Half-fitting prevention connector for detecting and preventing half-fitted condition
US6341973B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 11, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jan 29, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 11, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01R13/6272
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A male connector housing (41) has an elastic lock arm (44) extending in a fitting direction, and a return spring (46) is supported on the lock arm (44) so as to be contracted along a length of the lock arm (44). A female connector housing (42) includes an arm guide portion (48) for elastically deforming the lock arm (44) toward an outer surface of the housing in a half-fitted condition of the two connector housings, a spring abutment portion (50), which abuts against one end of the return spring (46) during the connector fitting operation, with the lock arm (44) elastically deformed, so as to resiliently deform the return spring (46), thereby producing a disengaging force urging the two connectors away from each other, and an arm retaining portion (52) which retains an engagement projection (44b) to lock the two connector housings in a fitted condition when the two connector housings are completely fitted together as a result of cancellation of the elastic deformation of the lock arm (44).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.