Connector and connector device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9954306-B2
Application number	US-201515115308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2015
Priority date	Jan 31, 2014
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

A connector includes a contact in an elongated shape that is electrically conductive, and a housing that has an internal space is formed. The contact includes a contact portion, a connection portion, a fixing portion, and a protruding portion. The contact portion is to be electrically connected to an electrically conductive member when the contact is housed in the housing. The connection portion is electrically connected to a core wire of an electrical wire. The fixing portion is provided on a side opposite to the contact portion relative to the connection portion, and fixes a covering of the electrical wire. The protruding portion is provided on an end portion side of the fixing portion opposite to the connection portion so as to protrude. The protruding portion reduces the amount of movement of the contact inside the internal space of the housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A connector comprising:
a contact in an elongated shape that is electrically conductive and is attached to an electrical wire; and
a housing that has an internal space for housing the contact is formed,
the electrical wire including:
a core wire that is electrically conductive, and
a covering that is electrically insulated and covers the core wire,

the contact including:
a contact portion that is to be electrically connected to an electrically conductive member when the contact is housed in the housing,
a connection portion that is electrically connected to the core wire of the electrical wire,
a fixing portion that is provided on a side opposite to the contact portion relative to the connection portion in a longitudinal direction of the contact, and fixes the covering of the electrical wire, and
a protruding portion that is provided on a side on which an end portion of the fixing portion opposite to the connection portion in the longitudinal direction is located so as to protrude, a distance between ends of the protruding portion is longer than a distance between ends of the fixing portion in a predetermined direction that intersects the longitudinal direction, the protruding portion being configured to reduce an amount of movement of the contact inside the internal space in at least the predetermined direction.

2. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the protruding portion includes
a base portion that is provided in the end portion of the fixing portion toward a side opposite to the connection portion in the longitudinal direction, and
two extending portions that are respectively provided on two sides of the base portion so as to extend in a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction, the two sides being along the longitudinal direction.

3. The connector according to claim 2 , wherein two inner surfaces of the internal space respectively have two recesses to which the two extending portions are respectively introduced when the contact is housed in the housing.

4. The connector according to claim 2 , wherein the two extending portions have two tips that oppose each other.

5. The connector according to claim 4 , wherein the protruding portion further includes projection portions respectively provided on outer surfaces of the two extending portions.

6. The connector according to claim 2 , wherein the two extending portions have tips that are brought into contact with an inner surface of the internal space.

7. The connector according to claim 3 , wherein each of the two extending portions is formed in a tapered shape such that a length from the base portion to a tip decreases toward the fixing portion on a side on which the fixing portion is located in the longitudinal direction.

8. The connector according to claim 2 , wherein the base portion is formed such that a shape of a cross section whose normal direction in the longitudinal direction is arc-like.

9. The connector according to claim 8 , wherein the shape of the cross section of the base portion is arc-like along an outer periphery of the electrical wire.

10. The connector according to claim 2 , wherein the base portion is provided so as to protrude from a central portion of the fixing portion in the longitudinal direction.

11. A connector device comprising:
the connector according to claim 1 ; and
a receptacle connector that includes the electrically conductive member and to which the connector is to be coupled.

12. The connector according to claim 1 , further comprising a lever in the housing, wherein
the housing is configured so as to be inserted into a partner housing of a partner member that is to be fitted to the connector from a first side in a first direction,
the lever is provided in the housing along the first direction,
the lever includes
a lever body that includes a support portion fixed to the housing and is configured to be bendable along a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction,
a lock portion that is provided in the lever body and is configured to be lockable to a locked portion of the partner housing when the housing is inserted into the partner housing, and
an operation portion that is provided on an outer surface of the lever body and accepts an operation for releasing locking between the lock portion and the locked portion,

the housing includes
a housing body, and
a regulating portion that is provided on an outer surface of the housing body and regulates the operation performed on the operation portion, and

the regulating portion is provided in the housing body so as to be located closer to a second side, opposite to the first side, than the operation portion in the first direction.

13. A connector to be fitted to a partner member, the connector comprising:
a housing configured to be inserted into a partner housing of the partner member from a first side in a first direction; and
a lever that is provided in the housing along the first direction,
the lever including
a lever body that includes a support portion fixed to the housing and is configured to be bendable along a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction,
a lock portion that is provided in the lever body and is configured to be lockable to a locked portion of the partner housing when the housing is inserted into the partner housing, and
an operation portion that is provided on an outer surface of the lever body and accepts an operation for releasing locking between the lock portion and the locked portion,

the housing including
a housing body, and
a regulating portion that is provided on an outer surface of the housing body and regulates the operation to be performed on the operation portion, and

the regulating portion is provided on the housing body so as to be located closer to a second side, opposite to the first side, than the operation portion in the first direction.

14. The connector according to claim 13 , wherein
the operation portion is located closer to the second side than the support portion in the first direction, and
the lock portion is located between the support portion and the operation portion in the first direction.

15. The connector according to claim 13 , wherein
the lock portion is provided so as to protrude from the lever body in the second direction, and
the regulating portion protrudes from the outer surface of the housing body in the second direction.

16. The connector according to claim 15 , wherein an end surface of the operation portion in the second direction is located so as to exceed, in the second direction, an end surface of the regulating portion in the second direction.

17. The connector according to claim 15 , wherein the end surface of the operation portion in the second direction and the end surface of the regulating portion in the second direction are located on a same plane.

18. The connector according to claim 16 , wherein the regulating portion is longer than the operation portion in a third direction that is orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction.

19. The connector according to claim 13 , further comprising a plurality of contacts that are electrically conductive and are each attached to an electrical wire, wherein
the housing body has a plurality of contact insertion holes to which the plurality of contacts are respectively inserted, the plurality of contact insertion holes being provided in the housing body side by side in a third direction that is orthogonal to the first direction and the second dir

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Taguchi Hidetaka
• Okura Kenji
• Iida Mitsuru
• Ito Chikara

Classifications

• H01R13/432

  by stamped-out resilient tongue snapping behind shoulder in base or case · CPC title

• H01R13/4223

  comprising integral flexible contact retaining fingers · CPC title

• H01R13/6272

  comprising a single latching arm · CPC title

• H01R4/185

  combined with a U-shaped insulation-receiving portion · CPC title

• H01R13/639

  Additional means for holding or locking coupling parts together, after engagement, {e.g. separate keylock, retainer strap} · CPC title