Electrical connector housing having projecting parts with reduced size fitting gap dimensions

• US 6,106,306 A
• Filed: 11/02/1998
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Framatome Connectors International
• Original Assignee: Framatome Connectors International
• Inventors: Kodaira, Yoshihiko, Koga, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khiem
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Son V.
• Application Number:
  US09/155,035
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 439/74, 439/660, 439/680, 439/931, 439/83, 439/592, 439/76, 439/64, 439/78-81
• US Class Current: 439/74
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/57 surface mounting terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/716 Coupling device provided on the PCB

Abstract

A connector 21 comprises a receptacle housing 26 which is affixed to one wiring element 22 and a plug housing 27 which is affixed to another wiring element 24; projecting parts 26c which project in the direction of the other housing 27 in the vicinity of the floor surface 26b of the receptacle housing 26 during the engagement of the housings 26 and 27 are provided in one or the other of the inner surface of the side walls 26a of the receptacle housing 26 and the side surfaces 27a of plug housing 27, and the dimensions c1 of a fitting gap between the two housings 26 and 27 at these projecting parts 26b is set so as to be smaller than the dimensions c2 of a fitting gap between the housings 26 and 27 at parts other than the projecting parts 26c.

Claims

1. A connector for connecting two wiring elements, the connector being locatable in a gap between the two wiring elements and electrically connect wirings on the wiring elements to each other, the connector comprising:

a receptacle housing having a shape of a box with a floor, the receptacle housing being affixed to a first one of the wiring elements and which houses a plurality of first contacts connected to the wiring of the first wiring element; and

a plug housing affixed to a second one of the wiring elements and which houses a plurality of second contacts connected to the wiring of the second wiring element, the plug housing being engaged within the receptacle housing during connection of the housings to each other;

wherein at least one of the housings comprises projecting parts which project in a direction of the other housing during connection of the housings to each other, the projecting parts being provided in at least one of an inner surface of the receptacle housing or an outer surface of the plug housing proximate the floor of the receptacle housing, and

wherein dimensions of a first fitting gap between the housings at the projecting parts is set so as to be smaller than the dimensions of a second fitting gap between the housings at a location other than the projecting parts.

2. A connector in accordance with claim 1, wherein the projecting parts are provided in the inner surface of a side wall of the receptacle housing or in a side surface of the plug housing.

3. A connector in accordance with claim 2, wherein groove shaped concave parts, which engage the projecting parts, are formed in the other housing opposed to the projecting parts, and a depth of the concave parts is set so as to be smaller than a height of the projecting parts.

4. A connector in accordance with claim 3, wherein the dimensions of the first fitting gap between the concave parts and the projecting parts, in a transverse direction of a groove of the groove shaped concave parts, is set so as to be smaller than the dimensions of the second fitting gap between both housings disposed on both sides in the transverse direction of the groove.

5. A connector in accordance with claim 1, wherein the projecting parts are provided in a floor surface of the housing or a lead end surface of the plug housing, and concave parts which engage the projecting parts are formed in the lead end surface of the plug housing or in the floor surface of the receptacle housing opposed to the projecting parts;

respectively.

6. A connector in accordance with claim 1, wherein a guide concave part, having a larger fitting gap with the plug housing, is provided in a vicinity of an opening end of an inner surface of side walls of the receptacle housing.

8. A connector in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first contacts connected to the wiring of the first wiring element are pin contacts, and the second contacts connected to the wiring of the second wiring element are socket contacts capable of being attached to and detached from the pin contacts, and wherein conductors, which are formed in a leaf form and applied to surfaces of structural parts and which are disposed in an adjoining manner in a transverse direction, are connected to at least one of the pin contacts and the socket contacts.

7. A connector comprising:

a receptacle housing having a shape of a box with a floor; and

a plug housing which is engaged with the receptacle housing,

wherein at least one of the housings comprises projecting parts which project in a direction of the other housing proximate the floor of the receptacle housing during engagement of the housings, the projecting parts being provided in at least one of an inner surface of the receptacle housing or an outer surface of the plug housing, and

wherein dimensions of a first gap between the two housings at the projecting parts is set so as to be smaller than dimensions of a second fitting gap between the two housing at a location other than the projecting parts.

9. A connector, which is disposed between two wiring elements disposed with a gap therebetween, and which couples the wiring elements and detachably connects a plurality of corresponding wirings provided on the wiring elements,

wherein pin contacts and socket contacts, which are attachable to and detachable from each other, are provided to the corresponding wirings of the two wiring elements, and

conductors, formed with a leaf form and applied to surfaces of structural parts and which are disposed in an adjoining manner in a transverse direction, are connected to at least one of the pin contacts and the socket contacts, wherein the connector further comprises a first connector in which a plurality of the pin contacts connected to the wiring of a first one of the wiring elements are maintained in a first housing, and a second connector in which a plurality of the socket contacts connected to the wiring of a second one of the wiring elements are maintained in a second housing, and wherein the structural parts comprise at least one of the housings.

10. A connector in accordance with claim 9, wherein the structural parts to which the conductors are affixed comprise a printed circuit board.

11. A connector in accordance with claim 9, wherein the structural parts to which the conductors are affixed comprise a molded interconnection device (MID).

12. A connector in accordance with claim 9, wherein the conductors affixed to the structural parts comprise flexible printed circuit board conductors.

13. A connector in accordance with claim 9, wherein the conductors affixed to the structural parts comprise pin contacts.