US 6,206,717 B1 · Connector

Abstract

A connector is provided to securely prevent a partial connection while enabling a smooth connection with a mating connector without forcibly turning the mating connector aside. At the front end of the left and right side surfaces of a female housing 1, a pair of spring contact portions 14 laterally symmetrically project in the middle with respect to the height direction of the female housing 1. In the middle of left and right side walls of a receptacle 9 of a male housing 2 with respect to its height direction, a pair of spring accommodating portions 16 in the form of grooves into which the spring contact portions 14 are fittable are formed, and compression coil springs 29 are accommodated therein. When being pushed into the receptacle 9, the female housing 1 is subjected to the reaction forces of the compression coil springs 29. Here, since the pair of compression springs are arranged on the opposite side and in the middle of the receptacle with respect to its height direction, the reaction forces thereof do not turn into such moment forces as to incline the male housing 2. Therefore, the female housing 1 can be inserted into the receptacle without being forcibly turned aside.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An electrical connector, comprising:

a male housing,
a female housing having a receptacle into which the male housing is fittable,
a lock portion for holding the female housing and the male housing connected, and
at least one pair of compression springs to be compressed during the connection of the female and male housings and being provided in guide recesses on substantially opposite walls of the receptacle with respect to a widthwise direction, the compression springs being held substantially in contact with spring contact portions provided on the male housing in corresponding positions, the guide recesses on the female housing and the spring contact portions of the male housing being asymmetric with respect to a height direction, such that the spring contact portions of the male housing define a pair of upside-down insertion preventing ribs for preventing the upside-down insertion of the male housing into the receptacle.

1 more element

An electrical connector assembly, comprising:

a female housing having a receptacle with at least one pair of opposed walls, guide recesses being formed in middle sections of the opposed walls with respect to a height direction, guide grooves provided in the guide recesses, the guide grooves each comprising an interaction portion and a retracted portion aligned to one another at an angle different from 0° and 180°;
a male housing engageable in the receptacle of the female housing, the male housing having a pair of opposite walls with spring contact portions disposed on the opposite walls for slidable engagement in the guide recesses of the female housing;
a lock portion for holding the female housing and the male housing connected;
at least one pair of compression springs disposed in the guide recesses, the compression springs being opposed to the spring contact portions on the male housing and being compressible during connection of the male and female housings;
and
contact members being provided between the compression coil springs and the corresponding spring contact portions of the male housing and being displaceable along the guide recesses, the contact members each comprising guided portions guided in the guide grooves, the contact members being engageable with the corresponding spring contact portion of the male housing when the guided portions are located in the interaction portion of the respective guide groove, and wherein the contact members are retractable from the corresponding spring contact portion when the guided portions are located in the retracted portion of the respective guide groove.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Connector

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Connector

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13