CONNECTOR

• US 20190319387A1
• Filed: 06/20/2017
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Kimura, Akio, Ida, Kyohei
• Granted Patent: US 10,644,426 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/18 with the spring member surrounding the socket
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/187 with spring member in the socket
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/2421 using coil springs
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4367 Insertion of locking piece from the rear
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6315 allowing relative movement between coupling parts, e.g. floating connection for coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, H01R12/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles

Abstract

A connector (C) includes a flat terminal (20), an obliquely wound coil spring (10) wound around a winding axis (A) that is parallel to the terminal (20) with the coil spring (10) sandwiched between the terminal (20) and a flat mating terminal (71). A connector housing (30) accommodates the terminal (20) and the coil spring (10) and includes an insertion path (37) for the mating terminal (71) to be parallel to the terminal (20). A rotation restricting portion (33) is in the connector housing (30) and restricts the coil spring (10) in a rotation posture to tilt with respect to the winding axis (A) such that a mating terminal side of a half-turn winding plane and a straight line connecting a start point (P1) and an end point (P2) of the half turn is on a back side in an inserting direction of the mating terminal (71).

Claims

1. A connector, comprising:

a terminal in the form of a flat plate;

an obliquely wound coil spring formed by spirally winding a conductive wire with respect to a winding axis, disposed such that the winding axis thereof and the terminal are parallel, and to be sandwiched between the terminal and a mating terminal in the form of a flat plate;

a connector housing configured to accommodate the terminal and the obliquely wound coil spring and including an insertion path, the mating terminal being inserted into the insertion path to be parallel to the terminal; and

a rotation restricting portion provided in the connector housing and configured to restrict the obliquely wound coil spring in such a rotation posture as to tilt with respect to the winding axis such that a mating terminal side of a half-turn winding plane defined by a half turn of the wire and a straight line connecting a start point and an end point of the half turn is on a back side in an inserting direction of the mating terminal and a terminal side thereof is on a front side in the inserting direction.

2. A connector according to claim 1, wherein:

the connector housing includes a spring accommodating portion configured to accommodate the obliquely wound coil spring; and

the rotation restricting portion is configured by making a facing dimension between the terminal and a part of an inner wall of the spring accommodating portion facing the terminal smaller than an outer diameter of the obliquely wound coil spring in a direction perpendicular to a facing direction.

3. A connector according to claim 2, wherein the spring accommodating portion includes a shaft portion provided along the winding axis of the obliquely wound coil spring and inserted in the obliquely wound coil spring.