Connector with housings held in an assembled state by externally exposed locks at positions to be gripped for connection to or separation from a mating housing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9722347-B2
Application number	US-201615161357-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2016
Priority date	Jun 9, 2015
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A connector is miniaturized and while still preventing damage to locking lances. Deflectable first and second locking lances ( 19, 79 ) configured to lock first and second terminal fittings ( 11, 61 ) are arranged to be exposed on first and second facing surfaces ( 15, 75 ) of first and second housings ( 10, 60 ). When the first and second housings 10, 60 are assembled, the first and second locking lances ( 19, 79 ) are arranged back-to-back with each other. Surfaces of the first and second locking lances ( 19, 79 ) facing the first and second cavities ( 17, 77 ) on tip parts in a projecting direction are continuous without any step and include locking surfaces ( 23, 83 ) configured to lock the first and second terminal fittings ( 11, 61 ) on tips in the projecting direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A connector, comprising first and second housings to be assembled in a mutually laminated state, wherein:
the housings include facing surfaces facing each other at the time of assembling and are connectable to and separable from a receptacle that is open into a front end of a mating housing in an assembled state of the first and second housings;
the second housing includes lock receiving portions provided on opposite sides intersecting with the facing surface;
the first housing includes deflectable locks provided on opposite sides intersecting with the facing surface, the deflectable locks being configured to deflect away from one another as the housings are being assembled and resiliently return to maintain the assembled state of the housings by being resiliently locked to the lock receiving portions from outer sides; and
the locks include exposed surfaces facing oppositely from the lock receiving portion and exposed outside the receptacle at positions forward of the front end of the mating housing with the assembled first and second housings connected to the mating housing so that the exposed surfaces of the locks are grippable during connection to and separation from the mating housing.

2. The connector of claim 1 , wherein:
the mating housing ( 100 ) includes a receptacle ( 101 ) externally fittable to the housings ( 10 , 60 ); and
each of the locks has a thickness sufficient to define an end surface that faces the front end of the mating housing adjacent the receptacle with the housings connected to the mating housing, the end surfaces being adjacent the exposed surfaces.

3. The connector of claim 2 , wherein:
the locks are arranged on a rear end part of the first housing in a connecting direction of the housings with the mating housing; and
the first housing includes bridges linking the locks with front end parts of the first housing in the connecting direction of the housings with the mating housing.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Wiring Systems

Inventors

• Chikusa Takahiro
• Iihoshi Shinji

Classifications

• H01R24/28

  Coupling parts carrying pins, blades or analogous contacts and secured only to wire or cable · CPC title

• H01R13/506 Primary

  assembled by snap action of the parts · CPC title

• H01R13/514

  composed as a modular blocks or assembly, i.e. composed of co-operating parts provided with contact members or holding contact members between them · CPC title

• H01R13/6271

  Latching means integral with the housing (H01R13/6276, H01R13/6277, H01R13/6278 take precedence) · CPC title