U.S. patent number 3,783,440 [Application Number 05/257,553] was granted by the patent office on 1974-01-01 for electrical connector.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hitachi Cable Ltd., Kanto Seiki Co., Ltd., Nippon Tanshi, Ltd.. Invention is credited to Yoshio Hamada, Soichi Karube, Yoshiyasu Suganuma.
United States Patent |
3,783,440 |
Karube , et al. |
January 1, 1974 |
ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR
Abstract
An electrical connector for connection to a lead wire comprising
at least one terminal including a male or female contact portion at
one end thereof, a resilient bellmouth-shaped portion interposed
between the contact portion and the end of the terminal adapted for
connection to the lead wire, and an engaging portion; and a
connector body including a terminal-receiving aperture with its
internal surface partly or wholly tapered and a portion for holding
the terminal by engagement with the engaging portion of the
terminal; the engaging portion of the terminal being inserted into
the terminal-receiving aperture to such an extent as to engage with
the holding portion, the bellmouth-shaped portion of the terminal
being resiliently pressed against the internal surface of the
tapered portion thereby to support the electrical connector.
Inventors: |
Karube; Soichi (Tokyo,
JA), Hamada; Yoshio (Hitachi, JA),
Suganuma; Yoshiyasu (Hiratsuka, JA) |
Assignee: |
Kanto Seiki Co., Ltd.
(Saitama-ken, JA)
Hitachi Cable Ltd. (Tokyo, JA)
Nippon Tanshi, Ltd. (Kanagawa-ken, JA)
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Family
ID: |
26378040 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/257,553 |
Filed: |
May 30, 1972 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Jun 2, 1971 [JA] |
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46/38751 |
Jun 2, 1971 [JA] |
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46/38752 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
439/748;
439/732 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
13/428 (20130101); H01R 13/50 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/428 (20060101); H01R 13/50 (20060101); H01r
009/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;339/217R,217S,221R,221M,256R,256C,256A,256S,256SP,256T,258A,258C |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Champion; Marvin A.
Assistant Examiner: Hafer; Robert A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Paul M. Craig, Jr. et al.
Claims
We claim:
1. An electrical connector comprising at least one terminal having
a substantially tubular shape with a narrow gap extending
longitudinally from one end to the other end thereof, said at least
one terminal including a contact portion at one end, a resilient
bellmouth-shaped portion formed at a middle portion and at least
one resilient hook positioned at a smaller-diameter side of said
bellmouth-shaped portion, said at least one hook projecting
radially from said bellmouth-shaped portion; and a connector body
including at least one internal bore for receiving said terminal,
said at least one bore having a tapered portion with a circular
cross-section on at least a part of the internal surface of the
bore, said tapered portion decreasing in diameter uniformly in the
radial direction along its axis from a larger-diameter end and a
holding portion disposed at a smaller-diameter end of said tapered
portion, said terminal being inserted into said bore from the
larger-diameter end of said tapered portion to such an extent that
said hook passes said smaller-diameter end of said tapered portion,
such that said hook is held by said holding portion and said
bellmouth shaped portion is resiliently pressed in a surface
contact against the internal surface of said tapered portion.
2. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein said
contact portion includes one of a male contact portion and a female
contact portion.
3. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein said at
least one resilient hook is formed of a resilient finger having one
end extending outwardly from said bellmouth-shaped portion.
4. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein at least
one resilient finger extending outwardly from a larger-diameter
side of said bellmouth-shaped portion is provided to obtain
resilient contact with the internal surface of said tapered
portion.
5. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein at least
one protrusion is formed on said bellmouth-shaped portion to
provide resilient contact with the internal surface of said tapered
portion.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an advantageous electrical connector used
as an internal wiring connnecting means for automotive vehicles or
the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The distribution lines called a wire harness for automotive
electric systems generally consist of a multiplicity of lead wires
each with a terminal, which are divided into a plurality of batches
each including about 5 to 10 lead wires. The terminals of each
batch of lead wires are contained in a single connector. Such
connectors are adapted for male and female type of engagement to
accomplish the connection not only between lead wires themselves
but also between lead wires and external equipment. It is essential
to this type of connector that terminals are easily contained in
the connector body, that the contained terminals do not come off
the connector body at the time of connector engagement and
disengagement, and that the center line of each terminal is aligned
with that of the mating terminal. The third requirement arises
because it is usual that a plurality of terminals are connected in
a batch to a plurality of the mating terminals.
Especially, the above-mentioned second and third requirements are
closely related to the workability of connector engagement and
disengagement, and any connector which cannot meet these
requirements has little commercial value.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector in
which terminals are easily contained in the connector body.
Another object of the invention is to provide an electrical
connector in which the contained terminals are combined strongly
with the connector body and maintain their center lines
aligned.
The electrical connector according to the present invention which
is intended to achieve the above-mentioned objects comprises at
least one terminal and a connector body, the terminal including a
male or female contact portion at one end thereof, a resilient
bellmouth portion in midway thereof and an resilient hook extending
sideway from the small-diameter side of the bellmouth portion, said
connector body including at least one terminal-receiving aperture
with an internal surface partially or wholly tapered and a holding
portion at the smallest-diameter side of said tapered portion; in
which the terminal is inserted into the terminal-receiving aperture
to such an extent that the hook which enters the aperture from the
large-diameter side thereof passes the smallest-diameter portion
thereof, so that not only the hook is held by the holding-portion
but also the bellmouth portion is resiliently pressed against the
internal surface of the tapered portion.
In the electrical connector with the construction as described
above, when the hook of the terminal inserted into the
terminal-receiving aperture from the large-diameter side of the
tapered portion thereof reaches the position past the
smallest-diameter portion of the aperture, the hook automatically
engages with the holding portion by restitution, and at the same
time the bellmouth-shaped portion presses itself against the
internal surface of the small-diameter tapered portion, thereby
making possible very easy and speedy assemblage.
Further, the electrical connector according to the present
invention comprises at least one terminal including a male or
female contact at one end thereof, a resilient bellmouth portion in
the midway thereof, and at least one protrusion or groove formed
along the periphery of the bellmouth portion; and a connector body
including at least one terminal-receiving aperture with an internal
surface partially or wholly tapered, the tapered portion having at
least one groove or protrusion adapted to engage with the
protrusion or groove on the periphery of the bellmouth portion. The
terminal is inserted into the tapered portion from its
large-diameter side to such an extend that the protrusion or groove
on the terminal comes to engage with the groove or protrusion on on
the tapered portion, whereby the protrusion or groove formed on the
periphery of the terminal is held by the groove or protrusion on
the tapered portion, at the same time the bellmouth portion being
resiliently pressed against the internal surface of the tapered
portion.
For the electrical connector according to the invention to work, it
is enough to insert the terminal into the terminal-receiving
aperture from the large-diameter side of the tapered portion to
such an extent that the groove or protrusion on the
bellmouth-shaped portion of the terminal comes to engage with the
protrusion or groove formed on the internal surface of the tapered
portion, and therefore the electrical connector according to the
invention can be assembled very easily and quickly.
In order to achieve the second object of the invention, namely, to
provide an electrical connector in which the inserted terminal is
combined firmly with the connector body in such a manner as to
always maintain its center line aligned with that of the mating
terminal, the electrical connector according to the invention has
an almost tubular body with a narrow gap which is extended
longitudinally from end to end and the resilient hook is formed
sideway from the bellmouth-shaped portion of the terminal. Further,
at least two longitudinal custs are provided on the
bellmouth-shaped portion of the terminal and at least one resilient
protrusion is formed by pushing sideway the portion between the
cuts.
The terminal is generally made of such materials as copper, copper
alloys, aluminum or aluminim alloys, and the connector body of such
materials as hard rubber or plastics. But it is needless to say
that the materials employed are not limited to the above-mentioned
ones. In other words, any material with a desired electrical
conductivity and mechanical strength may be used for the terminal,
and as to the material of the connector body, the only conditions
to be met are satisfactory degree of electrical insulation and
mechanical strength.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the male terminal
employed in the electrical connector according to the present
invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the back side of the male
terminal shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view showing an example of the
electrical connector according to the present invention assembled
employing the male terminals shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the male terminal
employed in the electrical connector according to the
invention.
FIG. 5 is a rear view showing the male terminal of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a partially exploded sectional view showing another
embodiment of the electrical connector according to the invention
which has been assembled using the male terminal shown in FIGS. 4
and 5.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken in the line VII -- VII in FIG.
6.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing still another embodiment of the male
terminal used in the electrical connector according to the
invention.
DESCRIPION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Embodiments of the invention will be now explained with reference
to the attached drawings.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a male terminal 1 is formed by
press-molding a sheet of tin-coated copper alloy plate. More in
detail, the male terminal is provided with a contact portion of the
male type at one end thereof, a resilient bellmouth-shaped portion
3 in the midway thereof, and at least one resilient hook 4
extending sideway from the small-diameter side or the front side of
the bellmouth-shaped portion.
In the embodiment shown above, resiliency of the bellmouth-shaped
portion is provided by the gap 6 between the edges 5, the resilient
material of the terminal and at least one resilient finger 7 cut up
toward the reader as shown in FIG. 2. The hook 4 is also cut up in
same way as the finger 7.
The terminal has also clamps 11 and 12 formed on it to hold the
conductor 9 of an insulated lead wire 8 and an insulating covering
10.
The reference numeral 13 shows a connector body of molded hard
plastics, which is internally provided with a terminal-receiving
aperture 14 with a tapered small-diameter portion 15.
As is apparent from the drawings, the terminal is inserted into the
terminal-receiving aperture 14 of the connector body 13 from its
righthand side, as shown in FIG. 3, to such an extent that the hook
4 of the terminal 1 which enters the aperture 14 from the
large-diameter side of the tapered portion 15 reaches beyond the
smallest-diameter side thereof.
The hook 4 is arranged to the axial line of the terminal 1 in
accordance with the contour of the internal surface of the tapered
portion 15 as passing through it, and after having passed the
tapered portion 15, the hook 4 of the terminal 1 is restored to its
original position by its own resiliency thereby to engage with the
holding portion 16 around the smallest-diameter side of the tapered
portion 15.
The resilient bellmouth-shaped portion 3 is deformed by being
pressed against the internal surface of the tapered portion 15 of
the connector body 13 by the excessive insertion of the terminal 1,
thereby applying restitutory force to the internal surface of the
tapered portion 15.
Althougn only the male terminal has been taken up by way of example
for explanation in the preceding embodiment, female terminals are
also constructed almost in the same way. FIG. 3 also shows an
embodiment of the electrical connector according to the present
invention involving female terminals. As can be seen from the
figure, the female terminals are constructed the same way as the
already-mentioned male terminals excepting the contact of female
type 102 formed at one end of the terminal 101. It is also needless
to say that the female terminal 101 is inserted from the lefthand
side of the terminal-receiving aperture 114 of a connector body 113
made of the same plastic material as the connector body 13 by
molding.
When the male and female connectors 100 and 200 respectively of the
above-described construction are connected with each other by
inserting the male electrical connector 100 into the receiving
aperture 114 of the female electrical connector 200, as shown in
FIG. 3, the male contact 2 is at the same time inserted with
pressure into the female contact 102, thereby accomplishing
electrical connection between them.
It will be understood from the above description that the present
invention uses the hook 4 which engages with the holding portion 16
formed inside the connector body 13 and the portion 3 of the
terminal 1 is pressed against the internal surface of the tapered
portion 15, resulting in the terminal 1 and the connector body 13
being connected or engaged with each other very strongly in the
axial direction. As a result, it is absolutely impossible that the
terminals come off from the connector body 13 at the time of
connection or disconnection of the electrical connector 13. In
addition, since the bellmouth-shaped portion 3 of the terminal 1 is
maintained pressed against the tapered portion 15 resiliently, the
axial line of the terminal is always maintained in the same
position, thereby eliminating the inability of the terminal 1 to
engage with the mating terminal 101 which otherwise might occur at
the time of insertion due to the out-of-alignment condition of the
axial lines of the terminals.
In assembling the electrical connector according to the invention,
the terminal 1 is inserted into ther terminal-receiving aperture 14
from the large-diameter side of the tapered portion 15 to such an
extent that the hook 4 of the terminal 1 go past the
smallest-diameter side of the tapered portion 15, whereupon the
hook returns to its original position by its resiliency and
automatically engages with the holding portion 16, while the
bellmouth-shaped portion 3 is pressed against the tapered internal
surface of the connector body, making the assembly work very simple
and speedy.
Referring now to FIGS. 4 to 7 showing another embodiment of the
electrical connector according to the invention, a male terminal
201, like the one shown in the preceding embodiment, is formed by
press-molding a sheet of tin-coated copper alloy plate. More in
detail, the present embodiment comprises a male contact 202 at one
end thereof, a resilient bellmouth-shaped portion 203 in the midway
thereof and at least one groove 204 formed along the periphery of
the bellmouth-shaped portion 203.
In this embodiment, like the preceding one, the resiliency of the
bellmouth-shaped portion 203 is supplied by the presence of the gap
206 between a pair of the edges 205 and the resilient material of
the terminal. Also, the terminal 201 is the same as the one in the
preceding embodiment in that the clamps 211 and 212 support the
conductor 209 of an insulated lead wire 208 and an insulating
covering 210.
The connector body 213 which is made of the same plastic material
as the connector body 13 of the preceding embodiment by molding has
a tapered internal surface and a terminal-receiving aperture 214
having in the midway thereof a tapered portion 215 provided with at
least one integral protrusion 216 occupying a peripheral portion of
the internal surface.
As will be understood from the drawing, the terminal 201 is
inserted into the terminal-receiving aperture 214 of the connector
body 213 from the right-hand side thereof to such a depth that the
protrusion 216 on the internal peripheral surface of the tapered
portion 215 engages with the groove 204 along the periphery of the
bellmouth-shaped portion 203 of the terminal 201.
As a consequence, the bellmouth-shaped portion 203 which had been
deformed toward the axial line of the terminal by the protrusion
216 on the internal peripheral surface of the tapered portion 215
is pressed against the internal surfzce of the tapered portion 215
at the same time that the protrusion 216 engages with the groove
204.
The above explanation was made employing the male terminal, but the
construction of the female terminal is almost the same as that of
the male terminal. FIG. 6 also shows an example of the female
terminal, the female terminal is constructed the same way as the
male terminal except the fact that a female contact 302 is formed
at one end of the terminal 301.
In the electrical connector of the above construction, the
protrusion 216 formed on the internal surface of the tapered
portion 215 of the connector body 213 engages with the groove 204
on the periphery of the bellmouth-shaped portion 203 of the
terminal 201, while at the same time the bellmouth-shaped portion
203 is pressed against the internal wall of the tapered portion 215
by means of resilient force applied in the radial direction.
Therefore, the terminal 201 and the connector body 213 are engaged
or combined with each other very strongly in the axial direction,
with the result that it never happens that the terminal comes off
from the connector body 213 when the electrical connectors are
connected or disconnected. Further, the fact that the
bellmouth-shaped portion 203 of the terminal 201 is resiliently
maintained pressed in contact with the internal surface of the
tapered portions 215 results in the axial line of the terminal 201
being maintained in position, thus eliminating the case in which
the terminal is incapable of engaging with the mating terminal due
to the out-of-alignment condition of the axial lines of the
terminals.
Also, the assembly work of the electrical connector is easily
performed simply by inserting the terminal 201 into the
terminal-receiving aperture 214 from the large-diameter side of the
tapered portions 215 until the protrusion 216 formed on the
internal wall of the tapered portion 215 engages with the groove
204 in the bellmouth-shaped portion 203 of the terminal 201.
In the above explanation in connection with FIGS. 4 to 7, it is
described that the terminal has the groove in its bellmouth-shaped
portion and the protrusion is provided on the internal wall of the
tapered portion of the terminal-receiving aperture. On the
contrary, however, the terminal may have such a protrusion in its
bellmouth-shaped portion and the internal wall of the tapered
portion may be provided with such a groove. It is clear that such
an alternative construction delivers the same effect as that shown
in FIGS. 4 to 7.
Still another embodiment of the male terminal is shown in FIG. 8.
This embodiment has the same construction as that shown in FIGS. 1
to 3, the only difference being that in the embodiment of FIG. 8
the resiliency of the bellmouth-shaped portion 403 is derived
solely by a cut-up protrusion 418.
As is clear from the above explanation, the present invention
provides an electrical connector with a very high industrial and
commercial value in which the terminal is fitted in the connector
body very easily and the terminal, once fitted, engages strongly
with the connector body in such a manner as to maintain the axial
line thereof in position for mutual engagement with the mating
terminal.
* * * * *