1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector and more particularly to a connector comprising a cover having a function of fixing an electric wire in a connector housing and locking a terminal thereto. The connector of the present invention is preferably used as a connector having a terminal accommodating chamber for accommodating terminals of a plurality of wires used in an electronic appliance or a wire harness of an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Arts
According to a conventional connector accommodating terminals connected with a plurality of wires of a wire harness of an automobile or the like, the terminals are inserted into a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers arranged in parallel with each other in the housing of the connector and the terminals are locked by a terminal locking portion formed in each terminal accommodating chamber. Then, a cover is installed on the housing so as to close the opening portion of each terminal accommodating chamber. The cover has a function of insulating the electric wire but does not have a function of fixing the electric wire to the terminal accommodating chamber.
Therefore, the conventional connector does not firmly hold the electric wire. If tensile force acts on the electric wire, the terminal connected with the electric wire is moved in the terminal accommodating chamber, thus causing an imperfect contact or the terminal to be removed from the terminal accommodating chamber together with the electric wire. In addition, the terminal is likely to be damaged due to repeated installations and removals of male and female connectors.
In order to solve the above-described disadvantage, the following construction has been proposed: A projection 2a having a construction as shown in FIG. 5 is formed to close the opening portion positioned in the rear upper end of the housing 1 of the connector. An electric wire 5 connected with a terminal 3 accommodated in a terminal accommodating chamber 1a is bent along the projection 2a to fix the electric wire 5 in the terminal accommodating chamber 1a.
However, when force acts on the electric wire 5 as shown by an arrow of FIG. 5, force for removing the cover 2 from the housing 1 acts on a curved portion 5a of the electric wire 5 as shown by an arrow of FIG. 5. As a result, the cover 2 is deformed or removed from the housing 1. As such, the cover 2 is incapable of fixing the electric wire in the terminal accommodating chamber 1a.
Another example of a conventional connector is described below with reference to FIG. 6. According to this example, a blade 3a' of a terminal 3, accommodated in a terminal accommodating chamber 1a' of a housing 1' is perpendicular to a connector-connected surface and the electric wire 5 connected with the terminal 3' is bent by side walls 2b' of a cover 2' so as to fix the electric wire 5 to the terminal accommodating chamber 1a'.
However, force for removing the cover 2' from the housing 1' is generated upon application of force acting the electric wire 5. As a result, the cover 2' is deformed or removed from the housing 1' and thus the electric wire 5 cannot be reliably fixed to the terminal accommodating chamber 1a'.
In addition, according the conventional connectors as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber is held by only a locking portion 1b and 1b', respectively formed on the wall of the terminal accommodating chamber. Thus, the terminal cannot be reliably locked sufficiently in the terminal accommodating chamber.
The above-described connector has only a single layer of terminal accommodating chambers. The following connector comprising a two-layered terminal accommodating chambers disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 62-200252 is described below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.
Housings 6A and 6B comprising a single layered terminal accommodating chamber 1a" are connected with each other by a band 7 and layered one on the other to form a two-layered terminal accommodating chamber. A connecting member 8 corresponding to a cover is interposed between the housings 6A and 6B. Wire-fixing projections 8a and 8b formed upward and downward therefrom are formed on the rear end of the connecting member 8.
According to the above connector, the electric wire 5 is vertically sandwiched in the same direction between the projections 8a(8b) of the connecting member 8 projecting at right angles with the bottom surface (upper surface) of the terminal accommodating chamber 1a" as shown in FIG. 8. Therefore, the connecting member 8 is incapable of favorably suppressing tensile force acting the electric wire 5 in the direction shown by an arrow shown by X and thus, is incapable of reliably fixing the electric wire 5 to the terminal accommodating chamber 1a".
Further, a terminal 3" accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 1a" is locked by only a stepped portion 1c" formed on the bottom wall of the terminal accommodating chamber 1a". Therefore, the terminal 3" is not firmly held. When tensile force acts on the electric wire 5, the terminal 3" is likely to move due to the weak fixing force of the projection 8b. As a result, the connecting member 8 may be deformed.
As described above, according to the conventional connector having the single-layered and the two-layered terminal accommodating chamber, the cover is incapable of fixing the electric wire reliably to the terminal accommodating chamber and as such the cover is likely to be deformed or removed therefrom.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds