Connector with an aligner with a flexible deformable arm with a slit

• US 7,828,583 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2009
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Ohsumi, Hideki, Ohtaka, Kazuto, Honma, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Prasad; Chandrika
• Application Number:
  US12/562,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20100099295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 439/374, 439/378, 439/352, 439/357, 439/752, 439/595
• US Class Current: 439/374
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/629 Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances separate tools or apparatus H01R43/26

Abstract

A connector including a first connector accommodating a male terminal, a second connector accommodating a female terminal, and a movable aligner which supports a tip of the male terminal and is movable from a provisional position to a completed position according to the insertion and desertion of the second connector relative to the first connector. At the provisional position, a pushing projection pushes the arm toward the inner wall so that the arm deforms and the regulating projection is in the recess portion, and the movable aligner supports the tip of the first terminal so as to align with the second terminal during a movement between the provisional position to the completed position, the pushing projection is engaged with the slit; and at the completed position, the first and the second terminals are connected. Thus the movable aligner precisely align the male terminal with the female terminal.

Claims

1. A connector comprising:

a first connector including a connector body in which a first terminal is accommodated and a hood portion to which a tip of the first terminal is exposed, the hood portion including an inner wall on which a recess portion is provided;

a second connector to be inserted into and deserted from the hood portion, which accommodates a second terminal and has a pushing projection; and

a movable aligner movable between a provisional position and a completed position by the insertion and desertion of the second connector into the hood portion, and including an arm which is flexibly deformable toward the inner wall, the arm including a slit and a regulating projection, wherein

at the provisional position, the pushing projection pushes the arm toward the inner wall so that the arm deforms and the regulating projection is in the recess portion, and the movable aligner supports the tip of the first terminal so as to align with the second terminal;

during a movement between the provisional position to the completed position, the pushing projection is engaged with the slit; and

at the completed position, the first and the second terminals are connected.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the hood portion includes a regulating rib which contacts with the regulating projection to prevent the arm from deforming.

3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the pushing projection includes a slant surface contacting with the arm at the provisional position.

4. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the pushing projection includes a slant surface contacting with the arm at the provisional position.

5. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the movable aligner includes a guide rib and the second connector includes a guide groove with which the guide rib is engaged so as to guide the movement between the provisional position and the completed position.

6. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the movable aligner includes a guide rib and the second connector includes a guide groove with which the guide rib is engaged so as to guide the movement of the movable aligner between the provisional position and the completed position.

7. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the movable aligner includes a guide rib and the second connector includes a guide groove with which the guide rib is engaged so as to guide the movement between the provisional position and the completed position.

8. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the movable aligner includes an engaging arm and the hood portion includes a provisional retaining portion provided at a position corresponding to the provisional position of the movable aligner and a completely retaining portion provided at a position corresponding to the completed position of the movable aligner, wherein the retaining arm is retained to the provisional retaining portion and the completed retaining portion when the movable aligner is at the provisional position and the completed position respectively.

9. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the movable aligner includes a retaining arm and the hood portion includes a provisional engaging portion provided at a position corresponding to the provisional position of the movable aligner and a completely retaining portion provided at a position corresponding to the completed position of the movable aligner, wherein the retaining arm is retained to the provisional retaining portion and the completed retaining portion when the movable aligner is at the provisional position and the completed position respectively.

10. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the movable aligner includes an engaging arm and the hood portion includes a provisional engaging portion provided at a position corresponding to the provisional position of the movable aligner and a completed engaging portion provided at a position corresponding to the completed position of the movable aligner, wherein the retaining arm is retained to the provisional retaining portion and the completed retaining portion when the movable aligner is at the provisional position and the completed position respectively.

11. The connector according to claim 4, wherein the movable aligner includes an engaging arm and the hood portion includes a provisional engaging portion provided at a position corresponding to the provisional position of the movable aligner and a completed engaging portion provided at a position corresponding to the completed position of the movable aligner, wherein the retaining arm is retained to the provisional retaining portion and the completed retaining portion when the movable aligner is at the provisional position and the completed position respectively.

12. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the movable aligner includes a guiding portion and the hood portion includes a guiding wall on which the guiding portion slides during the movement of the movable aligner between the provisional position and the completed position.

13. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the movable aligner includes a guiding portion and the hood portion includes a sliding wall on which the guiding portion slides during the movement of the movable aligner between the provisional position and the completed position.

14. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the movable aligner includes a guiding portion and the hood portion includes a guiding wall on which the guiding portion slides during the movement of the movable aligner between the provisional position and the completed position.

15. The connector according to claim 4, wherein the movable aligner includes a guiding portion and the hood portion includes a guiding wall on which the guiding portion slides during the movement of the movable aligner between the provisional position and the completed position.

16. The connector according to claim 5, wherein the movable aligner includes a guiding portion and the hood portion includes a guiding wall on which the guiding portion slides during the movement of the movable aligner between the provisional position and the completed position.