1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector which is attached to a support plate by inserting a plurality of terminal pins of the connector into apertures in the support plate.
2. Statement of the Prior Art
A connector is known which connects wiring cables to terminals on a printed circuit plate or the like. This connector is provided with a plurality of projected terminal pins adapted to be inserted into holes in the terminals. Since the terminal pins must be inserted into small insertion holes at the same time upon attaching, attaching work is troublesome. For example, the connector cannot be attached to the printed circuit plate if distal ends of some of the terminal pins are deflected from the given positions. In particular, the terminal pins of the connector are made of a bendable metal strip and are projected away from the connector body. An arrangement of the distal ends is likely to go out of control and thus will misconnect with the insertion holes. Consequently, heretofore, the terminal pins have been inserted into the insertion holes while adjusting the arrangement of the pins.
In order to overcome the above problem, Japanese Patent Public Disclosure No. 62-186784 (1987) discloses a connector. For convenience of explanation, the disclosed connector will be described below by referring to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the prior connector, illustrating a state before being assembled. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the prior connector illustrating an assembled state. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a positioning plate c, which is provided with positioning holes d corresponding to insertion holes in a printed circuit plate, is attached to a connector body a. The distal ends of terminal pins b are inserted into the positioning holes d. Thus, an arrangement of the distal ends of the terminal pins b is brought into coincidence with an arrangement of the insertion holes.
However, a plurality of terminal pins which are disordered must be inserted into the positioning holes at the same time in the prior art. This is troublesome in the same manner of inserting the terminal pins into the insertion holes in the printed circuit plate without positioning the pins. Although the above work becomes easy at the stage of attaching the connector to the printed circuit plate, it is necessary to position the pins in order to attach the positioning plate c to the connector body a. Ultimately, the prior art cannot eliminate the troublesome work to insert the terminal pins into the small holes.