grooves being formed in an anterior-posterior direction relative to the inner member


8


. (These lance stopping grooves are not shown in

FIGS. 5

or


6


; however, they are identical with the lance stopping grooves


41


of the inner member


7


). Stopping claws


48


are formed on the posterior end portion of the left and right side walls


47


, on thin flat faces


48


A. These claws


48


fit with claw receiving members


49


that are provided on the cover


44


.




A pivotable cover


46


is joined to the posterior end of the cover


44


via a pair of left and right hinges


45


. The cover


46


can be pivoted after the terminal fittings


2


have been housed in the terminal housing chambers


27


. The rear face of the cover


46


(the face covering the terminal housing chambers


27


) has the same configuration as the upper face of the inner member


8


. That is, the posterior end of the cover


46


is higher than the central or anterior portions of the cover


46


, and dividing-wall housing grooves


50


are formed in this posterior end in order to house the fitting edges


27


B located at the tips to the dividing walls


27


A. Wire supporting members


51


protrude at a location anterior to the dividing-wall housing grooves


50


, and have pushing faces


51


A which correspond to the external diameter of the wires W. The supporting members


51


push down on the wire W at a location to the posterior of the posterior edge of the two side walls


38


of the terminal fittings


2


. The anterior ends of the supporting members


51


form lower, dividing walls


52


corresponding to the location of the dividing walls


27


A. Fitting edges


52


A are formed in a step-shape on the tips of the dividing walls


52


, these being formed in a complementary manner so as to fit with the fitting edges


27


B. A wire pressing member


53


protrudes from the centre of each dividing wall


52


, and the posterior portion thereof forms a wide member


53


A located to the posterior of the pressure contact blade


11


. The pair of claw receiving members


49


protrude from both sides of the posterior portion of the cover


46


and are capable of bending slightly outwards relative to the cover


46


, while receiving holes


49


A, formed at the centre of the claw receiving members


49


, fit with the claws


48


.




Before joining the inner members


7


and


8


, the terminal fittings


2


are attached to the inner members


7


and


8


.




As shown in

FIG. 3

, the terminal housing chambers


9


of the inner member


7


face upwards, and the terminal fittings


2


are attached thereto. The terminal fittings


2


are pushed in while the lances


10


are bent downwards to make contact with the lower face of the cover


39


. The lances


10


change shape and return to their original position when the terminal fittings


2


are pushed in to the correct position, and the stopping edges


10


A of the terminal fitting


2


fit with the posterior edges of the lance stopping grooves


41


. At this juncture the electric wire insertion grooves


37


are in a state in which they are open at the top (see FIG.


4


). The wire W is inserted from the top of the terminal fittings


2


towards the pressure contact blades


11


which cut the insulation and make electrical contact with the core wire. The barrel


12


is crimped to the wire W, and the terminal fittings


2


is thus completed.




To attach the terminal fittings


2


to the lower inner member


8


, the terminal housing chambers


27


face upwards, and the terminal fittings


2


are pushed in to a prescribed position, this causing the stopping edges


10


A of the lances


10


to be engaged by the posterior edges of the lance stopping grooves


41


, thus retaining the terminal fittings


2


in the terminal housing chambers


27


(see FIG.


6


). After this, the pressing operation of the wires W onto the pressure contact blades


11


of the terminal fittings


2


is the same as that described for the inner member


7


, and accordingly an explanation thereof is omitted.





FIG. 7

shows the upper and lower inner members


7


and


8


in a state prior to being joined together. The cover


46


is pivoted so as to cover the terminal housing chambers


27


. The attachment continues with the stopping claws


48


bending the claw receiving members


49


outwards, until the receiving holes


49


A fit with the claws


48


. The claw receiving members


49


return to their original position, and the attachment of the inner member


8


is complete. The terminal housing chambers


9


of the upper inner member


7


are next placed against the upper face of the lower inner member


8


, and both inner members


7


and


8


are pushed together. The dovetailed tenons


14


and


42


fit with the corresponding dovetailed grooves


16


and


43


, and the protrusions


17


are bent slightly outwards by the stopping claws


15


until they fit together. In this fitted state, the inner members


7


and


8


form the inner member


3


. The upper face of the inner member


3


has a single unified face, whereas the lower face of the inner member


3


has a slight step formed between the cover


46


and the cover


44


. That is, as shown in

FIGS. 11 and 12

, the position of the cover


44


is above that of the cover


46


.




Cut-away portions


57


are located on the side edges of all sides of the anterior end face of the inner member


3


. These make contact with contact walls


56


provided on the outer member


4


.




Next the outer member


4


will be explained with the aid of

FIGS. 9

to


12


. The outer member


4


is made from plastic in a unified manner and has an angular tubular shape. It houses a corresponding female connector (not shown). The posterior of the outer member


4


is provided with an inner housing chamber


33


that houses the inner member


3


. The anterior of the outer member


4


is provided with a hood


34


which is slightly larger than the inner housing chamber


33


.




The interior space of the hood


34


is divided into two main sections, the lower section thereof forming a female connector housing space


34


A that has approximately the same diameter as the inner housing chamber


33


. Above the female connector housing space


34


A is a locking space


34


B for locking the corresponding female connector (not shown). A locking member


35


is provided on the upper side of this locking space


34


B, at the centre of the upper wall of the hood


34


. The female connector (not shown) is provided with a locking arm that locks with this locking member


35


, the fitting together of this locking arm and the locking member


35


maintaining the two connectors in a connected state. Further, a hole


19


is formed on the upper portion of the posterior face of the hood


34


at the same time that the locking member


35


is formed. A jig guiding groove


20


is formed in a concave manner from the centre of the hole


19


to the upper face of the hood


34


. This jig guiding groove


20


is used to guide a jig (not shown) to separate the inner member


3


and the outer member


4


. A stopping arm


36


protrudes from the lower face of the hood


34


, this stopping arm


36


being bendable in an up-down direction, the tip thereof having a hook-shaped protrusion


36


A. This stopping arm


36


serves to fix the pressure contact connector


1


to other members.




The inner housing chamber


33


is slightly larger than the inner member


3


, and is formed in an angular tubular shape. It is thinner than the hood


34


. The inner member


3


has a pair of left and right side walls


33


A, the posterior of these side walls


33


A being cut-into to form a pair of left and right position-fixing grooves


28


. These position-fixing grooves


28


are provided on the upper half of the posterior end of each side wall


33


A, and are very slightly larger than the position-fixing protrusions


17


of the inner member


3


. Furthermore, the portion of the side walls


33


A which is below the position-fixing grooves


28


constitutes thin walls


33


B, which are thinner than the rest of the side walls


33


A. A resilient member


31


is provided in the centre of the anterior portion of an upper wall


30


, and is formed by making a C-shaped opening


32


, and this resilient member


31


is capable of being bent upwards. The resilient member


31


is slightly wider than the combined width of the stopping protrusions


5


. The anterior side of the opening


32


forms a fitting groove


32


A, the length from the anterior to the posterior of this fitting groove


32


A being slightly longer than the anterior-posterior length of the stopping protrusions


5


. The upper wall


30


is thinner, from its posterior end to a posterior end


31


A of the resilient member


31


, than other wall portions of the inner member


3


, and is slightly bendable (see FIG.


11


). The upper wall


30


grows gradually thicker from the posterior end


31


A of the resilient member


31


to the posterior end of the hood


34


, thereby increasing the strength of the upper wall


30


. Thick members


55


are provided in an anterior-posterior direction on both sides of the upper wall


30


, and are thicker than the rest of the upper wall


30


. These thick members


55


form a pair on both outer sides of the resilient member


31


, and the outer sides of the thick members


55


are as thin as the rest of the upper wall


30


. Consequently, the thick members


55


can easily be bent to the left and right.




The inner housing chamber


33


has a lower wall


29


, the posterior portion of which being lower in height than the anterior portion at a location corresponding to the posterior end


31


A of the resilient member


31


. The portion where the height changes forms a guiding face


29


A. In addition, a pair of left and right ribs


54


protrude at the anterior of the lower wall


29


, these ribs


54


protruding from a location corresponding to the tip of the resilient member


31


to the end of the inner housing chamber


33


. The posterior ends of these ribs


54


have guiding faces


54


A. When the inner member


3


is to be housed within the inner housing chamber


33


, these ribs


54


push and guide the inner member


3


upwards.




The contact walls


56


are located at the innermost portion of the inner housing member


33


, the contact walls


56


protruding inwards from the point where the upper, lower and left and right walls


29


,


30


and


33


A join with the furthermost inwards portion of the hood


34


. These walls


56


make contact with the cut-away portions


57


of the inner member


3


and stop the inner member


3


in an anterior direction.




A prescribed clearance is maintained between the inner member


3


and the upper, lower and left and right walls


33


A,


30


, and


29


at the opening side of the inner housing chamber


33


of the outer member


4


. As the inner member


3


goes deeper into the inner housing chamber


33


, the clearance between it and each of the walls


33


A,


30


, and


29


decreases.




The attachment operation of the inner member


3


has already been explained. This inner member


3


is positioned at the posterior of the outer member


4


, and is pushed towards the inner housing chamber


33


(see FIG.


1


). The attachment is carried out by the stopping protrusions


5


of the inner member


3


making contact with the posterior end of the inner housing chamber


33


, and the guiding faces


5


A pushing the upper wall


30


of the inner housing chamber


33


upwards.




The lower face of the inner member


3


has a step formed between the cover


46


and the cover


44


and, consequently as the cover


46


is pushed into the inner housing chamber


33


, the upper wall


30


is bent further.




As the inner member


3


is pushed further inwards, the guiding face


29


A of the lower wall


29


of the inner housing chamber


33


pushes the cover


44


of the inner member


3


upwards, whereupon the edge of the cover


44


rises over the ribs


54


and the stopping protrusions


5


bend the resilient member


31


further upwards.




Finally, the inner member


3


is pushed into the correct housing position, the stopping protrusions


5


move past the resilient member


31


, and the resilient member


31


returns to its original position. In this manner, the stopping protrusions


5


fit with the fitting groove


32


A, the resilient member


31


fits with the stopping faces


5


B of the stopping protrusions


5


, and the inner member


3


and the outer member


4


are latched together. At this juncture, at the anterior end face of the inner member


3


, the cut-away members


57


make contact with the contact walls


56


, thus fixing the position of the inner member


3


in an anterior direction. Furthermore, at the anterior end portion of the inner housing chamber


33


, the position-fixing protrusions


17


fit with the position-fixing grooves


28


. In this manner the attachment of the pressure contact connector


1


is completed.




In addition, when the inner member


3


and the inner housing chamber


33


are attached as part of the attachment process described above, the position-fixing protrusions


17


fit with the position-fixing grooves


28


if the inner member


3


and the outer member


4


are attached in the correct position. However, if the inner member


3


is inserted into the inner housing chamber


33


in an upside-down state, this fitting-together will not occur, and as a result it will be apparent that this insertion in incorrect.




In order to separate the stopping protrusions


5


and the resilient member


31


, a jig (not shown, but being of a narrow screwdriver shape) is applied to the jig guiding groove


20


of the outer member


4


, and the tip of the jig is pushed into the jig insertion groove


18


. Then the tip of the jig is levered upwards, and the resilient member


31


is resiliently bent so as to lift up, thereby releasing the stopping protrusions


5


. In this state the inner member


3


is removed from the inner housing chamber


33


of the outer member


4


. The width of the position-fixing protrusion


17


is the same as or slightly shorter than that of the outer member


4


and, consequently, when the pressure contact connector


1


is in the completely attached state, the position-fixing protrusions


17


can be pinched from the outer side of the inner housing chamber


33


. In this manner, when the inner member


3


and the outer member


4


of the pressure contact connector


1


are to be separated, both position-fixing protrusions


17


are pinched from the outside, and the inner member


3


and the outer member


4


can be pulled apart.




According to the present embodiment, when the inner member


3


and the outer member


4


are being attached, the fitting together of the position-fixing protrusions


17


fit with the position-fixing grooves


28


prevents this insertion from being performed incorrectly.




Further, the position-fixing protrusions


17


perform a second function of acting as a joining means for the inner members


7


and


8


. As a result, there is no need to provide the position-fixing protrusions


17


and the joining means separately, and the configuration is therefore simpler.




Moreover, the position-fixing protrusions


17


are formed so as not to protrude beyond the side walls of the outer member


4


. As a result, when the pressure contact connector


1


is in a joined state the position-fixing protrusions


17


do not protrude outwards and cannot become entangled with other members, etc.




The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, the possibilities described below also lie within the technical range of the present invention.




(1) In the present embodiment only male terminal fittings are shown. However, according to the present invention, a female connector can be used to house female terminal fittings.




(2) The terminal housing chamber may be of more than two layers.



Claims
  • 1. A pressure contact electrical connector comprising a tubular outer housing, and an inner housing insertable into said outer housing, said inner housing comprising a first inner body and a second inner body each adapted to contain pressure contact terminal fittings, wherein the inner housing has protrusions on opposite sides thereof, the protrusions each having a latch member to latch the first and second inner bodies together, and wherein the outer housing has opposite recesses to receive said protrusions in only one orientation of said outer housing and said inner housing.
  • 2. A connector according to claim 1 wherein said protrusions protrude to the exterior of said outer housing, and are adapted to be pinched to permit removal of said inner housing from said outer housing.
  • 3. A connector according to claim 2 wherein said protrusions extend upwardly and laterally from an upper face of said inner housing.
  • 4. A connector according to claim 1 wherein resilient latch members of one of the inner bodies are engageable in corresponding recesses of said protrusions on another of the inner bodies to latch the two bodies together.
  • 5. A connector according to claim 1 wherein said inner housing includes a projection on an outer face thereof for latching engagement in a recess of said outer housing.
  • 6. A connector according to claim 5 wherein the wall thickness of said outer housing is reduced in the direction of insertion from the mouth thereof to said recess.
  • 7. A connector according to claim 5 wherein said projection defines a channel passed therethrough in the insertion direction of said inner housing, and said recess comprises an aperture in the wall of said outer housing, said aperture having slits extending in the direction of withdrawal of said inner housing to define a tongue engageable against said projection, in use a tool in said channel being adapted to lift said tongue to permit said inner housing to be withdrawn.
  • 8. A connector according to claim 6 wherein said projection defines a channel passed therethrough in the insertion direction of said inner housing, and said recess comprises an aperture in the wall of said outer housing, said aperture having slits extending in the direction of withdrawal of said inner housing to define a tongue engageable against said projection, in use a tool in said channel being adapted to lift said tongue to permit said inner housing to be withdrawn.
  • 9. A connector according to claim 7 wherein said outer housing defines a groove aligned with said channel and adapted to support a release tool.
  • 10. A connector according to claim 8 wherein said outer housing defines a groove aligned with said channel and adapted to support a release tool.
  • 11. A connector according to claim 1 wherein said outer housing includes an internal projection to limit insertion of said inner housing.
  • 12. A connector according to claim 1 wherein said inner housing is received in said outer housing with a peripheral clearance, said clearance reducing from the mouth of said outer housing.
  • 13. A pressure contact electrical connector comprising a tubular outer housing, and an inner housing insertable into said outer housing, the inner housing including an inner body containing pressure contact terminal fittings, a pivotal cover latchable to the inner body in a closed position over wire engaging portions of the terminal fittings, and protrusions on opposite sides thereof, and wherein the outer housing includes opposite recesses to receive the protrusions in only one orientation of said outer housing and said inner housing.
  • 14. A connector according to claim 13 wherein the inner housing includes a second inner body containing contact terminal fittings which is latchable to the first inner body.
  • 15. A connector according to claim 14 wherein the protrusions each include latch members to latch the two inner bodies together.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
10-096473 Apr 1998 JP
US Referenced Citations (2)
Number Name Date Kind
5122077 Maejima et al. Jun 1992
5957732 Ito et al. Sep 1999
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number Date Country
35 26 664 Feb 1986 DE
951 100 Apr 1998 EP