AU669602B2

AU669602B2 - Electrical connector

Info

Publication number: AU669602B2
Application number: AU57602/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Isamu Masuda
Original assignee: Nihon Kenko Zoushin Kenkyukai Corp; Nihon Kenkozoshin Kenkyukai Co Ltd
Current assignee: Nihon Kenko Zoushin Kenkyukai Corp
Priority date: 1994-03-07
Filing date: 1994-03-07
Publication date: 1996-06-13
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-07
Also published as: AU5760294A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant: NIHON KENKO ZOUSHIN KENKYUKAI CORPORATION Invention Title: ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR The following statement is a full description cf this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: I LLI~II^~I~ -~LL 1A

SPECIFICATION

TITLE OF THE INVENTION Electrical Connector TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to an electrical connector such as a plug or a socket for connecting to the power source.

BACKGROUND OF ART As conventional plug-in electrical connectors, we have two types; one type comprises a housing in which electric terminals are formed integrally by insert molding, and other type is an assembling-type in which electric terminals are attached to a moulded core over which an insulating cap is fitted.

In respect to said insert molding type, if an electrical cable attached thereto is cut, the connector cannot be repaired. So usually the whole of cable and connector are replaced with new ones.

The assembling-type connector can be repaired but this requires that the cap be separated from the core to enable disconnection of the cut cable from the electric terminals and reconnection of the electric terminals and cables This is a time consuming and fiddley job.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to get rid of the above problems and simplify the assembling of an electrical connector.

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7 L cr N 2 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided an electrical connector comprising: a housing including a pair of terminal holes in parallel with each other, an end portion of said housing being split along a plane containing the radial centre line of the both terminal holes to form a first portion integral with a main body portion of said housing, and a cap member being adapted for fixing to said first portion, a pair of bent electric terminals individual ones of which can be inserted into respective terminal holes for providing electrical connection with an external electrical plug, each of said first portion and said cap member provided with a contact surface adapted for mutual face to face contact when said cap member is fixed to said first portion, each contact surface provided with a first pair of grooves extending collinearly with and leading to said pair of terminal holes for forming guide holes on fixing of said cap member to said first portion, and, a second pair of grooves extending at an angle to said first grooves to form terminal fixing holes on fixing of said cap member to said first portion, the angle of said second grooves corresponding to the angle of the bend in said electric terminals, each of said terminal fixing holes leading to different ones of said guide holes, wherein each of said electrical terminals is 3 inserted into individual one of said terminal holes and is received in the guide hole which leads to that terminal hole and the terminal fixing hole which leads to that guide hole.

According to the above constitution, the first grooves and the second (or branched) grooves on the first portion of the housing are parts of guide holes and parts of terminal fixing holes respectively. When assembling the electrical connector, each of electric terminal is passed through the groove on the first portion as a guide groove, and is inserted into the terminal hole being connected to the guide groove. Then the electric terminal is rotated axially to be engaged to the respective branch groove.

Thereby the, electric terminals are completely prevented from rotating, rising up, and being shifted away their position. Next, by facing the grooves on the contacting face of the cap member with the grooves on the first portion respectively, the electric terminals are caught and engaged between the cap member and the first portion, and then the cap member and the first portion are fixed by screws. Thereby the electrical connector can be assembled et~ easily without rotating, rising up, and being sifted away of the electric terminals O'k." BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig.l is a front view showing a magnetic therapeutic apparatus introducing the electrical connector according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross sectional view of Fig.

1.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the state of installing the electrical connector.

Fig. 4 is a discomposed perspective view of the electrical connector according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line IV- IV of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a housing.

Fig. 7 is a side view of Fig. 6.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Fig. 1 to 3 show a magnetic therapeutic apparatus applying alternating magnetic fields on the human body, 20 for enhancing blood circulation.

This magnetic therapeutic apparatus comprises a plurality of cases each of which contains a magnetic field generator generating alternating magnetic field pivotally connected by hinge mechanism 12, and by attaching bands 13 to both side end cases la, the .e 5 apparatus is installed to each portion of a human body to apply alternating magnetic fields from the magnetic field generators to the human body. The magnetic field generators of cases 1 are connected to each other by lead wires 14, and in respect to either case la, an electrical connector 2 according to the present invention is provided on the side end the band 13 is attached.

Each of the above cases is composed of a pair of partial cases, and on the contacting faces of the partial cases of the case la, an engaging portion 15 the electrical connector 2 is engaged to, is formed.

As shown in Fig. 4 through 7, the electrical connector 2 comprises a housing 3 including a pair of terminal holes 31,31 being perforated in parallel. An end portion of the housing 3 is split along a plane containing the radial centre line of the both terminal holes 31, to form a first portion 32 integral with a main body of the housing and a cap member 4 which can be fixed to the first portion 32 by screws. The connector 2 also includes a pair 20 of electric terminals 5, o:o On the housing 3, a cylinder portion 33 surrounding the openings of terminal holes 31 and fitting to a corresponding electrical connector 6 is formed, and a *thread 34 is formed on its periphery to connect a bag-type nut 61 provided with the electrical connector 6.

On the contacting surfaces of the first portion 32 Cl w L c I

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and the cap member 4, grooves 35, 41 which are straight serial to the respective terminal holes 31, 31 and branch grooves 36, 42 which are in communication with the respective grooves 35, 41 orthogonally are formed. When the cap member 4 is fixed to the notrhod -tag 32, guide holes 37 led to the terminal holes 31 are formed by the opposing grooves 35, 41, and terminal fixing holes 38 which are in branched communication with the guide holes 37 are formed by the opposing branch grooves 36, 42.

The electric terminals 5 are round axial pin-shaped terminals which are sized to meet the terminal hoics 31, guide holes 37, and terminal fixing holes 38, and by bending at a right angle at a suitable location, terminal portions 51 engaging to the electric connector 6 are formed at one end and fixing portions 52 engaging to the terminal fixing holes 38 are formed at the other end respectively. The end of fixing portions 52 are connected to lead wires 14 in the case la. Each of the electric terminals 5 is fixed by inserting the terminal 20 portion 51 into the respective terminal hole 31 through the respective groove 35 on the i -tz- 32 and cutting down the fixing portion 52 to engage it to the respective branch groove 36, and the cap member 4 is fixed to the \Otched-sa ge 32. As this time, the terminal portions 51 are projected into the cylinder I -c 7 portion 33 respectively, and the respective fixing portions 52 are positioned and fixed in the respective terminal fixing holes 38 formed by the branch grooves 36, 42.

On the cap member 4 and housing body 3, partitions 39, 43 projecting in parallel to the two terminal fixing holes 38 and positioning therebetween are provided to insulate between the two electric terminals 5, On the both contacting surfaces of the cap member 4 and the housing body 3, a dowel 7 and a dowel hole 71 for positioning the cap member 4, and holes for screws in proper portions are formed.

Furthermore, the angle of the each terminal fixing hole to the respective guide hole 37 is not restricted to right angle, it can be changed corresponding to the condition for installing the electrical connector 2.

When assembling the above electrical connector 2, each of electric terminal 5 is passed through the groove on the 32 as a guide groove and is inserted into the terminal holes 31 being connected to the guide groove. Then the electric terminal 5 is rotated axially to engage its fixing portion 52 to the respective branch groove 36. Thereby the electric terminals 5 are completely prevented from rotating, rising up, and being shifted away their position. Next, 7

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by facing grooves 41 and branch grooves 42 on the contacting surface of the cap member 4 with the grooves and branch grooves 36 on the \nzt-hr-d_ ago respectively, the electric terminals 5 are caught and engaged between the cap member 4 and the notched stage 2, and then the cap member 4 and the te'hLcd :t 2 are fixed by screws.

In addition, the electrical connector 2 of the present invention is not restricted to the illustrated therapeutic apparatus. It may be applied to various electric appliances and office equipments.

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Claims

2. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein said electric terminals are round pin-shaped terminals.
3. An electrical connector substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Dated this 13th day of September, 1995. NIKON KENKO ZOUSHIN KENKYUKAI CORPORATION By its Patent Attorneys: GRIFFITH HACK CO. Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia. r r r I r r I r I c ~I F~ :il u~ c.=rs:.j ABSTRACT In the electrical connector of the present invention, a notched stage (32) is formed by dividing the end portion of a housing having a pair of terminal holes (31)(31) in parallel with each other, along the radial center line of the both terminal holes (31)(31), bending electric terminals are inserted into the both terminal holes and a cap member is fixed by screws to the notched stage(32). On both contacting surface of said notched stage (32) and said cap member a pair of grooves (35)(35), (41)(41) being straight serial to the saia terminal holes and a pair of branch grooves (42)(42) branching from the respective grooves (41)(41) at angle of said electric terminals bending are formed respectively, and when contacting the cap member to the notched stage grooves (41) and branched grooves (42) are faced to each other to form guide holes (37) and terminal fixing holes (38) respectively. S i 6 4I I *B *I r t _L