Releasable connector for electric circuits

• US 4,904,196 A
• Filed: 07/14/1988
• Issued: 02/27/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Maeda, Akira, Kato, Tetsuo, Sueyoshi, Tadahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHIEM M
• Application Number:
  US07/218,916
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 439/188, 439/852, 439/378, 439/95, 439/96, 200/51.1, 102/202.1, 102/202.2, 102/202.9
• US Class Current: 439/188
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/7032 making use of a separate bridging element directly cooperating with the terminals

Abstract

A releasable connector for electric circuits is composed of a male connector housing and a female connector housing adapted to be fittable in each other. One of the connector housings is provided with a resilient short-circuit member while the other is provided with an insulator member. When the two parts are released from each other, the short-circuit member is resiliently urged against the upper surfaces of the terminals in the one connector housing so as to make a short circuit between the terminals. When the two housings are coupled together, the insulator member in the other connector housing wedges in between the short-circuit member and the terminals in the one connector housing so as to break the short circuit made therebetween. With this construction, it is ensured that any current being induced by and under the influence of external magnetic fields or electric fields or static electricity within the system to which the invention is applied is prevented from flowing through the associated circuit elements thus avoiding malfunctions of the elements.

Claims

1. A releasable connector for preventing malfunctions in electric circuits, comprising a male connector housing and a female connector housing adapted to fit in each other in face-to-face relation, characterized in that one of said male and female connector housings is provided interiorly, and adjacent to a guide aperture opened at the interface thereof, with a terminal receiving cavity and a short-circuit member receiving cavity with a communicating space formed therebetween, whereby said terminal receiving cavity is provided with a plurality of terminals disposed therein, at least one of said terminals being provided with a projection formed from an electrically conductive material which extends outwardly from said terminal into said short-circuit member receiving cavity, said short-circuit member receiving cavity having disposed therein a resilient short-circuit member formed of electrically conductive material in such a manner that said member extends through the communicating space so as to be brought into resilient contact with the respective projections of said terminals to protect the electrical circuits from malfunctions due to external magnetic and electric fields when the housings are apart, the other of said connecting housings being provided with an insulator member recessively mounted within an interior cavity of the housing, said insulator member being adapted, when the two connector housings are fitted in each other, to be thrusted in between the short-circuit member and the terminals with which the short-circuit member has been in resilient contact, said short-circuit member and the respective projections of said terminal elements being configured so as to orient and guide said insulating member therebetween.

2. A releasable connector according to claim 1, further characterized in that said one connector housing is arranged to be connected to circuit elements incorporated in a system to which said releasable connector is applied, while said other connector housing is arranged to be connected to a power source in said system.

3. A releasable connector according to claim 1, further characterized in that said resilient short-circuit member is fabricated from a thin metal by punching and bending to a generally ellipsoidal configuration having two parallel legs with reversibly bent end portions so that when the two connector housings are released from each other, said end portions of the legs are resiliently urged against the upper surfaces of the terminals.

4. A releasable connector according to claim 1, further characterized in that said terminals in said one connector housing are fabricated from a thin metal plate by bending to a generally rectangular cross-sectional configuration.

5. A releasable connector according to claim 4, further characterized in that said terminals of a generally rectangular cross-sectional configuration are provided with respective projections at the side surfaces facing toward the short-circuit member, said projections being configured to make contact with the short-circuit member when the two connector housings are released from each other.

6. A releasable connector according to claim 1, further characterized in that said guide aperture opened at the interface of the one connector housing is dimensioned to receive the insulator member.